Tear Each Other Apart
by Akitsune Lune
Summary: First, a prophecy, foretelling destruction. Next, the inexplicable force that draws a cat from each Clan together. Buried, forgotten threats are rising from the dead with a vengeance. Love is poison, lies are their salvation, and they can trust no one. After all, they never meant to hurt anyone. But as their mysterious guides know all too well, no cat can outrun destiny forever.
1. Lightning

**Hello!  
I'm Akila/Pondfrost, author of TEOA. I'd like to thank you for clicking, and welcome you to a fanfiction that's not like any you've read before.**

 _ **HEY DON'T SCROLL DOWN THIS IS IMPORTANT**_

 **This is four stories. (Yeah, weren't you wondering why it's hundreds of thousands of words long and still not over?)**

 **If you check out the chapter directory (on a computer), you'll see that each chapter says Lightning:, Breeze:, Wave:, or Dark:, before each chapter title. If you're on mobile, just take my word for it.**

 **That's because in each set of four chapters, one is from the perspective of Lightningkit, one is Breezekit, one is Wavekit, and one is Darkkit. They each have their own lives and worlds in ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan respectively. Their stories interwine quite a bit, but each has their own story to tell.**

 **You** _ **could**_ **read every chapter chronologically. It'll be a challenge; it's a vast amount of writing and trying to keep track of four lives is exhausting. (I would know *wipes away sweat, saves and closes the fifty page document, hides enormous notebook under bed*)**

 **If you're interested in keeping your sanity, I would recommend choosing one of the four cats and reading the whole story from their perspective. If you're nutty enough to read all four, good luck to you sir/madam and I wish you a speedy recovery. Not to say that you can't, but it will probably make more sense to just read one, and then maybe move on to the others as well.**

 **The four cats are, to remind you, Lightningkit of ThunderClan (she-cat), Breezekit of WindClan (tom), Wavekit of RiverClan (tom), and Darkkit of ShadowClan (she-cat).**

 **If you're interested in picking one and following them to the end, read the first two chapters (this one and the next) as it's important to at least read that much. (They're the two prologues)**

 **Then, if you've picked Darkkit, for example, skip Lightning: Rocks, Breeze: The Dog, and Wave: Herbs and Arguments, and go straight into Dark: Elder's Tails.**

 **Continue skipping every chapter that doesn't start with Dark:. I promise you won't miss any of her story.**

 **Or just read all of it. I won't stop you.**

 **Everything else you need to know will be picked up pretty easily by reading. This is set far in the future; no cats from the original series are alive, though some descendants may be casually referenced. There won't be spoilers, don't worry.**

 **Without further ado, the Prologue, part 1.**

Prologue.

It was the darkest night.

The moon flickered palely in the sky, obscured by the thick underbrush of ThunderClan territory. Even the yowls of pain of the she-cat giving birth could not fully penetrate the thick silence of night.

"Two daughters, you have one more to go," the medicine cat told the queen reassuringly. "You're doing great!"

The queen shrieked in pain again as her body contracted with the force of a spasm.

The other she-cat hurried around her, doing her best to make the queen more comfortable as new mother wailed in pain and fear. The medicine cat's eyes met the new father's, who gave her a sharp nod and pressed himself to his mate's side.

"Two kits, you're almost there my love," he murmured, licking down the fur on his mate's head as she whimpered. "You can do it."

As the queen shook, the sound of rain slowly made itself known on ThunderClan territory.

The medicine cat ignored it, all her efforts focused on making sure the queen got through the birth and would be there at the end to care for her kits.

The queen screamed, her voice rising in a bone-chilling howl that drowned out the rain briefly. The water droplets lashed down harder than ever, increasing in intensity by the heartbeat.

Trying to focus on anything but the death-raising shrieks of the mother, the medicine cat licked the fur of the kits that had already been successfully delivered. _The last kit is always the hardest,_ she lied to herself. _Three kits means good fortune._

The medicine cat abruptly stopped licking the two kits as she realized it wasn't just raining, but fully storming at this point. _StarClan, please let this birth be finished before you tear ThunderClan's territory apart with thunder and lightning._

For whatever reason, whether it was the heavy air of the storm, the hard birth, the deafening rain, or simply her own stress, the medicine cat felt her fur rise and her heart beat faster than ever, like it was trying to escape her chest.

 _Ba bump._

Thunder exploded through the sky.

 _Ba bump._

The purplish clouds were lit as a white fork of lightning cracked into the lake.

 _Ba bump._

A third bundle slid onto the ground.

 _Ba bump._

The medicine cat passed out.

…

When the medicine cat came to, she had a splitting headache.

She staggered to her paws.

The territory that stretched out in front of her was completely unfamiliar. The grayish grass underfoot was sparkling with starlight, but the sky above was thick with fog, featureless.

Though she was certain she'd never laid eyes on it in her life, it was strangely familiar.

"StarClan?" she murmured, blinking groggily. "Is- a vision?"

She swung her head around, searching for any sign of what it might mean, but the wind simply whistled through the grass, not revealing-

 _Crack!_

Lightning slammed the ground in front of her, white-hot and brilliant.

She tried to jump away, terrified out of her pelt, but her paws were rooted to the ground.

As the burning light faded from her vision slowly, she recognized the faint outline of a cat in front of her, broad shouldered and larger than her. The afterburn of the lightning had blinded her enough that she couldn't distinguish any feature of the cat.

Before she had a chance to say anything, see anything, do anything, the cat whipped around and dashed across the starry land, disappearing into the fog.

The medicine cat blinked, clearing her vision, and squinted into the fog.

"Who are you!?" she called, her voice cracking as the wind stole her volume.

There was no reply from the mysterious cat.

She bounded forwards, racing into the fog, trying to catch up to the faint outline of the cat.

"Please!"

The cat only seemed to get farther with every step she took.

But now, the faint outline was being joined by three other cats, also indistinguishable in the fog.

Though their pelts were hidden by the thick mist, their physiques ranged from two that were bulky and broad, the cat in the lightning and another, to scrawny and tiny, to lithe but powerfully built.

It could be any cat that the medicine cat knew.

Suddenly, she leapt back as she heard a voice boom through the fog, husky and low but undeniably a she-cat's.

" _The ground will split._ "

She blinked, and glanced down, but saw nothing.

Then a tom's, lighter and rich.

" _The wind will twist_."

Though the wind continued to blow through the grass, nothing was recognizable as 'twisting'.

The third voice was smooth and cold, deeper than the other tom's.

" _The water will smash_."

And the fourth, another she-cat, brighter than the first's but no less strong and passionate.

" _The thunder will strike._ "

Then two voices, which the medicine cat had an odd certainty weren't coming from anywhere physical but rather resonating inside of her.

" _The stars and the Clans will tear each other apart._ "

The quality of the voices was indescribable. Measured, almost amused, but lurking with ancient power and danger. A tom and a she-cat.

The medicine cat shook, her eyes fluttering shut.

…

The third kit was shivering on the ground of the ThunderClan camp.

The medicine cat was shaking from the last remnants of the vision.

The storm continued to rage unabated.

The queen bent her head and touched her final kit's head gently.

"Lightningkit."

 **That's the first part of the prologue. The next 'chapter' is the other three parts of the prologue.**

 **It's a fairly short start, but regular chapters are at least two thousand words, usually about three thousand five hundred, but can be as much as six thousand.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Leave me a review on your way out!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	2. Breeze, Wave, Dark

**Hey!**

 **I'm back with part 2 of the prologue! Anyway, please enjoy, and don't forget to review! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.(If I did, HOLLYLEAF WOULDN'T BE DEAD!)**

The cold night wind scraped across the near-silent moor. The only distubance was a cat that lay on her side, labored breaths coming in ragged gasps. The young medicine cat apprentice stared at her with a mix of horror and fascination. His mentor burst back into the camp, a thick branch clamped in her jaws. She lay it down in front of the queen.

"When the pain comes, bite down." She instructed, feeling the queen's heaving flank carefully. "Just one kit. Keep breathing, you're doing fine."

The wind beat at their pelts mercilessly, ruffling his bushed out fur until he wasn't sure he would ever be able to make it lie flat again. His mentor was the picture of calm, her presence soothing his racing heart slightly. She didn't seem worried at all, the complete opposite of how he felt. An image of the queen lying on the grass, dying, was etched in his mind.

"Alright! Push, here it comes!" The medicine cat said, almost joyously. "It's a big one!"

He wondered if his mentor ever regretted her choice to become a medicine cat and take the vow to never have a mate or kits. She visited the nursery often, and it wasn't uncommon to see her taking care of kits while their mothers went out on patrol. He wasn't very upset about his own vow to never take a mate, but he supposed he was probably still too young to really understand.

His thoughts were interrupted as the queen wailed. She was quite young, and she wouldn't tell any cat who the father was. He felt momentary sympathy for the unborn kit. Growing up surrounded by gossip and rumours about who his or her father was wouldn't be easy.

"Almost there!" The medicine cat encouraged the queen as the stick splintered between her teeth.

"Is it... Supposed to... Hurt this much?" The queen managed through gritted teeth.

"Birth isn't easy!" The medicine cat replied cheerfully, a stark contrast to the dark night and agonizingly slow birth. "Don't worry, though, you're doing great! You're almost there!"

He tried to distract himself from the queen's obvious pain by thinking about what herbs they would use for her once the kit was born. _Borage to help the milk come..._ He thought. _A poppy seed to help her sleep..._ _Come on little kit, hurry up! Your mother won't last much longer!_

"Nearly there!" The medicine cat assured her.

 _It sounds like she's encouraging an apprentice in a race..._ He thought. _When I'm a full medicine cat, I'm not going to be this light-hearted. Isn't she worried at all? She acts like she doesn't care!_

Now that he studied her closer, she seemed to be scuffling the hard earth with her paws as though her mind was elsewhere, and her eyes wandered like she was stuck in a daydream. He wasn't sure she even knew what was going on!

"Help-" The young queen's mew was cut off as another spasm hit her. "I can't-"

He wondered what the kit would look like. Would it be a tom or a she-cat? Would it be better at hunting or fighting? Who would their leader assign to be their mentor? His attention kept slipping back to the cat on the ground. Her spasms were getting weaker. He wasn't sure if that meant it was almost over or that she was dying. Panic crept into the edges of his thoughts. The wind blew again, and he wished it would sweep him away with it. He wanted to become a medicine cat to save cats, not watch them die!

The stick cracked between her jaws as the strongest ripple yet struck her. A wet bundle slipped onto the dusty ground, and the queen exhaled so loudly he was sure he saw the leaves of the bush tremble.

"Now nip open the birth sac an-" His mentor's words were cut off as a light, warm breeze blew into camp, and seemed to knock her down, eyes closed, paws swaying. He stared in shock as she crumpled to the ground, a peaceful expression on her face.

He was forcefully pulled back to the present as the queen made a pained noise. He bent his head to the kit and nipped open the membrane before starting licking its light brown and black fur the wrong way to warm it up. The same warm breeze from before blew into camp. He breathed a sigh of relief as the queen got to her paws shakily. Continuing to lick the kit, he saw the queen approaching him out of the corner of his eye. He lifted his muzzle to make eye contact with her, but she was already bending down to greet her new kit.

He glanced at his mentor's slumped form nervously, praying to StarClan for her to wake up, but she stayed silent. A thorn of worry pierced his heart. What if she was dead? He narrowed his eyes, trying to remember exactly what had happened. The kit had been born, a strange breeze had floated through the camp. So that would mean that either the kit or the breeze had caused her sudden faint, or something else entirely. He reached one paw over tentatively to check her chest. He could feel a rythmic throbbing under his pad, so she definitely wasn't dead. He suddenly remembered the story from another medicine cat, how a cat had fallen into a death-like sleep that they had never woken from. Surely the same thing hadn't happened to his mentor? Alarm raced through him.

Suddenly, the medicine cat raised her head to see the queen touch her muzzle to her kit's head and murmur "Breezekit."

...

The sound of rushing water mingled with the pained cries of the queen lying by the lake. She had gone for a walk, only to find herself giving birth to the kits she was carrying. The medicine cat was asleep in his den, completely unaware of what was going on. She cried out again as another ripple passed over her flank that rose and fell in time with the ripples of the lake caused by the wind. A bush rustled nearby. She sent a quick prayer to StarClan that it wasn't a fox or badger. She was in no state to battle. A figure slipped out of the bushes, then it was joined by three others. The midnight patrol. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"What-" The leader of the patrol mewed incredulously. "You're- having kits!"  
"Ye-yeah." She forced out through gritted teeth. "Go get the medicine cat."

The leader nodded to another cat, who hared away, towards the camp.

"Don't worry." He mewed in what he probably thought was a reassuring voice. "He'll be here in a moment!"

"I don't know if I'll-" Her pained mew broke off as another spasm shook her.

The other cats look completely frantic, obviously not sure what to do with their paws.

"Go fetch a thick stick." The leader of the patrol instructed one of them.

She nodded, grateful for a way to help, and dashed away. He turned back to her.

"Why were you out anyway? You knew how close you were to having kits!"

"I- it was too... hot in the nur-" Her last word morphed into a yowl of pain as her face contorted. "Nursery! So I went for... a walk... and then the kits-"  
"I'm here! What's happened?" The old medicine cat looked uncomfortable, as though he had just woken. "We need a sti-"

He was cut off as the cat returned, a large branch dragging behind her. He stared at it as though it had come from StarClan themselves.

"How did you-" He began, and then shook his head like he was trying to dislodge something. "Nevermind that, just bite down when the pain comes."

She nodded, taking the stick between her teeth. Almost immediately, it splintered as she hissed in pain. The medicine cat felt her belly for a moment, before pronouncing "Four kits."

"Is she going to be okay?" The leader of the midnight patrol demanded fearfully. "She looks like she's in alot of pain!"

"That's because... I am!" She hissed.

"She's healthy, I don't see any reason for there to be a problem. The kits aren't coming too early or late, so there's no worry there." He shrugged, looking slightly helpless. "She's pretty much on her own now."

She yowled as the first kit slipped onto the pebbly lakeshore. It was a little grey she-cat.

"One kit born!" He meowed encouragingly, his eyes betraying his worry. "Just three more."

"Just?" She managed to sound sarcastic through the agony. "I don't know if-"  
"You're doing great! We already have a beautiful daughter!" The patrol leader covered her pained face in licks.

"There's-" The medicine cat's mew was cut off as another kit was born.

It lay ominously still, especially compared to its sister, who was already squirming towards her mother's belly for milk. The cats stared at the huddle, silver form.

"A stillborn." The medicine cat mewed gravely, his voice betraying his despair for the kit that would never know life.

The kits' father looked as though a breeze would whisk him away. His face was contorted in despair.

Their attention was drawn back to the struggling queen as she let out a muffled wail as the third kit was born. This one moved, but it looked weak. The medicine cat practically pounced on it, licking it furiously, warming it up.

"Another she-cat!" He annouced between licks.

The father continued to stare helplessly at the tiny stillborn.

"Almost there! You're doing fine." The medicine cat told the queen, forcedly cheerful.

The branch snapped as the last spasm racked her body. A massive wave slapped the shore, running all the way up to where the group of cats lay huddled around the queen, whisking away the broken branch. The moment it touched the medicine cat's fur, he collapsed. Just as the wave retreated, the kit was born onto the slick rocks. It was a tom, much larger than his littermates, and already wailing.

The medicine cat didn't hear it however, for he was passed out on the pebbles. No cat paid him any attention, though, they were all fixated on the newly born kits. The last one had long, silky greyish silver fur. The exhausted queen managed to muster the energy to draw her three kits towards her belly to let them nurse. The father glanced sorrowfully at where the dead kit lay, only to see it had been swept out onto the water by the lake.

He gasped in shock, before charging blindly towards the lake, shoving his way into the black water. A cat that had been on the midnight patrol that had come across the queen raced after him, hauling him backwards by his scruff.

"Are you crazy? You'll drown! You can't swim at night!" She hissed. "It isn't safe."  
"Let me go!" He snarled. "I need to get to my kit!"

"I'm sorry for your loss, but you have three alive kits that are waiting for you on the shore where it's _safe_!" She growled.

His struggling ceased abruptly, and he allowed her to pull him back towards his mate.

For the first time, the cats began casting worried looks at the still medicine cat, who hadn't moved since the wave. The father rejoined his mate and kits, but didn't lose the haunted look in his eyes.

He bent his large head to the silver tom kit. Most of the cats' attention was drawn away as the medicine cat lifted his head to see.

"Wavekit." The father whispered.

...

A cat's shrieks echoed in the dark pine forest. Her body convulsed as she wailed in agony. There were two cats by her side, both of them moving frantically.

"What do I do?" The smaller one, a she-cat, demanded.

"We have to-" The tom mewed, choking on his own words. "We can't-"  
"She's going to die if you can't help her!" The first cat shrieked. "Do something!"

"She has to give birth to them, there's nothing I can do. The kits are early, but I can't stop them!" He growled. "I can't just tell them to stay where they are!"  
The queen yowled again. The older cat touched her flank nervously, then gasped.

"Six!" He hissed, panic alighting in his eyes.

"Six what?" The younger cat demanded, worry creeping into her words. " _Six what?_ "

"Six-" He practically sobbed. "Six kits!"

"StarClan help us." She breathed. "I won't give up! Get some herbs!"  
"Which ones?" Her mentor demanded.

She wasn't sure if her mentor was testing her or was panicking to the point at which he couldn't remember his training, but it didn't matter.

"Coltsfoot to help her breathing..." She snapped, then trailed off, furiously racking her brain for the other remedies. "I don't know! But we have to do something!"

He dashed towards the medicine den, the darkness swallowing him.

The queen convulsed again as the first kit was born. She didn't even have to spare it more than a glance to know that it was dead before it had even had a first breath. The cat's breathing was getting slower and more erratic by the heart beat. The medicine cat apprentice didn't know what to do. _It's in StarClan's paws now._ She thought grimly.

"Here!" Her mentor had returned with the herbs.

She didn't bother checking them, just chewed them into a paste and tried to get the queen to swallow them. For a moment she was worried that she was going to choke on it, but breathed a heavy sigh of relief when the herbs went down her throat without any trouble. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to be helping. Her breathing slowed to the point at which she wasn't sure that she was breathing at all, or if it was just her imagination.

"She's gone." Her mentor whispered.

"No!" She yowled. "She can't be!

She breathed a sigh of relief as the queen's body convulsed, and then again, over and over again as kit after kit was born, all but two of them still and silent in the dark night. Normally she would find comfort in the darkness, but that night it hid the truth that was the final two kits. They shifted weakly, pushing themselves towards their mothers slumped form. She turned to her mentor, the darkness that seemed heavier than before almost cloaking him completely, but he had collapsed next to the dead queen.

She stared at him in alarm, her jaw hanging slack.

"Wha-" She began, before falling silent.

He wouldn't hear her anyway. The darkness weighed on her like a lakeful of stones. She glanced down a the tiny kits, realizing that she had to get them to a nursing queen. Their tiny forms were barely visible in the absolute darkness. Her neck bent, as though of its own accords, and touched her nose to the smaller kit's ear. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mentor raise his muzzle blearily, a gaunt, haunted look in his eyes. She wanted to skip around the clearing like a kit. He was okay! But the strange force that felt as though it was controlling her began to force a name out of her mouth. _Thank you..._ The dead queen's voice wrapped around her as she spoke.

"Darkkit."

 **I VOTE FOR A PARADE IN HONOR OF HALFMOON, OUR FIRST REVIEWER! But seriously, thank you so much. Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed, please please pleeeaaaase review *kit eyes*, and yeah! :3**

 **~Pondfrost**


	3. Lightning: Rocks

**Welcome back peeps!**

 **Coming at you with the allegiances and chapter 1 of TEOA! Yay! Thanks again to Halfmoon for reviewing, and to everybody else, I see you... I see you not reviewing. But seriously, just take a moment, it means so much to me! I suggest reading through the allegiances, not only because they took me ages and I put each Clan in the respective chapters, but because you're gonna be stuck with these characters for a while, so you might wanna actually find out what they look like ;). (Seriously, though. Keep an eye on Blackpool, Thornstar, Owlclaw, and all the kits. But read all of them. But especially those ones.) Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! (If I did, HOLLYLEAF WOULD BE LEADER!)**

 **Allegiances**

 **ThunderClan:**

 **Leader:** Thornstar-Light brown tom with golden eyes

 **Deputy:** Shadefur-Dark gray tom with blue eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Dawnsplash-Ginger and cream she-cat with blue eyes

 **Warriors:**

Owlclaw-Dark brown tom with yellow eyes

 **Apprentice:** Oakpaw

Birdtail-Sleek blue-gray tabby she-cat with a fluffy tail and green eyes

Heatherclaw-Cream and brown she-cat with blue eyes

 **Apprentice:** Rosepaw

Blackpool-Black tabby tom with dark blue eyes

Brownwing-brown tabby she-cat amber eyes

 **Apprentice:** Mallowpaw

Daisytail-Gray and white she-cat with yellow eyes

Redflower-Dark ginger tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

Halfear-White and black tabby tom with one shredded ear and yellow eyes

 **Queens:**

Hollybird-Brown and ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes (Rainkit-Gray tom with blue eyes, Petalkit-Pretty white she-cat with dark gray patches and pale green eyes)

Fawnshade-Dark brown and gray she-cat with light amber eyes (Slatekit-Dark gray she-cat with blue-gray eyes, Vixenkit-Ginger tabby she-cat with white tail-tip and amber eyes, Lightningkit-Dark brown she-cat with white markings and stripes and brilliant golden eyes)

Leaffur-Light brown tabby she-cat with bright green eyes (Expecting Shadefur's kits)

 **Apprentices:**

Rosepaw-Cream and ginger she-cat with green eyes

Oakpaw-Dark brown tom with lighter brown stripes and amber eyes

Mallowpaw-Gray and white tabby tom with blue eyes

 **Elders:**

Tanglescar-Gray tom with heavily scarred underbelly and green eyes

Rowanwind-Brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Chapter 1.

"Lightningkit! What have I told you about putting thorns in other kits' nests?" Fawnshade, her mother, demanded. "You too, Vixenkit! You should know better! What kind of example are you setting for Leaffur's kits?"  
"She hasn't even had her kits yet." Vixenkit muttered, flicking her white tail-tip mutinously. "Besides, Rainkit was asking for it."

"That doesn't matter! Leaffur's kits will be coming any day now! And what will the Clan think? You only have three more moons until you become apprentices, then your mentors with deal with you." Fawnshade sighed, suddenly looking exhausted. "Why can't you be more like Slatekit?"  
She motioned with her tail towards their gray sister who was lying in the middle of the camp with a bored-looking Petalkit, talking quietly.

"Oh yes, perfect Slatekit... Why can't ThunderClan be made of just Slatekit?" Lightningkit meowed dramatically, glancing at Vixenkit.

"Because it would be so _boring_!" Vixenkit finished, the kits exploding into a pile of fur, whiskers, and purrs of laughter.

Fawnshade huffed loudly to hide the fact the she was holding back a purr of her own. She fought to keep the expression of stern disapproval on her face. Rainkit popped back out of his nest, another thorn clenched in his tiny teeth. He spat it out, an annoyed look on his face.

"You have to help! It's not fair that I have to clean out the thorns that you put in there!" He meowed frustratedly.

"Rainkit's right!" Fawnshade mewed, turning to kits. "You must help him."

Vixenkit moaned theatrically, causing Lightningkit to collapse in a fit of giggles again. She sat up abruptly when Fawnshade gave her a look that could stop a thunderstorm.

"Okay, okay." Lightningkit muttered. "It was just a joke."

"A joke that we have to clean up now." Vixenkit pointed out glumly.

They heaved themselves to their paws dramatically, making a big show of dragging their tiny kit bodies over to Rainkit's thorn-riddled nest. They began digging through it, sending bits of moss flying everywhere. This continued for several minutes, Fawnshade and Rainkit becoming more moss covered by the heartbeat.

"Found one!" Lightningkit exclaimed triumphantly, holding up a piece of gray fur.

"That's not a thorn, Lightningkit, that's my fur." Rainkit said frustratedly.

"Oops." Vixenkit said, shrugging.

They dove back into the shredded nest.

"Fawnshade, if this keeps going, I'm not going to have any nest left!" Rainkit scowled at the wriggling shape of his destroyed nest.

"Vixenkit, Lightningkit, that's enough! Go do something helpful, somewhere else!" Fawnshade mewed irritably, clearly realizing their apparent inability to find a thorn in what was practically a thornbush was an act.

"If you insist!" Vixenkit's ginger head popped out of the still-thorny nest.

"Looks like we have no choice but to stop!" Lightningkit's dark brown head appeared next to her sister, and shot her a triumphant look.

In perfect unison, they hopped out of Rainkit's ransacked nest and sashayed out of the entrance to the nursery. Once they were out of the view of Fawnshade and Rainkit, they pressed their pads together, their signature gesture.

"Lightningkit and Vixenkit win again!" Lightningkit mewed, waving her tail happily.

"Let's go bug Slatekit and Petalkit." Vixenkit mewed, amusement gleaming in her amber eyes.

"We should creep up on them again!" Lightningkit suggested, excitement reflected in her own golden eyes.

"No, we did that yesterday. This time, let's dare ol' Perfectkit to climb the High Rock." Vixenkit whispered, fur bushing out in excitement at the prospect of getting Rainkit's paragon of a kit sister into trouble.

"Yes!" Lightningkit purred in amusement at her sister's plan.

Together, they crept over to Petalkit and Slatekit, trying to look as innocent as possible. Lightningkit forced her waving tail to be still, and Vixenkit flattened her fur in an effort to look normal.

"Why, hello Petalkit, Slatekit." Vixenkit greeted them pompously.

Slatekit shot them a suspicious look, but Petalkit greeted them with her soft, sweet voice.

"Hello Vixenkit and Lightningkit."

"We had an idea for some fun!" Lightningkit burst out, her forcedly still tail beginning to lash from side to side.

"Well, we thought we could amuse ourselves on this fine new-leaf morning." Vixenkit added, shooting a look at Lightningkit, warning her not to spoil the trick.

Slatekit narrowed her blue-gray eyes at them.

"Go on." Petalkit murmured, dipping her gray and white head. "I was beginning to feel slightly uninterested in the current events."

Slatekit ducked her head, embarrassed. Vixenkit sent Lightningkit a 'can you believe her?' look.

"Ah, yes, well, we had the idea to... um... invigorate ourselves... by-" Lightningkit stumbled across her words, trying to match Vixenkit's confident, pompous tone.

"By attempting some escalation of rocks." Vixenkit finished theatrically. "Namely, the High Rock."

Slatekit gasped, shocked at the prospect of trying to climb up the rock from which the leader addressed the whole Clan for ceremonies and announcements, but Petalkit narrowed her eyes, rare interest gleaming in her pretty pale green eyes.

"That sounds entertaining." Petalkit mewed pleasantly. "Lightningkit, why don't you take the first attempt?"

She gulped audibly. This wasn't the plan! Petalkit was supposed to do it first! But there was no easy way to back out now, she would have to do it. Petalkit definitely had a brain in her pretty head.

Shaking slightly, she slunk over to the dusty bottom of the High Rock. She had dreamed about climbing it as the powerful leader, not a whimpering, nervous kit. Shaking herself, she gathered strength in her puny haunches and sprung onto the first boulder. She made the jump with little trouble, hindpaws scrabbling at the rough surface for only a moment before she was able to sit comfortably on the top. She stared up at her next jump, a much higher one. Narrowing her eyes against the glare of the hot newleaf sun, she launched herself at the rock. Misjudging it slightly, she crashed into the flat side of it, and slid down onto the rock below.

She hissed in frustration and tried again, taking an extra moment to visualize the jump. She made it, but only barely, having to haul herself up by her forepaws, only just getting her chest onto the top. Panting, she collapsed onto the rough rock.

She peered down at the ground from her vantage point, and immediately slammed her eyes shut. The ground seemed a long way away, even though she knew she was far from the top.

She continued to hop from sun-baked rock to sun-baked rock, until she thought she must have reached Silverpelt! Staring up at the edge of the biggest rock yet, she realized it was the last one, and then she would be standing on the High Rock.

The very idea propelled her up onto the top. She huffed, exhausted from hopping across rocks, and slumped onto the hot rock.

Her eyelids slowly lifted as she realized... She was on the High Rock!

 _Let's see Rainkit make fun of me now!_ She thought triumphantly, scrambling to her paws and padding to the edge of the High Rock.

She raised her head benevolently, closing her eyes to imagine this moment once she was leader of ThunderClan!

" _Lightningkit!_ " It was Fawnshade. And she did _not_ look happy.

"You get down from there right now or I swear to StarClan I will-" She cut off abruptly, her light amber eyes widening in shock and fear as Lightningkit's tiny paws lost their balance.

For one moment, Lightningkit felt the electrifying sensation of flying, followed by the even more electrifying sensation of falling.

Time seemed to slow down as she fell. _Is this how it ends? Like a bolt of lightning, smashing into the ground and then dissapating forever. How fitting_. Then panic set in. Her heart screamed, joining the chorus of the surrounding cats, mingling and combining until she couldn't seperate individual voices. But then, rising above them all, her sisters' voices, twisted with fear.

" _No_!" She heard them scream at the same time as Vixenkit and Slatekit launched themselves towards her falling body.

Her eyes split open as a voice in her mind screamed, _I can't die yet!_ Her body slammed into the soft forms of her sisters. They had caught her. They would always catch her, she realized.

 **Aww, cute ending. I hope ;). Tell me what you think... WITH A REVIEW :)! Pls and thx. Anyone else love Petalkit? She's actually my best friend's cat :P. Thanks for reading, hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it! BoI!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	4. Breeze: The Dog

**Me again :)**

 **Introducing: Breezekit! He might seem a bit like a typical 'life is hard for me but since I'm a Gary-stu, I'll be fine' character, but as the story goes on, a few things might be revealed about him... My lips are sealed ;). The current leader of WindClan is a shout out to my favourite YouTube channel, Tennelle Flowers, she does awesome Warriors Speedpaints and animations. Anyway, please review and enjoy! (Read the allegiances! READ THEM!)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! (If I did, HOLLYLEAF WOULDN'T BE DEAD!)**

 **Allegiances**

 **WindClan:**

 **Leader:** Spottedstar-Black she-cat with white flecks and pale green eyes

 **Deputy:** Honeythorn-Golden she-cat with dark green eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Morningpoppy-Brown and cream she-cat with light green eyes

 **Apprentice:** Littlepaw-small ginger and brown tom with amber eyes

 **Warriors:**

Swiftclaw-Black and white tom with amber eyes

Sunnyfur-Golden tom with yellow eyes

 **Apprentice:** Buzzardpaw

Icestorm-White she-cat with gray flecks and pale blue eyes

Dustpetal-Pale brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

 **Apprentice:** Copperpaw

Larkfeather-Dark gray she-cat with dark blue eyes

 **Apprentice:** Leopardpaw

Nightpool-Black tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes

 **Queens:**

Tumblestep-Light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes (Palekit-Light brown she-cat with very pale green eyes, Rabbitkit- White and brown tom with amber eyes, Jaykit- Gray tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes)

Oatpad-Cream she-cat with brown flecks and green eyes (Breezekit-Golden tom with black paws and tail-tip and green eyes)

 **Apprentices:**

Leopardpaw-Golden she-cat with brown flecks and green eyes

Buzzardpaw-Gray and white tom with blue eyes

Copperpaw-Heavyset tortoiseshell and white she-cat with pale green eyes

 **Elders:**

Sweetberry-Cream and brown tabby she-cat with dark amber eyes

Dapplebreeze-Brown she-cat with pale blue eyes and black tail-tip

Logfall-Brown tom with lighter brown patches and green eyes. Retired early due to failing lungs

Chapter 2.

"Breezekit, how are you so mouse-brained?" The gray she-cat in front of him shot him a scornful look from her dark blue eyes. "Even Palekit's smarter than you!"

Her light brown sister glared at her. Jaykit snorted at her, before turning back to Breezekit. Her mocking look changed to shock as Breezekit tackled her.

She had been bullying him for as long as he could remember, and he was fed up. They wrestled in the long grass of the WindClan camp, but Breezekit was quickly gaining the upperhand, even though Jaykit was older by two moons. She had the same skinny frame as most of their Clanmates, but Breezekit was built a bit bulkier.

He managed to pin her down for a moment, but he felt a sharp jab in his ribs and he was launched across the clearing by a powerful kick from Jaykit's back legs. If there was one spot where all her muscle had gone, it was her back legs.

Other cats claimed it would make her a fast runner, but Breezekit figured that it would probably be better to have all the strength spread out evenly.

That was the least of his concerns, however, for he was lying winded on a patch of pebbles that dug into his back, belly completely vulnerable. Jaykit was suddenly looming over him, and he wriggled away.

Rabbitkit, Jaykit's brother and sidekick blocked his way. He gasped, springing to his paws, and was hiding behind a patch of heather before Rabbitkit could blink.

Panting, he silently cursed himself for attacking Jaykit. Even if he was stronger, she had Rabbitkit, and he would never win in a two on one. He wondered what he should do next.

Before he had even caught his breath, the heather rustled. Breezekit bunched his muscles, reading to run and hide again, but instead of seeing Jaykit's gray form or Rabbitkit's brown and white fur, instead he spotted a slight, light brown tabby.

"Palekit?" He huffed. "What are you-"

"I, um... Jaykit wanted me to ask you..." She stammered, blinking hard. "She wants to talk to you."

"Oh, I'm sure." He scoffed. "Along with a few well placed claws."

"No, peacefully." Palekit whisperd. "Like a truce at the gathering."

Breezekit eyed her suspiciously. He exhaled loudly.

"I would say it couldn't hurt, but it most definitely could." He sighed. "Alright. But make sure Rabbitkit isn't with her."

"He isn't!" She said earnestly. "Follow me!"

She bounded into the open camp, and Breezekit trailed after her reluctantly. True to her word, Jaykit was alone in the clearing, looking deceptively vulnerable and innocent.

He sighed again, before padding over to where she was sitting calmly.

"Thank you, Palekit." Jaykit dipped her head to her sister, a clear dismissal. "So. Breezekit."

Palekit bounded away, clearly grateful to get away from her sister. Breezekit growled softly.

"Why do you want to talk to me?" He demanded.

"I simply want to mend things between us." She mewed, something else gleaming in her dark eyes. "So I figured a way for you to prove that you can be my friend."

"Friend?" He echoed, thoroughly surprised. Whatever he had expected from this request to speak to him, this wasn't it. "Why would you want-"

"Do you want to know or not?" She interrupted.

When he dipped his head, not letting his gaze shift from hers for an instant, she continued.

"What you have to do is really quite simple." She declared. "To prove you are a worthy companion, track down the dog."

He leaped backwards as though Jaykit was a raging fire. The dog had been terrorizing WindClan for the past moon, and the last patrol Spottedstar had sent to deal with it had ended up with one dead warrior and Buzzardpaw in the medicine den for nearly a half-moon. There was no way a kit would be able to take it on.

"Are you mouse-brained?!" He hissed. "I don't even want to be your friend! Why would I try to take on a monster of a dog to prove that I can?"

"Because," Jaykit paused for effect. "because I know who your father is."  
Breezekit stared at her, open-mouthed. His mother, Oatpad, refused to tell anyone who the father of Breezekit was, and all the other male warriors int the Clan had mates. Now that he thought about it, there really were only two male warriors in all of WindClan; Swiftclaw and Sunnyfur, and Swiftclaw was Jaykit's father, and Sunnyfur was Larkfeather's mate.

He supposed one of them could have also been Oatpad's mate at one time or another, but then the Clan would know and there wouldn't be so much gossip and speculation about his father.

It was something he had wondered many times, but his mother refused to talk about, insisting that the present was the only thing that mattered, and that dwelling on the past would only harm his chances of being the very best warrior he could be.

He supposed his father was dead, for the one time he had asked Oatpad _where_ his father was, she had responded by saying "Not here."

But if Jaykit really knew who his father was... All the gossip and rumours would disappear.

"All you have to do is find the dog." Jaykit murmured encouragingly. "Not fight it, not kill it. Just find it."

"All right, I'll do it." He mewed determinedly.

"Excellent." Triumph glittered in the blue depths of her eyes. "You have until sun-down."

Not letting himself dwell on his decision, he raced across to the least well sheltered parts of the camp, and squeezed between two large bushes.

The moment he appeared on the other side, he realized what a mouse-brained decision he had made. How was he even going to find the dog? He had never been out of camp, and he would be huge trouble if any cat found him.

It was too late to go back now, he realized. Sighing, he charged across the moor towards the horseplace where the patrols said the dog was usually seen. He paused to scent the air.

A thousand different unfamiliar scents crashed into the roof of his mouth, and he felt foolish for thinking he could find the dog that way. He didn't even know what it smelled like!

Creeping forward, he racked his brain for a way to find something when he didn't know what it looked like or smelled like.

He threw himself into the shelter of a bush as a patrol nearly spotted him. It was Sunnyfur and his apprentice, along with Nightpool, all of them racing across the moor after a rabbit. He watched in awe as their long legs pounded across the soft grass, nearing the rabbit with every bound. Sunnyfur slowed for a moment signalling Nightpool to do the same, and Breezekit saw Buzzardpaw pounce onto the fat rabbit.

He sat there, stunned for a moment, and watched Buzzardpaw nip its neck, killing it. Sunnyfur stepped forward, and Breezekit assumed he was congratulating him.

Shaking himself, Breezekit continued across the moor towards a large strange den. He realized that there were strange animals next to it. As he neared them, he wondered if they were dogs.

Opening his mouth to taste the air, he scented a musky, unpleasant scent that came from the animals. Remembering Dapplebreeze's words about how a awful dog smelled, he figured she had been exaggerating.

Suddenly, a very strong, disgusting stench assaulting his nose and mouth. He whipped around.

Before him stood a massive beast, lips drawn back in a deep snarl, revealing massive rows of jagged teeth. He knew without a doubt that it was the dog.

Just as it flew at him, he wailed in fear and plunged into the bracken.

He could hear the dog's heavy breath behind him, but he knew that if he was to see another day, he needed to escape. Light flashed at the edge of his vision, and he tried to push his paws faster, but they were slowly giving way, and he knew it wouldn't be long before he couldn't keep going.

Blackness threatened his sight, and his paws stumbled on the hard earth. The dog's breath was hot on his hind-quarters, drawing nearer with every passing heart-beat.

"Breezekit?!" A cat mewed from the distance.

They sounded far away, and unreal.

"Breezekit, hold on!" The same cat yowled, its hazy, indistinct figure racing towards him.

Too late, too far, his heart pounded out. His paws stumbled, and he felt the wind picking up as he toppled to the moor's floor.

The dog, not realizing his sudden drop, sailed over him, and the last thing Breezekit saw before he blacked out was the form of a golden she-cat with brown spots crashing head-on into the dog.

 **So, for those of you who read the allegiances** **(I see you, you non-reading-allegiance-person)** **, you know that she-cat was in fact Leopardpaw. What do you think will happen to her? What will happen to Breezekit? Place your bets! Like I said, Breezekit might seem like a Gary-Stu, but don't worry. Big plans for him in the future. Thanks for reading!  
**

 **~Pondfrost**


	5. Wave: Herbs and Arguments

**Hey again.**

 **Sorry it's been a little while, but here's the next update :). First, I'd like to send out a massive thanks to Snowcrystal of ThunderClan and xX Rainmist Xx who both reviewed chapter 3 and again to Snowcrystal for reviewing chapter 4! Doughnuts for all! (Yes, I spell it that way.) Thanks to everybody! Anyway, please enjoy and review :3**

 **(You're reading the allegiances, right? RIGHT?!)**

 **Disclaimer: I still don't own Warriors(If I did, Hollyleaf would be alive and leader!)**

 **Allegiances**

 **RiverClan:**

 **Leader:** Snowstar-White tom with pale blue eyes

 **Deputy:** Mistcloud-Silver she-cat with light gray patches and blue eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Sheepbelly-Elderly gray tom with cream underbelly and amber eyes

 **Warriors:**

Badgerfur-Black and white striped tom with amber eyes

 **Apprentice:** Crowpaw

Creampelt-Cream she-cat with amber eyes

 **Apprentice:** Seedpaw

Poolfur-Long-furred gray she-cat with dark blue eyes

Timberheart-Dark brown tom with green eyes

 **Apprentice:** Flowerpaw

Flameleaf-Ginger tom with pale green eyes

Fallowspots-Gray and white tabby tom with green eyes

 **Apprentice:** Duckpaw

 **Queens:**

Cloudfall-White she-cat with brilliant green eyes (Briarkit-Dappled brown she-cat with bright green eyes, Ripplekit-Fluffy gray she-cat with blue-gray eyes, Wavekit-Long-furred silver tom with brilliant blue eyes)

Cherryfish-Light ginger she-cat with blue eyes (Pikekit-Brown tom with pale blue eyes)

 **Apprentices:**

Crowpaw-Black and silver tabby she-cat with green-gray eyes

Seedpaw-Cream tom with dark brown flecks and green eyes

Flowerpaw-Cream she-cat with green eyes

Duckpaw-Tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

 **Elders:**

Flintwhisker-Silver she-cat with dark amber eyes

Plumeye-Dark brown she-cat with strange purple-blue eyes

Reedtail-Light brown tom with thin black tail and amber eyes

Chapter 3.

Wavekit crept closer, straining to catch to words of the older cats' conversation. Their muffled murmurs made it difficult for him to get to a distance at which he would be able to hear their voices and stay hidden.

"There was no warning." The croaky voice of the elderly RiverClan medicine cat snagged on the wind.

"But surely something must have caused it!" The much younger voice of the new RiverClan leader, Snowstar, reached Wavekit's pricked ears easily.

"He was born, a huge wave sloshed onto the shore, and suddenly it struck me." Sheepbelly's strained voice explained.

 _What struck you?_ Wavekit wondered silently. He had a creeping suspicion that they were discussing the night of his own birth. His mother, Cloudfall, had told him about the big wave that had struck her when she gave birth next to the lake.

"So he was responsible?" Snowstar exclaimed. "But he's just a kit! How could-"  
"I don't know." Sheepbelly interrupted quietly.

 _They_ are _talking about me._ Wavekit thought uncomfortably. _But what happened that night?_

"That vision must have meant _something_!" Snowstar cried, blue eyes alight with frustration. "StarClan is trying to tell us something!"

"Or warn us." Sheepbelly added grimly.

 _I'm just a kit! What could I possibly do that would cause StarClan themselves to send a vision to the medicine cat!?_ He yowled internally. _If I were leader, I would know what to do. Someday._

"He's not doing any harm right now." Sheepbelly told Snowstar, sounding exasperated. "I think you should wait until you make any accusations or decide anything."

Wavekit felt partly relieved and partly worried. What would Snowstar have done if Sheepbelly hadn't stopped him?

His thoughts were interrupted as he was bowled over from behind.

His claws slid out, ready to fight to defend himself, when he realized it was just his sister, Ripplekit. Her gray-blue eyes gleamed with excitement and her gray fur was bushed out.

He sighed, sheathing his claws.

"Hey, Wavekit! Whatcha doin'?" She demanded, fluffy tail lashing back and forth. "Spying on our leader? Sounds fun! Can I join you?"

He rolled his eyes, shoving his over-excited sister back into the clump of reeds he had been hiding in.

"Shut up!" He hissed, blue eyes sparking with guilt and annoyance. "I wasn't spying on anyone!"  
"Yeah right." Ripplekit snarled back. "You never let me do anything fun! I'm three moons old, you know, same as you. I'm not a mewling little kit that needs to be shut up in the nursery all day, I can have adventures and take care of myself, same as you!"  
Satisfied with her little rant, she rocked back on her paws. Wavekit wasn't even listening as he furtively checked Snowstar and Sheepbelly to make sure they hadn't heard his sister. They padded out of the leader's den, not giving any sign of noticing the kits.

He heaved a sigh of relief, before turning back to Ripplekit, plastering an expression of fake enthusiasm onto his face.

"Great StarClan, I sure am hungry!" He exclaimed. "Let's go get some fish! Last one to the fresh-kill pile's a minnow!"  
He dashed off, not bothering to listen to his sister's cries of surprise and protest.

Some of the cats that were dozing in the new-leaf sun raised their heads to study him as he hared across the camp towards the fresh-kill pile, but Wavekit didn't even bother to spare them a glance.

He skidded to a stop in front of the glistening mound of fish. Clamping his teeth around the biggest fish he could see, he hauled it out of the fresh-kill pile.

His blue eyes widened in shock as it swayed once, twice, then spilled over after him as he tried to escape the thundering mass of scales and tails.

The purrs of amusement seemed to come from a long way away as Wavekit stared up into the angry green eyes of his father, Fallowspots.

"Do you think that any cat will want to eat the prey you dragged through the dirt?" He growled. "Have you no respect for the trouble the hunters went through to bring you a fine meal?"  
His mewl of protest was cut off abruptly as Fallowspots yanked him to his feet.

"Now go back to the nursery where kits like you belong." He snarled, spinning around only to come face to face with a furious Cloudfall.

"What. Do. You. Think. You're. Saying." Each word dripped with venom.

"I-" Fallowspots blustered.

"You will not talk to my kit that way." She seemed barely able to get the words out, she was so consumed with rage. "You will not!"  
Fallowspots backed away, before spinning around and storming off into the territory.

Cloudfall stared after him, fury glittering in her brilliant green eyes.

"Come on, Wavekit, let's go eat over here." She guided him with her tail over to a shaded patch of grass.

"I was... I was going to ask Pikekit and Briarkit and Ripplekit if they wanted to share..." He ventured uncertainly.

"That's a good idea. It's very kind of you to want to share with other kits." Cloudfall said through gritted teeth.

He padded away from her slowly, feeling like she might pounce on him at any moment.

"Briarkit, Pikekit!" He called into the nursery.

Both slender brown heads poked out of the den. Sometimes he wondered if Briarkit wasn't actually Pikekit's sister and not his own, but he knew the story of Cherryfish's other kit, who had been stolen by a rogue when she was barely a moon old.

"Yeah?" Pikekit asked.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to share a fish..." He trailed off.

"Sure!" Briarkit exclaimed, popping back into the nursery before emerging fully, Pikekit on her tail.

"Pikekit, can you go ask Ripplekit?" He asked, indicating her slouched form across the camp with his tail.

"Yeah." Pikekit muttered, before slowly sauntering towards Ripplekit.

Wavekit turned back to where his mother had been lying next to the huge fish heart-beats before, but she was gone, leaving only the trout. He shrugged, assuming she had probably just gone for a walk or something.

"Okay, let's go." Wavekit led Briarkit towards the fresh-kill.

"Wow, this thing is big!" She exclaimed.

Before she had even bent to take a bite, Pikekit returned with a sulking Ripplekit in tow. Wavekit's tail-tip flicked in surprise at how quickly he had returned.

Pikekit sat down, tail curled neatly over his paws and took a huge mouthful of the fish, before chewing it. He made loud, wet, disgusting noises that put Wavekit right off the tempting scent of the trout.

"Um-" He was cut off as an unperturbed Briarkit took a large bite too.

 _Can they not hear how loud that is?!_ He demanded silently. _StarClan themselves must be able to hear him!_ He flattened his ears, trying to stifle the smacking sounds emerging from Pikekit's rapidly moving mouth. His tongue lolled and the pink meat squished in his huge, open mouth.

Wavekit only managed a tiny bite before he felt nauseous and had to back away from the feasting forms of the other kits.

He bounded towards the medicine den, trying to calm his heaving stomach.

"Oh!" Sheepbelly, the medicine cat, nearly colliding with him. "Wavekit! Didn't see you there! What can I do for you?"

Wavekit looked up at him, surprised by his strange behaviour, before remembering the conversation from earlier. It would explain the tiny glint of fear he saw in the medicine cat's round amber eyes.

"Um, yes, well, uh..." He trailed off, momentarily forgetting why he had even gone to see him, before his twisting stomach reminded him. "I... You see, I was eating, or, _trying_ to eat, when Pikekit sort of... well, I need something to calm my belly down."

Sheepbelly looked at him with a look of utter confusion, before dropping the herbs he was carrying and selecting a little, shriveled looking gray berry.

"You want me to... eat this?" Wavekit asked doubtfully, prodding it with one paw.

"Yes, it will help your stomach." Sheepbelly explained, pushing it towards him.

Wavekit shrugged, before bending his head and lapping up the berry.

"Ew!" He exclaimed as the sharp tang attacked his mouth. "Are you trying to poison me?"

"No, juniper has an unpleasant taste though." Sheepbelly reassured him.

"Why? Why doesn't StarClan make herbs delicious?" He demanded.

Sheepbelly eyed him, looking amused. He bent his head to pick up one of the herbs in the bundle he had been carrying.

"This is catmint" His mew was muffled by the tantalizing green leaves. "It tastes better than fresh-kill."

"Oh yeah? How come you didn't give me that instead of that nujiper or whatever?" He asked, interest gleaming in his eyes.

"It doesn't cure stomach ache, it cures green-cough." Sheepbelly told him, amused. "You actually have had it before, but you would have been too young to remember."  
Memories lit the old tom's gaze, but he shook out his ragged fur, brushing them off.

"To answer your question, StarClan makes the herbs taste unpleasant to discourage animals from stealing them."

Wavekit imagined fish leaping out of the stream and snatching up a berry, before flopping back into the stream. He purred, amused.

"Why would fish want to steal our herbs?" He asked.

"Not fish, water voles and such." Sheepbelly explained. "That's their fresh-kill."

Wavekit tilted his head, trying to imagine the soggy little bodies that hunting patrols occasionally brought back as alive animals, chewing on long stalks of grass and nibbling berries.

"Huh." He turned around, and padded away, joining his sisters as they finished their meal, and began wrestling in the soft soil.

 **Well, there's chapter 3 of TEOA. Hope you liked it. Not super eventful, but I promise his storyline gets more interesting later. Sorry if this was kind of boring, it was just a necessary chapter. Pikekit is actually my brother, along with his beyond annoying habit of eating like a tsunami. AHEM. Keep in mind the little confrontation between Fallowspots and Cloudfall, that might get important later. Anyway, as always, a review would be much appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	6. Dark: Elder's Tails

**Hey hey hey!**

 **Here we have THE LAST KIT CHAPTER! Guys, I am so happy. It is unbelievably boring to write about kits. They do pretty much nothing, so this is kinda a filler chapter, but I hope it's entertaining until I can get the next one up.**

 **Enjoy!  
Disclaimer: I still don't own Warriors! (Hollyleaf for president!)**

 **Allegiances**

 **ShadowClan:**

 **Leader:** Ivystar-Black and white tabby she-cat with vibrant green eyes

 **Deputy:** Ravenwing-Black tom with deep blue eyes **  
Medicine cat:** Ashmask-Black tom with gray face and amber eyes

 **Apprentice:** Lostpaw-Ginger she-cat with blue eyes **  
Warriors:**

Mousepelt-Brown tom with large paws and amber eyes

Silverpuddle-Silver she-cat with one blind gray eye and one blue eye

Foxwhisker-Ginger tabby she-cat with white underbelly and green eyes

Voleheart-Black and silver tom with yellow eyes

 **Apprentice:** Ratpaw

Sootfire-Gray tom with bright amber eyes

 **Apprentice:** Pinepaw

Feathermist-Beautiful silver she-cat with dark green eyes

Wildwind-Mottled brown tom with strange black markings and amber eyes

Vinestem-Brown-gray tabby tom with bright green eyes

Shiningsnow-Pure white she-cat with extremely light blue eyes

 **Queens:**

Frostsong-White she-cat with blue-green eyes (Primrosekit-White and ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes, Robinkit-Light brown tom with one amber eye and one blue eye, Olivekit-Gray tom with pale green eyes) Nursing Darkkit-Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with very dark amber eyes

Quailwing-Black and silver tabby she-cat with amber eyes (Mudkit- Brown tabby she-cat with green eyes, Poolkit-Brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes) Nursing Lionkit-Golden tabby she-cat with black paws and golden eyes **  
Apprentices:**

Ratpaw-Brown tom with very long thin tail and amber eyes

Pinepaw-Black tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

 **Elders:**

Maplenose-Very old ginger tabby she-cat with graying muzzle and amber eyes

Patchy-Black and white tom with yellow eyes

Sandywind-Pale ginger tom with white paws and underbelly and blind blue eyes

Chapter 4.

Darkkit awoke with a gasp. Another nightmare. She stared up into the sympathetic blue eyes of the ginger medicine cat apprentice.

"A kit as young as you shouldn't have been taken by such tragedy." Lostpaw murmured, eyes clouded with pity.

Darkkit felt a twinge of annoyance. There was nothing she could do to stop the desperate faces of her dead kin from haunting her at night. It wasn't as though she could confide in Lionkit; she didn't have the nightmares. In fact, she acted as though it had never happened.

A pang of guilt pricked her heart. She didn't bear any ill will towards her sister, it was quite the opposite. She was comforted that Lionkit didn't carry the same burden she did.

Brushing off her thoughts, she studied Lostpaw as she sorted herbs.

Flipping dry herbs with expert deftness, Lostpaw didn't seem to notice Darkkit watching her until she inclined her head slightly towards her, never letting her eyes stray from her work.

"You should go play with the other kits." Lostpaw murmured. "Sunlight will help you."

Her head throbbed at the reminder of how weak she was. Since she was born on that tragic night, she had been confined to the medicine den, only able to leave when the medicine cats permitted her. She was already three moons old, but much weaker than the other kits, even Poolkit and Mudkit, who were barely a moon old.

"Finally!" She tried to spring to her paws like Lostpaw and Ashmask did when there was a patient in need of care.

Her heavy head dropped back into the nest, pulling the rest of her with it.

Gathering her determination, she tried again, this time heaving herself out of the shallow, mossy nest.

Fur burning with embarassment, she slipped out of the den, head swaying with each step.

"Darkkit!" Wildwind called from across the ShadowClan camp. "Good to see you out and about!"

"Darkkit, share a mouse with me?" Feathermist asked from her spot next to Vinestem.

"Glad to see you away from the medicine den." Silverpuddle's blind eye moved across her as though it had a mind of its own.

She clenched her teeth, ignoring them, resentment building in her chest. _Why do they have to act like being able to walk through camp makes me a hero?! I just want to be treated like any other cat!_

"Darkkit?" A voice sounded from next to her .

She whipped her head around, ready to snap at whoever was going to praise her walking skills next, but her anger softened as she came face to face with Primrosekit, Olivekit, and Robinkit, her adopted littermates.

"Oh. Hey, guys." She muttered.

"We were going to play moss-" Robinkit was cut off as Primrosekit gave her brother a sharp cuff across his ears.

"-Go see if the elders had any stories." Olivekit finished awkwardly.

Darkkit flattened her ears, holding back a hiss. _I know I can't play normal kit games. You don't have to pretend._ Forcing down her irritation and feeling of isolation, she answered.

"Alright." A hiss crept into her meow.

"Great!" Olivekit mewed, ignoring his siblings' uneasy glances.

Olivekit in the lead, they trotted off towards the elders den.

Maplenose, the oldest elder in ShadowClan, was telling a story to Patchy, a rogue turned warrior that had only joined ShadowClan a few moons ago, just before Darkkit was born. He had retired after a battle against his former group of rogues had done something to his shoulder that neither Lostpaw nor Ashmask could fix. Maplenose was famous in ShadowClan for being the only living kin of both Firestar and Tigerstar and for her excellent stories.

"Hello, kits." Sandywind's sightless blue eyes drifted across them.

Patchy and Maplenose looked up, seeming so engrossed in Maplenose's story they hadn't even noticed them enter the den.

"Yes, yes, hello. You're just in time to hear the story of the Great Battle." Patchy rasped.

"We've heard that one a million-" Primrosekit's exasperated mew was cut off by Robinkit's excited squeal.

"Yes! Oh yes, this is my favourite one!"

"It was one thousand moons ago... Before your father's father's father... When the sun was the size of the lake and the moon was the size of a tree. The Dark Forest was rising. There were three, kin of the legendary Firestar-" Maplenose began.

"Your kin!" Olivekit cut in with an excited squeak, eyes gleaming.

"Indeed. The three were Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Dovewing. They had incredible powers; every time Lionblaze attacked, a lion was summoned to fight by his side." Maplenose whispered dramatically, her amber eyes flashing.

"Wow!" Darkkit exclaimed, her own dark amber eyes rounding.

"Lionblaze's my favourite." Olivekit told her proudly.

"Jayfeather, who could control minds and dreams." Maplenose continued.

"Well, Jayfeather's my favourite." Primrosekit retorted.

"And Dovewing, who could be anywhere she wanted in the world with just a single thought." Maplenose finished.

"She was amazing." Robinkit mewed, eyes shining with awe.

"How would you know? You weren't even a glint in your mother's eye at that time!" Sandywind mewed, whiskers twitching.

"She _sounds_ amazing." Robinkit amended.

"All the evil that had ever been united to kill the Clans." Maplenose continued, the kits hanging onto her every word. "With the help of the great Firestar, they fought like lions. The Clans had nearly won when Tigerstar attacked Firestar! The force of their power split the sky and any cat too close was flung away!"

"Great StarClan!" Olivekit squeaked, staring at Maplenose, who continued dramatically.

"Tigerstar knew he was no match for the mighty strength and cunning of Firestar, so he finally unleashed a huge blast of power! He burned the whole forest and made the lake and sun disappear!" The kits gasped as Maplenose flung her paws into the air for effect. "The great Firestar was struck by lightning, and Tigerstar collapsed, his power exhausted. As the legendary Firestar lay dying next to the corpse of his enemy, he used the last of his enrgy to restore the lake, sun, and forest so that the Clans could live in the forest for many more peaceful moons."

The kits were speechless.

 **I love sassy Primrosekit, and I hope you had fun reading the hammy story that Maplenose tells them, and please leave a review!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	7. Lightning: Infighting

**Hey!**

 **I'm back! Enjoy!**

Chapter 5.

"You're going to be the best leader ThunderClan has ever seen!" The newly named Vixenpaw squealed to her.

"I only just became an apprentice!" Lightningpaw protested, fur hot with embarrassment.

"Details." Vixenpaw shrugged. "You're definitely going to be the next leader. What cat would be a better choice?"

"Rainpaw certainly seems to think he would be." Slatepaw muttered, joining them.

They had just been named apprentices by Thornstar, and while Petalpaw had politely congratulated them, Rainpaw simply continued to show off in front of Mallowpaw, Rosepaw, and Oakpaw, the three older apprentices.

"Lightningpaw's so lucky, she's got Blackpool." Vixenpaw told Slatepaw. "I'm stuck with boring old Halfear. He's practically an elder!"

"Don't let him hear you say that." Slatepaw warned her. "At least he's experienced. I've got Daisytail! She was only made warrior a four moons ago!"

"Both Daisytail and Halfear will be fine mentors." Said their mother, Fawnshade, coming up behind them.

Vixenpaw jumped, startled, but Slatepaw continued to look calm and complacent as ever.

"Did you ever bother to find out how Halfear's ear became that way?" Fawnshade asked Vixenpaw sternly, before turning to Slatepaw. "And Daisytail requested to postpone her warrior ceremony so she could become a warrior at the same time as her sister Birdtail, who was injured, so Daisytail actually trained for longer than most other apprentices."

"So how _did_ Halfear lose his ear?" Vixenpaw asked, eyes gleaming.

"Ask him yourself!" Fawnshade nodded to the approaching black and white warrior.

Halfear beckoned Vixenpaw with his tail, and she eagerly bounced after him. They disappeared through the thorn barrier.

"Where's Daisytail, I want to start-" Slatepaw's complaining was cut off as Daisytail nudged her shoulder.

Lightningpaw blinked. She hadn't even seen Daisytail or scented her. She supposed training for those extra moons had worked in her favor.

"Alright, my precious kit." Fawnshade blinked warmly at her, a purr rising in her throat. "Work hard and do everything your mentor tells you too."

"I will." Lightningpaw suddenly felt like a tiny kit again, wanting to stay cuddled up to her mother's sweet scent for another heart-beat.

"Would you like to go now?" A deep voice inquired from behind her.

She whipped around to face the cat that had spoken. Dark blue eyes gleamed at her.

"If you're ready that is."

"I'm ready for anything!" Lightningpaw exclaimed, springing towards him.

He turned sharply and bounded towards the thorn barrier. She hurtled after him, almost tripping over her paws.

"We'll be training with the older apprentices today." He called over his shoulder. "Rainpaw and Petalpaw and their mentors."  
"What about Vixenpaw and Slatepaw?" She asked, gasping for breath. "What are they doing?"  
"Whatever their mentors decide." He told her, clearing a large log with a huge leap.

She jumped onto it, hindpaws scrabbling at the dead wood. He continued running, not even pausing to make sure she was keeping up.

Determination surged through her and she leaped off the fallen tree, charging after his retreating black tail. She wouldn't be late to her first training session, and it definitely wouldn't be because she was too slow to keep up!

She crashed straight through a large clump of bracken that Blackpool had swerved around.

Staring at what lay before her, she realized she had arrived in the training hollow with bits of bracken hanging off her brown and white pelt.

"When I became an apprentice, I had the decency to groom my pelt first." Rainpaw sniffed disdainfulyly, eyeing her ruffled fur, which bushed out at the comment.

"You're here to train, not compare pelts." Blackpool told a sullen looking Rainpaw.

Lightningpaw felt a stab of gratitude towards her mentor. She disliked Rainpaw's habit of criticizing everything she did. It was refreshing to see Blackpool put him in his place, although it did frustrate her that her mentor looked like he had nothing more strenuous than fetch a piece of prey from the fresh-kill pile.

"Yeah, Rainpaw." Lightningpaw couldn't resist adding. "You're a beautiful she-cat."

"Alright." Blackpool said, giving Lightningpaw a look that was half amused, half annoyed. "We're going to learn a new fighting move, but we'll start simple. This how you knock the paws out from under a cat larger than you. Here, Hollybird, let me demonstrate on you."

"But you're bigger than her." Rainpaw pointed out.

"It won't matter. It will work on cats that are bigger, smaller, or the same size." Blackpool explained, seeming a little frustrated at Rainpaw.

He and Rainpaw's mentor faced each other. Hollybird tensed her back legs, looking as though she was about leap at him.

Quick as a fish, he leaped, staying low to the ground. He wrapped his paws around her forelegs and tugged. They crumpled under the brown and ginger tabby, and when she leaped for where he had been heart-beats before, she awkwardly twisted and managed to barely land on two paws, before slipping sideways.

"And that is an easy way to unbalance your enemy." Blackpool mewed, licking his chest fur.

"Wow!" Lightningpaw cried, staring at the stumbling Hollybird. "How did you do that? You were so fast, and so low, and when-"  
"That move's easy." Rainpaw cut off her rambling with a snort.

"Oh really?" Blackpool narrowed his dark blue eyes. "Why don't you try it on me then?"

"Alright." Rainpaw said confidently.

He paused for a moment to study Blackpool, who crouched almost comically slowly.

Rainpaw leaped towards the crouched tabby form of Blackpool, stretching out his gray paws to tug hard on Blackpool's forepaws. Blackpool leaped right over his head, barely pausing to shake off Rainpaw's paws before landing lightly on the sandy earth, not stumbling in the slightest.

"Wha-" Rainpaw's blue eyes widened.

"Your leap was wrong, you hit the wrong part of his leg, and you didn't recover quickly enough to make use of your advantage, which you didn't have in the first place because you did the move completely wrong." Hollybird said almost viciously, but then softening as she said "But come over here, I'll teach you how to do it properly."

Rainpaw shot a nasty look at Lightningpaw and her black mentor.

"Sorry." Lightningpaw whispered to her mentor.

"For what?" He looked at her, surprised, before beckoning her over to a shaded patch of ground. "See if you can do it on me."

Lightningpaw gulped, before crouching.

As she jumped forward, she wrapped her dark brown forepaws around her mentor's black ones, tugging with all her strength.

Blackpool didn't even bother to jump, he just pushed Lightningpaw off gently.

She sat up, looking bewildered. Why couldn't she effortlessly collapse Blackpool's forelegs like he had done to Hollybird?

"Your leap was good, but let me show you how to properly tug their front legs." Blackpool praised her, before twisting one leg around to show Lightningpaw. "Feel my leg."

She touched it, curious as to what he was trying to demonstrate. Mostly it was smooth black fur, but in one little part there was a strange disturbance, like a stretched mouse-tail.

Fascinated, she sat back on her haunches, feeling her own foreleg. There was the same strange feeling, almost in the exact same spot.

"What-what is that?" She asked.

"It's what you have to hit to properly do this particular move." Blackpool explained.

"Huh." She dropped back onto all four legs, eyeing his legs with a new target in mind. "Can I try again?"

"Sure-" He was cut off as she launched herself towards him, low and quick as a snake.

This time, she slammed her pads into the spot as hard as she could. The effect was immediate. He stumbled forwards, his forelegs crumpling under him. Not wasting her upperhand, she jumped onto his back, trying to hang on without unsheathing her claws.

Blackpool shook her off, purring with amusement.

"Excellent!" He praised her. "But try to get behind them, or hit them straight on instead of jumping onto their back, because this move is to unbalance you opponent, so if you jump onto them, you'll fall off."  
She nodded, excitement fizzing through her. She'd learned her first battle move!

"What's next?" She demanded, hopping from paw to paw.

"I think we'll practice dodging next, if Rainpaw's ready." He told her, amusement gleaming in his dark eyes.

"Of _course_ I'm ready." The gray tom interrupted, springing over to them.

"Excellent. Watch carefully." He charged Hollybird, who was walking over calmly.

Lightningpaw gasped. He hadn't even given her fair warning!

But she whipped to one side immediately, twisting around as she did to face him.

"You didn't even warn her!" Lightningpaw cried, her voice betraying her awe at Hollybird's ease and skill.

"A warrior must be prepared for anything." Hollybird told her, giving her paw a quick, embarrassed lick.

"She's right." Blackpool said, coming up behind them. "In battle, do you think the enemy will say 'Alright, I'm going to attack now'?"

"I guess not." Lightningpaw said, still staring at Hollybird.

A gray pelt flashed at the edge of her vision. Instinctively, she threw herself to one side.

"Rainpaw!" Hollybird cried, annoyed with her apprentice.

"Very good, Lightningpaw." Blackpool told her.

"It was just instinct." Lightningpaw protested, not feeling as though she deserved praise for something she had done without thinking about.

"And that's good. Skill is good, but it's better when built upon instinct." Her mentor pointed out.

"Just lucky." Rainpaw huffed.

"Oh yeah?" Lightningpaw whipped around to face him. "Want to say that to my face, flea-pelt?"

"Oh, sorry." Rainpaw hissed. "Hard to tell the difference between your face and hindquarters."

Her fury spilled over and she launched herself at him, trying to unbalance his forelegs like Blackpool had shown her.

He dodged to one side, spinning to face her once more.

Hissing, she charged at him again, this time flashing out a paw in front of her as though she was going to swat at him.

He ducked, avoiding an attack that never came.

She stopped suddenly and spun, kicking out with her hindlegs.

Rainpaw let out an 'oof' as all the air was forcefully shot out of him, and he was flung back several tail-lengths.

He staggered to his feet as she shot at him again.

She crashed head-on into Blackpool's hefty shoulder.

"Stop." She could tell he was holding his anger in check. "You cannot attack your Clanmate, no matter how they provoke you."  
She watched as Hollybird held back a struggling Rainpaw.

"You can't try to provoke your Clanmates either." There was quiet anger in Hollybird's normally calm voice. "I will have to tell Thornstar about this."

Blackpool led the furious apprentices back to the camp.

The moment they arrived, a hush fell over the gathered cats. They were stared at as they pushed though the long grass.

Rainpaw paused to make a few snide remarks to a group of older apprentices.

They both headed into the apprentice's den at the same time, but Lightningpaw stood still, not wanting to let her fury get the best of her.

She turned around, coming face to face with Vixenpaw.

"Wow!" Her amber eyes gleamed. "Taught Rainpaw a lesson, I hear?"

"Shut up." She pushed past her sister, angry with herself and Rainpaw. "I don't want to talk about."

"According to Rainpaw, he shredded you." Vixenpaw eyed her doubtfully. "You don't look very shredded though, and besides, you're more than a match for that furball."

"I don't want to talk about it." She repeated.

"But what exactly happened?" Asked Slatepaw, coming up beside them.

"He said something rude and I lost control and attacked him." Lightningpaw said shortly.

"What kind of move did you use?" Vixenpaw demanded, boucing along beside her.

"The move we'd been practicing." Lightningpaw growled. "Now can we _please_ talk about something else?"

"The Gathering's coming up." Slatepaw told them. "Think we'll get to go?"  
"We're new apprentices and I already messed up." Lightningpaw hissed. "Why would we?"

"I dunno." Vixenpaw shrugged. "For someone who doesn't want to talk about it, you keep bringing it up an awful lot."

"How was training?" Lightningpaw asked, trying to keep the snarl in her voice to a minimum.

"Oh, it was great!" Vixenpaw told her, amber eyes shining. "We went all the way to the WindClan border and I almost fell in-"

"Fell in what?" Slatepaw asked. "The border?"  
"Cause the border's a stream, mouse-brain!" Vixenpaw's whiskers twitched.

"Oh, come on. You wouldn't know that either if you had been practicing the hunting crouch until your legs were stiff!" Slatepaw growled playfully, a rare moment between them.

"Daisytail not as inexperienced and feather-brained as you were worrying?" Lightningpaw purred, bad mood loosening.

"Oh no, and now I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll be checking Tanglescar for ticks!" Slatepaw told her, purring with amusement.

"Don't let him hear you say that!" Vixenpaw joked. "He's practically as old as Silver-pelt and still thinks he hasn't got any ticks to speak of!"

Lightningpaw felt her bad mood drift away as her sisters pressed their soft pelts against hers and purred.

"Lightningpaw." A deep, familiar voice sounded from behind her.

She jumped, startled, and turned slowly to face her mentor.

"Thornstar would like to speak with you."

She gulped, and followed Blackpool as he hurtled away towards the leader's den.

Blackpool stopped outside, gesturing for Lightningpaw to go inside. She hesitated, mind pricking with worry.

"Go on inside." Blackpool told her, noticing how terrified she was. "He won't hurt you."

She crept inside, worried about what lay in the dark den.

...

"And that's why I believe in the importance of letting young cats attend Gatherings, and I think that punishment should not harm a young cat's chance of educating themselves about other Clans." Thornstar had been droning on for what felt like at least a moon.

"So..." She hardly dared believe her sore ears. "I can..."

"Go to the Gathering." Thornstar confirmed.

 **I think you know what the next Lightning chapter will be like. Thornstar is also based off** **a teacher I had...** **please leave a review, hope you enjoyed, and also... 250 views.**

 **WHAT.**

 **Pondfrost**


	8. Breeze: Something Fishy

**Sick of me yet?**

 **No, of course you aren't ;). Well, buckle up, keep all paws inside the vehicle, and get ready for chapter 6 of TEOA! XD**

Chapter 6.

"Breezekit?" A cat poked her head into the shadowy den. "Breezekit, are you still in there?"

He lifted his broad golden head sleepily, careful not to disturb the cat beside him.

"Oatpad, I can't leave her!" Breezekit whispered, each word paining him. "It's my fault, I can't leave her side. Not like this."

"Stop living in the past, Breezekit." His mother sniffed, with a disdainful look at the injured, hunched cat next to them. "Just because she was hurt and you were there doesn't mean it was your fault. She should have fought better."

"No!" Breezekit hissed, laying his tail protectively over the golden spotted she-cat beside him. "I will never believe that. I could have helped. I should have gotten help sooner. I would've-"

"Enough." Oatpad snarled. "You _will_ go out for your appren-"

"She had only been an apprentice for two moons." He continued to protest even as his mother dragged him out into the warm, inviting sunlight. "She couldn't... She wouldn't have been able to..."

He stopped in his tracks.

Every cat in the whole camp was staring at him, even Spottedstar as she stood benevolently on the Tall-Rock. They murmured quietly to each other, and Breezekit caught the word 'apprentice'.

He gasped, remembering. It had been six moons since his birth. He would become an apprentice today. And Leopardpaw was too badly hurt to even see him. Sadness closed its jaws around his heart, making him want to wail out loud.

He could never forgive himself for not helping Leopardpaw sooner. As she had attacked the dog, he hadn't even been able to move, just pressing himself into the heather. He watched as her body was ripped open, again and again. He watched as the dog made sure she would never heal.

It was a miracle she was even alive. Morningpoppy and Littlepaw worked tirelessly day and night, just keeping her feeble heart-beat continuing to hold the spark in her eyes.

Morningpoppy was confident and enthusiastic, telling every cat that Leopardpaw was going to make a full recovery. Littlepaw, on the other paw, was much grimmer, certain she was going to die within the next day.

He couldn't even be bothered to feel any elation at all about finally setting his paws on the track towards becoming a WindClan warrior.

Heart wrapped in worry for Leopardpaw, he stepped nervously towards Spottedstar.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a Clan meeting." Spottedstar announced pointlessly, seeing as all the cats had already arranged themselves in their normal meeting place.

"Breezekit," She began, beckoning him with her black and white tail. "you have reached six moons of age, and it is time for you to be trained in the ways of the warrior."

The surrounding cats watched him as he placed his paws carefully onto the broad rock that Spottedstar stood atop. He threw his weight forwards, and with an ungainly lurch, he was on the stone.

"From this moment on, until you recieve your warrior name, you will be known as Breezepaw." Spottedstar declared. "Your mentor will be Icestorm. Icestorm, you trained Larkfeather well, and you have shown yourself to have incredible bravery and integrity. I'm sure you will pass on these qualities to Breezepaw."

Breezepaw couldn't even hear the formal words. His head pounded at the mention of Leopardpaw's former mentor. _My fault, my fault._ His heart throbbed in pain.

He snapped back to the present as a murmur rose from the surrouding Clan.

Surprise glinted in Icestorm's pale blue eyes.

He looked around, trying to figure out why every cat was still staring at him. Wasn't the ceremony over yet? _Oh yeah!_ His internal turmoil stopped long enough for him to feel stupid for forgetting the ceremonial touching of noses between mentor and apprentice.

He hastily poked his nose towards Icestorm, and she met him with a soft touch of hers.

The surrounding cats purred in amusement as he slithered off the Tall-Rock, but he didn't care, he wanted to check on Leopardpaw.

His path was blocked by Oatpad, whose expression had broken out of its usual frown and had become a twisted emotion he was pretty sure was pride.

"You're already going further than your-" She cut herself off abruptly, green eyes looking distressed and a little guilty.

"Thanks." He said absently, slipping around her, heading towards the medicine den.

"It's good to see you so loyal to your Clanmate, but you really shouldn't worry." Breezepaw bit back a hiss as the brown and cream form of the annoyingly enthusiastic medicine cat, Morningpoppy, stopped him in his tracks. "She's going to be fine. And you staring at her won't make her heal any faster, you know."

He tried to shove past, but a light tail-tip suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.

Whipping around, he came face to face with his new mentor.

"Icestorm!" He meowed in surprise.

"Morningpoppy's right, you know." The white and gray she-cat mewed gently, laying her tail across his shoulders, guiding him towards the exit of the camp. "Leopardpaw will have to heal in her own time."

He fell silent, his green eyes stinging.

They pushed out of the camp, Breezepaw still craning his head around to try to spot any sign of Leopardpaw in the shadows of the medicine den.

"We're joining a border patrol." Icestorm told him. "Copperpaw and Palepaw and some other apprentices will be there as well, so you won't be the only-"

"Alright." He said listlessly, padding onwards.

When they caught up with the patrol, Copperpaw was having a heated discussion with her mentor, Dustpetal.

"I swear to StarClan I don't know where these burrs are coming from!" Copperpaw insisted, her mentor shooting her a disbelieving look. "It's not like I want them in my pelt!"

Breezepaw let out a mrrow of laughter, his mind briefly drifting away from Leopardpaw. It was well known in WindClan that Copperpaw was constantly covered in burrs, to the point at which she looked like a tortoise-shell and white and green she-cat.

"Keep this up and your warrior name will be Copperburr!" Palepaw teased, coming out of her shell long enough to give the older apprentice a friendly shove.

"Ha! She won't have to wait that long!" Breezepaw's heart sank again as he spotted a familiar gray tabby pelt. "We can just start calling her Burrpaw!"

Jaypaw's mentor, the Clan deputy, Honeythorn, shot her a look out of narrowed eyes, her whiskers betraying her amusement.

"Yeah!" As usual, Rabbitpaw agreed with his sister.

Breezepaw wasn't even sure that Rabbitpaw knew what was going on. Conversations were a little beyond him.

"All joking aside," Dustpetal shut her yellow eyes, exasperated. "Copperpaw, grooming the burrs out of your fur is taking time out of training, so we need to find the root of the problem, and put a stop to it."

"I don't know where-" Copperpaw's protest was cut off by her mentor.

"Yes, I noticed." The light brown tabby said acidly. "I'm saying you need to _find out_."

The younger apprentices held back purrs of amusement as Copperpaw flattened her ears, glaring at her.

"If you've all quite finished, let's get on with the border patrol then, shall we?" Icestorm asked them, joining the group with Breezepaw on her tail.

Copperpaw shot Breezepaw and his mentor a half-exasperated, half-grateful look and the rest of the patrol continued on towards the RiverClan border.

"Can we hunt?" Jaypaw demanded, staring at Honeythorn, who was leading the patrol.

"Only if we see prey." The golden she-cat replied. "You don't even know how, so don't expect to be bringing back any prey from this patrol."

"Oh, I wouldn't bring it back." Jaypaw said mischieviously, swiping her tongue over her lips as though imagining a particularly juicy rabbit.

Breezepaw stopped, shocked.

"But isn't that breaking the warrior code?" He demanded, green eyes rounding.

"No, not if we aren't on a hunting patrol." Nightpool, Palepaw's mentor, answered. "If we see fit to find prey before continuing, then that's what we must do."

Breezepaw still felt uneasy, but he tried to shrug it off, bounding ahead of the rest of the patrol.

"Hey!" Honeythorn interjected, pushing her way in front. " _I'll_ lead this patrol. Maybe when _you're_ the deputy."

"Someday." Breezepaw murmured, thinking of himself leading every patrol, making sure the other Clans stayed out, keeping his Clan safe and well-fed... and nothing happened to them like what had happened to Leopardpaw.

His heart twisted as the image of her broken body lying in the medicine den flooded his mind again.

The patrol continued, pausing only every so often so that the younger apprentices' mentors could point something out.

He only paid attention at one moment where he first caught a glimpse of the shimmering surface of the lake.

"This is the lake." Dustpetal droned. "The Clans have lived here ever since six young cats were sent on a journey to find a new land for the Clans to live in when their old one was destroyed."

"Can we go swimming?" Breezepaw demanded, actual excitement building in his chest.

"Of course not!" Icestorm said, seeming a little shocked. "WindClan doesn't swim! We'll leave fishing young apprentices out of the lake to RiverClan, thank you very much."

 _But why?_ Breezepaw wondered. _Looks like fun!_ He decided it wouldn't be a good idea to continue questioning everything the cats did, seeing as all of them were looking at him strangely.

Closing his jaws, he tried to mentally command Honeythorn to keep walking. The cats stared at him for a moment longer, before continuing along the lake towards the RiverClan border.

 _Aren't we there yet?_ Breezepaw demanded internally. _It feels like we've been walking for a moon!_ His paws felt heavier than normal, and his breath dragged in and out.

"What can you scent?" Honeythorn questioned the apprentices, stopping suddenly.

Breezepaw twitched his whiskers in amusement as Dustpetal nearly crashed into her deputy's hind-quarters.

"Fish." Jaypaw wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Yuck." Rabbitpaw added.

"I wonder what fish tastes like?" Palepaw said quietly, glancing at Breezepaw.

He swiftly closed his jaws, hoping no one else realized that he had been about to ask the same question.

"And why would there be a fish scent in ThunderClan territory?" Dustpetal asked, before flicking her tail at Copperpaw. "No answering."

Copperpaw sat down with a sullen look in her pale green eyes.

"RiverClan are invading!" Jaypaw hissed.

"No." Honeythorn said patiently. "It's because we're near the border."

"But," Copperpaw interjected. "The scents seem particularly strong."

"She's right." Dustpetal mewed grudgingly. "It almost seems as though..."

She trailed off, her eyes drifting towards a bit of white fur snagged on a heather bush.

Not even bothering to say anything, Icestorm padded over to the tuft and sniffed it a couple times.

"Definitely not mine, or WindClan at all for that matter." She declared, fury glinting in her pale blue eyes. "I'd say... RiverClan."

"Let's invade!" Jaypaw suggested, eyes gleaming at the prospect of a battle.

"Yeah!" Rabbitpaw agreed.

"I don't know if that's a good idea..." Palepaw trailed off, looking at her siblings nervously.

"Me either. We don't want to provoke a battle unnecessarily." Breezepaw told them.

"Breezpaw's right." Honeythorn said, shooting a look at her apprentice. "They could have a very valid reason for being on our land, they aren't necessarily trying to steal prey."

"Exactly. It's the height of New-Leaf, why would they need it?" Icestorm added.

"Because they're fat and lazy." Jaypaw muttered, before subsiding with a glare at Breezepaw.

Copperpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement at the younger apprentice.

Honeythorn ushered them onwards toward what Breezepaw assumed must be the RiverClan border. The smell of fish was much stronger now.

"Why would any cat want to live in a place like that?" Jaypaw demanded, flattening her ears, disgusted.

"It doesn't smell _that_ awfu-" He abruptly cut himself off as the other cats began to gawk at him again.

"He's right." Palepaw added, light brown tabby fur gleaming in the sunlight. "They wouldn't smell of fish at all if they didn't eat it."

He wanted to tell her that wasn't his point, but didn't bother, seeing as he didn't want to stir up trouble.

"Well, anyway." Swiftclaw, Rabbitpaw's mentor, said uncomfortably. "We should, uh..."

"Mark the borders?" Honeythorn supplied gratefully. "Yes, yes, let's."

They continued along the border, stopping every few fox-lengths to spray the border in WindClan scent.

By the end of the patrol, Breezepaw felt like his paws were about to drop off.

"Well, that should about cover it." Icestorm said decidedly. "Let's head back to camp. Good job today, Breezepaw."

Swiftclaw, Honeythorn, Nightpool, and Dustpetal all congratulated their respective apprentices. The little stab of satisfaction that Breezepaw felt was grossly outweighed by his worry for Leopardpaw.

Together, they headed back to camp.

"Breezepaw, good news!" His mentor's light head appeared in entrance to the medicine den.

"Oh?" He murmured, looking at Leopardpaw's barely-rising flank.

"Spottedstar decided that the apprentices that found the scents should be invited along to the Gathering to see what comes of the RiverClan scents in our territory." Icestorm's voice rose a little. "Their mentors have been invited along as well."

Breezepaw couldn't even bring himself to feel anything at all about going to the Gathering, overcome with fear and worry for Leopardpaw.

 **Sorry if the ending sucked. It was a pretty long chapter though.** **Review? :3**

 **Pondfrost**


	9. Wave: Dry-paw

**Hey, me again. During the week, I probably won't be able to get another update out, so, sorry bout that, but here's another chapter. Thanks to Echo for following me!**

 **I recently became part of a forum called Feathers and Frost, and I would definitely recommend checking it out. On my profile, you can see a challenge I did for it.**

 **Without further ado, chapter 7!**

Chapter 7.

"From this day forth, you will be known as Wavepaw. Your mentor shall be Fallowspots. Fallowspots, you may be this kit's father, but I doubt any cat will accuse you of being too soft." Snowstar finished, only the tiniest spark of wariness betraying his unease as he addressed the silver-furred tom and his father.

 _No._ Wavepaw thought, not even noticing his leader's discomfort. _No, no, my father can't mentor me. He can't. He can't._

Only the barest hint of a glare decorated his father's gray and white face as he bent his muzzle to touch noses with his apprentice and son.

He drew back as soon as possible, not wanting to maintain contact with the cat who held such open contempt for him.

Trying to distract himself, he glanced over at his sisters, Briarpaw and Ripplepaw, who stood happily beside their mentors, Flameleaf and Mistcloud.

"Wavepaw! Briarpaw! Ripplepaw!" Cats crowded around them, but Fallowspots quickly pushed his kits out of the horde.

"First, we're going to-" His brisk mew was cut off by a silver she-cat with gray patches.

"I realize they're your kits, but I believe I might be better suited to decide the first training session." Fallowspots's angry green eyes met the cool blue eyes of the deputy and mentor of Ripplepaw, Mistcloud.

For a moment he held her calm but firm gaze, before dropping his head in a grudgingly respectful nod to his superior.

"So." Mistcloud addressed the kits in a softer tone. "You are now apprentices of RiverClan."

Ripplepaw squeaked excitedly, but Briarpaw and Wavepaw stayed calm, Wavepaw glancing at his father to gauge his reaction and Briarpaw's brilliant green gaze the only thing revealing her enthusiasm.

"This means you're going to learn to swim." Mistcloud told them.

"Yes! No more getting fished out of the pond!" Ripplepaw exclaimed gleefully.

Wavepaw's father's gaze darkened noticeably at the metion of ponds.

"Correct." Mistcloud's ear twitched in amusement at her eager young apprentice. "So, we should begin right away. Let us go to the practice pool."

Wavepaw trailed after the others as they set off. His mind was whirling.

 _Fallowspots is my mentor._ The words didn't seem to fit together properly. _Fallowspots, my father, is now the one who will be responsible for teaching me everything about being a warrior._

"Hurry up, Wavepaw!" His father growled, interrupting his thoughts.

Ducking his head, he hurried along, trying not to provoke his already-on-edge father.

Anger burned his heart at how weak he was angainst the command of his father. It wasn't fair! He shouldn't have to tiptoe around like a mouse just because his father was stronger.

His furious blue gaze met that of his father's, and Wavepaw immediately ducked his head again.

"Nearly there!" Flameleaf encouraged Briarpaw, who seemed to be struggling, her heavier-set body making the journey harder on her.

"Too many fish?" Ripplepaw teased.

"Shut up." Hurt sparked in Briarpaw's eyes.

Ripplepaw drew back, a slightly shocked look in her blue-gray eyes.

"And here it is." Mistcloud said proudly. "The practice pool."

She gestured with her tail to the small expanse of shimmering water that lay before them.

Wavepaw gulped, even as his littermates dashed towards the water, eager to begin. The water wasn't inviting. Quite the opposite. It glittered dangerously, as though daring him to try to dip a paw in the water.

It looked as though it was going to swallow him whole.

Flameleaf and Mistcloud slipped in first, the water encasing them in a shimmering grave. Ripplepaw and Briarpaw sprung in after them, splashing through the water eagerly, their fur quickly becoming sodden.

Fallowspots shot a look of distaste at Wavepaw, before leaping into the pool.

All five cats stared expectantly at him.

He shivered at the thought of the cold liquid seeping into his fur and dragging him down... down...

"I'll... I'll just watch." Wavepaw mewed uncomfortably.

Mistcloud murmured something to Flameleaf, before glancing at Fallowspots.

Straining his ears, he caught something that sounded like 'die-paw'.

"D-die... paw?" He asked them worriedly. "What-what does that mean?"

Flameleaf purred in amusement.

"Dry-paw, Wavepaw." Mistcloud explained. "It means you don't want to get your fur wet. Don't worry, it's not that uncommon. We'll just have to break through the fear, it won't be hard."

"Break?" He demanded, heart racing. "I don't- I don't..."

He was cut off as Fallowspots slid out of the water, his gray and white fur shedding the water easily.

Wavepaw backed up nervously as Fallowspots approached him. Quick as a fish, his father slipped behind him and gave him a sharp shove into the freezing pool.

"AH!" Wavepaw howled as the water splashed over him.

His paws thrashed as his head dipped under, mouth filling with the chilly water.

He heard muffled yowls from his sisters and their mentors as he couldn't force himself upright, waves slapping over his head, growing more and more agitated as he struggled.

Suddenly, a paw hauled his sodden scruff above water.

"Wavepaw! Wavepaw, reach down with one paw. You can touch the bottom! Don't be afraid, and don't unsheathe your claws." Mistcloud's worried mew rang in his ears. "Fallowspots, how could you do that? You know what it's like!"

"If he can't swim, he doesn't deserve to train." Fallowspots growled.

"How can you say that?" Flameleaf interjected, looking shocked. "He's your son! Not only that, but you were also-"

"That was a long time ago." Fallowspots seethed.

Wavepaw reached down gingerly, fear of the blind panic that had overrun him as he had been unable to touch the ground of the pool. He found the bottom quickly, the waves that had seemed huge as they slapped over his head now feeling calm and gentle, as though they caressed his sides.

Much as he didn't want to admit it, Fallowspots's cruel method had worked, and he no longer felt that pure and unyielding fear as he looked down at the gentle water.

It looked more enticing, as though it was challenging him to face it once more. He supposed this was how Briarpaw and Ripplepaw had felt when first faced with the glittering waters.

He happily splashed over to them, flicking water into their faces with his tail playfully.

The siblings splashed around, oblivious to the tension between their furious mentors.

Feeling more confident by the second, Wavepaw ducked his head under, relishing the sensation of being in control of his movements in the water.

He swiped out with one paw, unbalacing one of the stumbling hindpaws on the pebbly floor of the practice pool.

As he resurfaced, he heard Ripplepaw cry out as she fell with a great splash into the warm, soft water.

"Now who's eaten too many fish?!" Briarpaw demanded with a gleam of satisfaction as Ripplepaw's slick gray head bobbed under for a moment before popping back up.

Ripplepaw gasped in surprise and delight, her paws churning her through the water, smooth as a duck.

"Go, Ripplepaw!" Wavepaw cheered, and set out after her, his slicked back fur cutting through the water.

"Wait for me!" Briarpaw gasped, her slightly lumbering gait on land being replaced with an easy slice through the shimmering surface pool, her short, dappled brown fur shedding the water like a duck's feathers.

Even Wavepaw noticed how much quicker she was than Ripplepaw and himself, seeing as their long fur dragged at their progress through the pool.

Mistcloud swam over to them. Wavepaw marvelled at the way her broad shoulders passed through the water, as fast as if she was running full-pelt on land.

"I see you've overcome that rather quickly." Mistcloud told him, amusement gleaming in her eyes. "RiverClan is lucky to have you."

"Thank you!" He mewed, shocked at such high praise from the Clan's respected and admired deputy.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you're taking my place one day." She mewed warmly, before joining Briarpaw, showing her how to unbalance Ripplepaw with a similar technique to what Wavepaw had done.

His jaw hung open, and he almost forgot to swim. A quick bob of his head under the refreshing water brought him back to his senses, but he still felt a little dazed from the incredibly kind words of the deputy.

"Don't get used to it." Fallowspots snarled, striking out into the water after Mistcloud. "She's nice to all the pathetic apprentices."

His heart sank for a moment. _Is that really true?_ He wondered, the harsh words pricking his heart.

 _It can't be._ He tried to reassure himself. _Just Fallowspots being nasty again._ Anger twisted his heart as he thought of Fallowspots's numerous attempts to ruin his first day as an apprentice.

 _I am_ really _not looking forward to training with him._ Wavepaw thought unhappily.

"Hey, Wavepaw!" Ripplepaw's mew rang across the choppy water. "Mistcloud's showing us how to _actually_ unbalance another cat in the water! Next time, I'll get you first!"

"Sure you will." Wavepaw teased her, watching as Mistcloud's broad silver head dived under.

"How is she staying under that long?" Ripplepaw mewed, briefly forgetting the rivalry between her and her brother. "Is she drowning?"

Mistcloud's head reappeared.

"Oh, ye of little faith." She mewed, twitching her dripping whiskers. "You'll learn how to hold your breath, all in good time, 'paw."

Wavepaw's ears twitched in amusement at Ripplepaw's dumb-founded expression.

"But this should be enough for today." Flameleaf added. "You're probably tired from all this. Let's head back to camp."

Wavepaw was about to protest, but as he opened jaws, a loud yawn split his mouth wide.

Mistcloud gave him an amused, warm glance, before striking off back towards camp.

 **Aww, cute Wave chapter. Enjoy while you still can.**

 **MWAHAHAHAHAHAH (Seriously though, some stuff later...)**

 ***Ahem* ANYway. A review would be appreciated as always, and thanks for all the views, support, and reviews. Almost 400 views! Yeah, so... almost there! They'll meet each other soon! Stay tuned! And fabulous!  
**

 **~Pondfrost**


	10. Dark: Green with Moss

**Hoi, me again.**

 **Quick note, thanks to everybody who followed this for following this, and P.S. Copperpaw is actually my cat, Stella, but I wanted her to have a bit of a part as a comic-relief. Welp, I've been blabbering on long enough, so here's chapter 8 of TEOA :3**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors! (Ivypool is Hollystar's deputy!)**

Chapter 8.

"She's making her an apprentice?"  
"At the same time as the other kits?"

"Ivystar knows what she's doing… I hope."

Trying to ignore the doubtful murmurs of all the other cats gathered, Darkkit stepped up to the large boulder that her black-and-white leader was perched upon.

She tried to lift her head as high as the other kits gathered, but it was no use. She was too weak.

"You have been called here today to witness the apprentice ceremony of ShadowClan's next generation of warriors." Ivystar's vibrant green eyes gleamed even as she spoke without much emotion. "May you continue to make ShadowClan strong for many moons."

Darkkit cast her dark amber eyes down the line of eager kits, eyes lingering on her sister, Lionkit, who stood with her golden head raised and proud, stretching above all the other soon-to-be apprentices.

"Primrosekit, step forward." Ivystar meowed, directing her intense gaze onto the white and ginger tabby. "From this moment on, you will be known as Primrosepaw. Your mentor shall be Silverpuddle. Silverpuddle, Vinestem taught you well, and there is no doubt in my mind that you will have no problem training any apprentice you are given."

Beckoned by her leader's tail, the silver tabby stepped forwards, touching her nose to Primrosepaw's.

"Olivekit, from this moment on, you shall be known as Olivepaw." Ivystar continued. "Your mentor shall be Foxwhisker."

Robinkit became Robinpaw, apprenticed to Mousepelt, Lionkit became Lionpaw, apprenticed to Shiningsnow, and then it was finally Darkkit's turn.

"Darkkit, join me on this rock." Gulping, the tortoiseshell and white she-cat stepped onto the rocks, her legs shaking slightly from supporting her swaying bulk. "From this moment on, you will be known as Darkpaw. Your mentor will be Wildwind. Wildwind, you trained Ravenwing excellently. I have no doubt you will produce another warrior ShadowClan can be proud of."

Ivystar dipped her head, giving Darkpaw a moment to touch noses with her new mentor, and then ended the meeting.

 _Of course she gave me the cat who trained the deputy._ Darkpaw thought bitterly, glaring at her black-and-white leader. _I'll show her. I'll show all of them._

"There's no time to waste." Wildwind spoke briskly, but she was certain there was a tinge of disappointment in his voice.

 _You wanted my sister, didn't you!?_ Her mind whispered. _Too bad for you, you get the weak kit instead. Believe me, I'm no happier than you are._

"Follow me." Wildwind set off at a speed that a new-born kit could have passed him at, and yet Darkpaw found herself just able to keep up.

Narrowing her dark amber eyes at him, she tried to speed up, but her paws refused to go any quicker.

"Where are we going?" She demanded after a moment.

They passed the training hollow where Foxwhisker and Silverpuddle seemed to be showing their apprentices a fighting move that involved rearing up on their hind-legs.

"The training hollow's that way!" She flicked her tail impatiently to where Primrosepaw and Olivepaw were staring at their mentors, eyes wide.

"We're not going there." The mottled brown tom told her, continuing.

They pressed through some fern fronds, completely bypassing where Robinpaw was being showed the hunting crouch by his mentor.

"Well, if we're not hunting, and we're not fighting, what are we doing? We don't even have enough cats for a border patrol." Darkpaw whined, frustrated at her mentor's half-answers.

"You will have to wait and see."

She trailed after him, paws growing wearier with every step, but Wildwind continued, making a bee-line for a mossy tree.

Glaring at her mentor, she sat down mutinously.

"I refuse to go another pawstep until you tell me where we're going." She mewed, irritation creeping into her voice.

"Don't need to." Wildwind meowed dismissively. "We're already here."

"Huh?" She looked around, trying to figure out exactly where 'here' was.

"Start gathering." He unsheathed his claws, swiping huge swathes of soft green moss off of the tree, rolling it into a large ball as he went.

 _Collecting bedding?_ She thought, dismayed. _That's an apprentice duty! But I am an apprentice, so I'd better get going…_

She swiped a clawful off of the tree, trying to squish it into a neat ball like the one Wildwind had in front of him.

"Wait." Wildwind spoke, striding over to where she was yanking at the tree. "You're doing it wrong."

 _Of course I am._ She thought angrily. _Can't do anything right, can I?! First day being an apprentice and I'm fetching bedding for old fools._ She felt a pang of guilt as Sandywind, Maplenose, and Patchy's reprimanding faces floated into her head.

"Like this." Her mentor demonstrated, slicing cleanly across rather than up and down.

"That feels wrong." She tried to copy, but her paws slipped and she ended up accidentally trimming the low-growing weeds at the tree's base.

"Just practice." He told her, going back to his load.

"Hmmph."

Annoyance building, she sliced at the tree imagining it as enemy cats.

 _Take that! And that!_ Her irritation was replaced with satisfaction as her ball grew until it was almost the size of Wildwind's. _I'll be the best apprentice he's ever seen. Ravenwing better watch out, I'll be deputy if I have anything to say about it._

"Looking good there, Darkpaw." Wildwind called. "Almost done, then we can bring it back to camp."

Pulling away the last of the moss, she rocked back on her haunches, satisfied.

"Alright, let's take it back now." Wildwind told her, picking up half of his ball.

"How am I supposed-" Her annoyed mew was cut off by Wildwind's muffled reply.

"Tuck it under your chin, like this," He demonstrated, picking up the rest of his collection with ease.

She sighed, snatching up as much as she could in her jaws and tucked the rest under.

"There you go." Wildwind said, setting off the way they came.

She followed him, annoyance pricking her paws when Wildwind failed to praise, or even mention, how much moss she'd been able to gather.

When they arrived at camp, she dropped her moss with a huff,

"Well, don't just stand there, bring it to the queens! Whatever's leftover can be used to make your nest." Wildwind told her, calmly beginning to groom his ears.

Sighing, Darkpaw picked back up her moss and began to drag it to the nursery.

"Oh, thank you Darkpaw." Quailwing said, looking harried. "Mudkit, get off of your sister! And Poolkit, what have I told you about playing with the moss in our nests!"

"Hmmph." Darkpaw tried not to purr too loudly. "Here's some more moss for Poolkit to destroy."

"Thanks." Quailwing practically threw the words over her shoulder, occupied with dragging Mudkit off of Poolkit.

Purring to herself, Darkpaw padded over to the apprentices' den, where Pinepaw and Ratpaw were talking idly.

"Hey." The black tabby looked up.

"What are you doing?" Ratpaw looked straight at her, before letting his eyes drift down to the big bundle of moss she was carrying. "Ah."

Wary of their sudden openness, she pushed past them into the warm den.

Laying down the moss, Darkpaw began peeling off strips and arranging them in one of the unused dips in the ground.

"Oh, come on, please don't be shy." Pinepaw's green eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"Talk to us!" Ratpaw joined her.

"Leave me alone." She muttered, glaring at them. "I'm busy."

"Whatever you say." Pinepaw's voice sharpened as she backed out of the den.

Darkpaw breathed a sigh of relief as they left. She finished with her new nest and decided to go talk to Wildwind.

"Oh, there you are." Wildwind turned around. "We're going to go join Primrosepaw and Olivepaw and teach you some fighting moves. Your sister should be there too."

Darkpaw closed her jaws, frustratedly walking after her mentor. She hadn't even gotten a word in!

"This way." They were taking a different route, further into the pines. "Almost there."

Darkpaw restrained a snarl. It was obvious to her that Wildwind was annoyed at having weak apprentice. She might as well become a medicine cat apprentice!

 _Actually, that's not a bad idea…_ She thought as she walked. _That's one way to make sure no one ever forgets the name Dark… whatever my name will be. Then again, being deputy would also do it. But if every cat thinks I'm weak, I'll never be deputy! Perhaps I_ should _be medicine cat…_

"That's cheating!" Came Primrosepaw's indignant mew from behind the bushes.

"That's tactics!" They were close enough to see Olivepaw kick his sister across the clearing.

Olivepaw was so preoccupied with trying to beat his sister, he didn't notice Lionpaw barreling into his shoulder, her golden fur shining in the sunlight.

"Oof!" Olivepaw's gray paws flailed in the air for a moment.

"Ha!" Lionpaw reared up, then slammed her black paws onto Olivepaw's flank.

He gasped, winded.

"Wow, Lionpaw, you're so strong!" His green eyes shone. "You're gonna be the best fighter ever!"

 _Why does everyone think my sister's so great?_ Darkpaw thought angrily. _I don't understand why she's strong and I'm weak!_

"Back on your paws, everyone!" Foxwhisker ordered.

"She's a tough mentor." Primrosepaw whispered to Darkpaw, coming over. "Lucky I'm not Olivepaw! Although Silverpuddle barely talks at all!"

Darkpaw was saved having to reply when Shiningsnow waved her tail for silence.

"I'll be demonstrating the leap and kick on Silverpuddle." Her mew was barely there, but soft and sweet. "Just like this."

Darkpaw watched, bored, waiting for Shiningsnow to do something soft and sweet like she was known for.

Next thing Darkpaw knew, Shiningsnow's shimmering white pelt rippled as she crouched, revealing hard muscle beneath perfect fur.

As she jumped, Silverpuddle whipped to one side, trying to avoid the attack, but at the last heart-beat, Shiningsnow's strong back legs shot out, catching Silverpuddle in the ribs.

"That's how you do it." Shiningsnow sat down, looking completely unruffled."Why don't you try next, Lionpaw?"

Lionpaw nodded, nervousness gleaming in her golden eyes.

She leapt at Shiningsnow, but fell short. Nevertheless, she kicked out with her paws, trying to connect with Shiningsnow's flank.

Her left leg barely glanced off of Shiningsnow, but it still pushed her back a little.

"Good try." Shiningsnow praised her. "Next time, take an extra moment to visualize your jump."

"Darkpaw, why don't you try next?" Wildwind asked.

She gulped.

"Me?" Her voice trembled a little.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Okay." She tried to force down her fear.

Following Shiningsnow's advice, she took a moment to watch Wildwind, storing in her mind his twitching.

 _A medicine cat_. She thought, _If I can't fight, I'll be a medicine cat…_

Angered by the thought, she leaped at Wildwind, her back legs fluidly striking out, knocking him down.

"Very… good." He gasped, struggling to his paws.

Glancing back at where she jumped from, she noticed little grooves in the earth.

"Wow, that was awesome!" Olivepaw bounced over, purring loudly. "You guys are the best!"

 _Ha._ She thought, satisfied. _Take that, Lionpaw, you're not the only cat who's excellent at fighting._

She felt a twinge of shame burn her pelt at the thought.

"Good job!" Lionpaw leapt over to join them. "Show me how you jumped!"

"I… I don't know, it just kind of happened." She trailed off, shivering as she remembered the electrifying feeling of the leap.

"You'll make an excellent warrior." Wildwind joined them. "I wouldn't be surprised if I trained another deputy."

 _Deputy!_ A thrill shot through her. _I'm going to be the best deputy ShadowClan's ever seen! Leader, even! Darkstar… that sounds so cool!_

"Darkstar?" Olivepaw's green eyes gleamed with amusement. "High hopes, huh?"

Her fur burned with embarrassment as she realized she'd said it out loud.

"Great training today, 'paws!" Foxwhisker told them enthusiastically. "I'll ask Ivystar about letting you go to the gathering."

 **Ta-da. The end.**

 **Please review ;3 (I'm pathetic. Review?)**

 **~Pondfrost**


	11. Lightning: The Gathering - Part 1

**HoI!**

 **C'est moi, back again with TEOA! (That's french. Cuz I'm Canadian. And I speak french.)**

 **Okay, lohg A/N, I'm going to answer some questions that my friends asked when I had them read my story:**

 **1\. Yes, in the allegiances, Fallowspots is listed as having Duckpaw as an apprentice. Duckpaw is now Duckfeather, mmkay?**

 **2\. For those of you confused about the timing of all this, each chapter is in a 'set' with three other chapters (For example, Lightning: Infighting is in a 'set' with Breeze: Something Fishy, Wave: Dry-paw, and Dark: Green with moss ((Yes, I realize that that last chapter title makes next to no sense, but shuddup my story, my titles.)) ) These 'sets' happen _at exactly the same time._ This will be important when they're- Uh, what? I didn't almost spoil the whole book, be quiet!**

 **3\. Actually, I think that's it, check the bottom for anything that I forgot. Thought there was something else, but it turns out I made my plot twist so DAMN complicated that when I thought I got an elder's name, description, and Clan wrong I was actually thinking of a different elder...**

 **Yeah okay I'm done now.**

 **Yay, time to write about them meeting each other!**

Chapter 9.

"Great StarClan!" Vixenpaw shrieked, hopping up and down, ginger tail lashing through the air. "Our first Gathering! And we all get to go!"

Slatepaw shook her head, exasperated with her hyper-active sister, but Lightningpaw purred and joined her sister in her strange fidgeting.

"I can't believe Thornstar let the pair of you come to what's supposed to be a highly sophisticated Clan interaction-" Slatepaw's haughty mew was interrupted as Lightningpaw slapped her dark brown tail across her sister's mouth.

"Oakpaw's coming over." Lightningpaw whispered to Vixenpaw, glancing at Slatepaw. "Quick, we got to help this happen!"

"Um... uh, h- hi Oakpaw." Slatepaw's mew came out choked.

"Yes, hello, ready for the Gathering?" Vixenpaw asked, trying to conceal Slatepaw's obvious trouble with talking to the handsome older apprentice.

"Of course, I enjoy these highly sophisticated Clan interactions." Oakpaw's deep mew almost sent Lightningpaw into hysterics.

"He's perfect!" Lightningpaw whispered to Vixenpaw. "Slatepaw's future mate stands before us!"

"Slatepaw, would you care to walk with me to the island?" Oakpaw asked Slatepaw, his paws scuffling the earth for a moment. "Uh... that is, if you want to..."

Slatepaw's jaw hang slack as she stared into the amber eyes of her 'future mate'.

"Of course, she'd love to!" Vixenpaw supplied, giving her sister a little shove towards Oakpaw.

As soon as they were out of earshot, immersed in conversation, Lightningpaw held up her pad, and Vixenpaw pressed hers against it.

"We are evil geniuses." Lightningpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement.

"I love playing match-maker." Vixenpaw sighed.

"Oh yeah?" Lightningpaw's golden eyes gleamed. "Who would you match yourself with, then?"

Vixenpaw rolled her eyes, purring.

"Oh, I doubt I'll ever take a mate." She said. "It's too much fun being free! I wouldn't want to be squashed into the ground by some stupid tom who thinks he knows what's best for me."

"Huh, I guess, but if you found the right tom..." Lightningpaw trailed off, eyes sparkling as she thought of Vixenpaw falling in love. "Maybe?"

"Hmmph." Vixenpaw shrugged. "I don't think there's such a thing for me as a 'perfect tom'."

"Whatever you say." Lightningpaw said, mind already whirling as she thought of possible ways to match Vixenpaw up with one of the younger warriors or perhaps Mallowpaw...

"Warriors!" Thornstar called, and then noticed Rosepaw giving him an irritated look. "And apprentices."

There were a few purrs of amusement from the gathered cats.

"It is time to go to the island so that we may share news with the other Clans of what has happened in the past moons!" Thornstar continued, beckoning to them with his light brown tail.

"Ugh, would you get on with it?" Vixenpaw exclaimed to Lightningpaw, then ducked her head in embarassment as her mentor, Halfear, flicked her over the ear.

"Come, ThunderClan!" Thornstar set off, Shadefur beside him.

"It's time!" Lightningpaw practically squealed to Vixenpaw. "I can't wait to meet the other Clans! What do you think they smell like? Weird, probably."

"Well, WindClan stinks of the wind and sheep dirt and rabbits." Vixenpaw told her, wrinkling her nose as though recalling her border patrol on the first day of training."

"I like the smell of rabbits!" Lightningpaw protested. "ShadowClan probably smells evil!"

"What does evil smell like?" Rainpaw mewed sarcastically, coming up beside them.

"Oh, go stick your face in some mouse-bile." Vixenpaw mewed viciously.

"Whoa there, feisty, aren't we?" Rainpaw's blue eyes glittered dangerously. "That could get you in trouble."

As he sidled away, casting a dark glance at Vixenpaw, she pressed herself against Lightningpaw.

"Pfft, I bet evil smells like Rainpaw!" She whispered.

"He's just over-doing it like usual. He never did like us." Lightningpaw reassured her.

"Oh, look! It's the WindClan border!" Vixenpaw flicked her tail towards the stream that met the lake. "It looks so pretty at night!"

"Not as pretty as you!" Came a tentative whisper from behind them.

Glancing back, Lightningpaw held back a purr of laughter as she spotted the hunched gray and white tabby form of Mallowpaw. _Poor tom, she'll eat him alive._

"Oh?" Vixenpaw's amber eyes gleamed. "I bet _you'd_ look almost as nice if I dunked you in the stream."

"H- huh?" Mallowpaw whispered, backing away as Vixenpaw advanced on him. "No!"

"Just kidding." She shrugged, turning back to Lightningpaw. "Great StarClan, this tom needs to grow a backbone!"

"Oh, Vixenpaw." Lightningpaw sighed, shaking her head at her sister, feeling a tinge of pity for Mallowpaw.

"We're here!" Rosepaw yowled.

"Hush, let Thornstar announce us!" Heatherclaw cuffed her apprentice lightly over the ear.

Lightningpaw and Vixenpaw shared amused glances, but the feeling was quickly replaced with elation.

 _Our first Gathering!_ Lightningpaw thought, excitement fizzing in her paws.

"Hurry up, slow-slug!" Vixenpaw called, already racing ahead. "I want to be the very first to see the clearing!"

"And the great tree!" Lightningpaw added, sprinting to catch up to her sister.

"You'll be standing there one day." Fawnshade, their mother, told her, coming up beside the sisters.

"Of course she will!" Vixenpaw exclaimed.

"I don't know about that." Lightningpaw said, fur burning with embarassment, though she secretly hoped they were right. "I've a long way to go."

"If anyone can make it, it's you." Slatepaw broke away from Oakpaw to join them.

"I'm so proud of all of-" Fawnshade broke off as Thornstar called out to his Clan.

"ThunderClan! To me!"

They all converged on the fallen log, before forming a line of sorts, crossing one by one.

Lightningpaw gulped. She did not want to end up in the water on her very first Gathering!

"Come on, it's much easier than it looks." Fawnshade reassured them, moving towards the log. "I'll go first. I'll wait for you on the other side."

Lightningpaw watched as Fawnshade padded confidently and calmly across the dead wood, her claws sinking into the sodden bark.

Vixenpaw went next, bounding along as though she were running through the forest, pausing only to call back:

"It's easy! Come on, you scaredy-mice!"

Slatepaw and Lightningpaw exchanged worried glances. Lightningpaw drew back to let her sister cross first.

Slatepaw picked her way across carefully, almost losing her balance for a moment, but recovering quickly. Lightningpaw couldn't tell, but she thought her sister looked relieved as she hopped down from the fallen tree.

 _My turn._ She swallowed back a yelp of terror as she jumped onto the slippery wood. As she tried to move forward, she felt her claws sinking deeper and deeper into the bark.

"Come on, RiverClan and WindClan are already there!" A cat called from behind.

"Stop holding up the line!" Another annoyed voice sounded from somewhere off to her left.

Flattening her ears, she forced her paws to take one shaky step after another. She was about halfway across the log-bridge when it happened.

The feeling of losing her balace threw her into memories of kit-hood, as she tumbled off the high-rock.

These memories were shattered as she crashed head-first into the icy lake water.

The shrieks that had blasted her ears faded away as she sank. It was strangely peaceful, floating down, and down, and down.

Suddenly, two sets of teeth met her scruff and she was propelled out of the depths of the lake by two shimmering forms, one silver, one gold.

 _StarClan cats?_ She wondered, the sense of calm undisturbed, even as the cats gurgled and beat their paws against the cold water. _Am I dying? I never became deputy, or leader. I'm sorry, Vixenpaw. Good-bye, Slatepaw. I love you, Fawnshade._

With a gasp that seemed to shake the stars themselves, three heads burst from the agitated water.

"Are you alright?" Both unfamiliar cats demanded.

"I... I think so..." She murmured, sputtering up water. "Thank... thank you."

"Let's go back to the island." The golden one said, gasping air.

"Yeah." The silver one added, striking out towards the Gathering place.

"Here, I can support you." The golden cat put his shoulder under hers, pushing against the current towards the trees. "I'm Breezepaw by the way."

"That doesn't sound like a..." She trailed off, choking a little a tiny wave sloshed into her mouth. "RiverClan... name."

"I..." He trailed off, glancing towards the island.

He mumbled something indiscernible.

"Sorry?" She leaned forward as best she could without slipping off his broad shoulder. "Didn't quite catch that. Coulda sworn you said-"

"WindClan." The word shot out of his mouth so fast Lightningpaw was certain she felt it ruffle her ear-fur. "I'm... I'm from WindClan."

"You swim remarkably well for a WindClan cat!" Lightningpaw's eyes rounded at his confession. "Where did you learn that?"

"I... just sort of... figured it out on my own." He muttered, the moonlight glittering off his slick golden fur.

"That's amazing! You saved me!" She said, touching his ear with her muzzle gratefully.

"We're here." He turned his head away. "You can, uh, get down now."

She clambered off his back, noting with a bit of surprise how broad his shoulders were for a WindClan cat.

"I'm... I'm Breezepaw." He shifted his black paws, looking nervous. "Uh... what's your name?"

She stared into his glittering green eyes, letting the name 'Breezepaw' swirl around in her head like the water he had just saved her from. _Saved me._ She thought, head feeling strangely light. _A cat he never knew. He just jumped in and saved me. Figured it out on his own... he saved me._

"I'm..." Her tongue suddenly felt dry as a puddle after green-leaf. "Lightningpaw. I'm Lightningpaw."

He shivered visibly, but Lightningpaw barely noticed, she was trying to quash the strange humming she felt in her chest, like a hive full of bees had just been released into her stomach.

"It's, uh, very, very nice to meet you... Lightningpaw." She felt a strange little twinge as he said her name. "I mean... um..."

"It's very nice to meet you, too... Breezepaw." She cringed inwardly at how rigid and stuck-up she sounded, like Petalpaw. "Y-yeah."

They stared awkwardly at each other for another few moments.

"We should, uh, go rejoin our... um... Clans." She wanted to relieve the strange tension humming between them, like the air before a storm.

"Yes. Yes, we should." Breezepaw abruptly dipped his head, trotting off towards where a clump of apprentices stood.

Lightningpaw watched him go, a little sappy look drifting onto her face.

She shook her head suddenly, dispelling the feeling. _I won't get all sappy for some tom I've barely met, much less one from another Clan!_ She thought furiously. _I'm loyal to ThunderClan. I'm loyal to ThunderClan. I'm loyal to ThunderClan_.

Each time she thought it, a little of the feeling fluttered away. She felt almost sad to see it go.

"Lightningpaw!" A sudden squeal from behind her startled her.

She gasped in a breath, trying to hide it.

"V-Vixenpaw, hi, um..." She stared at her sister, chest still heaving.

"What's got you all out of breath?" Vixenpaw asked, amber eyes gleaming mischievously. "Wouldn't be that good-looking RiverClan apprentice, would it?"

"What? No, Breezepaw isn't a..." She trailed off as she saw a handsome, long-furred silver tom whose pale fur seemed to almost drip in the moon-light. "He's the one who..."

"Saved you. Heroically, I might add." Vixenpaw nudged her sister playfully. "Along with that other tom. I mean, I knew good looks ran in this family, but that's something, even for you."

"Are you saying I'm not good-looking?" Lightningpaw teased, but suddenly her golden eyes widened. "I think he's coming over here."

"I'll be in the bushes, watching with bated breath." Vixenpaw slipped off, her ginger and white tabby pelt disappearing into a juniper bush.

"Hi..." Lightningpaw greeted the silver tom uneasily.

"Um... hi." The tom glanced around nervously, pausing to give his silver chest-fur a couple of licks.

"Thank you." She blurted. "Thank you... for saving me, I mean."

"Any time." A little bit of his anxiety seemed to fade away. "Saving random cats I've never met before is one of my very favourite things to do."

She blinked. _Was that a joke? I think that was a joke._ She gave a tiny, awkward purr.

"Um... so, who was that other cat?" His brilliant blue eyes glittered with something she didn't understand for a second. "You know, my side-kick..."

"Oh... that's..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Breezepaw. Of WindClan... he's not a RiverClan cat- oh, wait, you must know that."

"Uh, yes." He nudged her side as though they'd been friends since they were kits. "I was just wondering who could possibly match my skill in swimming."

Lightningpaw stared at him, trying to keep the disbelief out of her eyes. _How is he this confident? Well, it's that, or it's his ego._ Annoyance seeped into her mouth, threatening to spill out. _Some cats are different. I won't like every cat I meet from other Clans. Some of them are egotistical fur-balls. Some of them are handsome and save you and still get on your nerves._

"So, want to go for a walk?" He asked, licking her ear.

She jerked away, trying to hide her disgust.

"No thanks, I think the Clan leaders are going to start soon..." Lightningpaw stiffened as anger flashed in his gleaming blue eyes for a moment.

"You're right, I'm sorry." He dipped his head, not taking those dangerously blue eyes off her for a moment.

"Clan cats!" Ivystar's powerful voice echoed around the clearing. "Gather 'round!"

"See you later." He slipped away.

She shivered. _He gives me the creeps._ She thought, ear twitching uncomfortably. _I'm not hanging around him._

"So? How'd it go?" Vixenpaw bounded up to her, little scraps of vegetation hanging off her ginger pelt.

"Ugh, you can have him." She told her sister, shaking her head. "He... makes me... uncomfortable."

"Well..." Vixenpaw trailed off, her eyes following the silver-furred tom across the clearing.

"I'll begin." Thornstar cleared his throat loudly. "In ThunderClan, we have three new apprentices, Vixenpaw, Slatepaw, and Lightningpaw."

Momentarily forgetting uncomfortable encounter with the RiverClan apprentice, Lightningpaw lifted her head, soaking up the cheers of every cat.

"Other than that, prey is running well in ThunderClan, and we have nothing else to report." Thornstar finished, glancing up at the clear sky where StarClan was shining.

"WindClan will go next." Spottedstar declared, stepping forward with a challenging look at the other leaders, as though daring them to contradict her. "We have one new apprentice as well, Breezepaw."

Lightningpaw opened her jaws, calling out his name, letting her voice shimmer up to join the others.

"We have one other thing to report." Spottedstar's pale green eyes narrowed, a hiss creeping into her voice. "RiverClan has been trespassing!"

"What?!" Snowstar lept to his paws, his white fur on end, blue eyes blazing. "Lies!"

"Icestorm, tell them what you found." Spottedstar dipped her head to her warrior.

Looking slightly uncomfortable to be called on to tell a powerful Clan that they had broken the sacred code, Icestorm stepped forward.

"We found one scent only, and a scrap of white fur on a heather bush." Icestorm stated, obviously fighting the tremble in her voice. "It was certainly RiverClan scent."

"Certainly? And you concede that it wasn't a patrol?" Snowstar blustered. "Are you sure it was RiverClan? Spottedstar, perhaps you should teach your warriors to use their noses."

"What?" Only Spottedstar's pale green eyes betrayed her fury. "Perhaps you should learn to control your warriors! It matters not how many cats crossed the borders. If any did, that's a clear violation of the warrior code!"

"Control my warriors?!" Snowstar hissed, his claws sliding out, glancing at the other leaders for support.

"I... the truce..." Thornstar mumbled, glancing at Spottedstar as though worried she would jump on him if he sided with Snowstar.

"I, for one, think Spottedstar is right." Ivystar stepped a little closer to her fellow leader. "Crossing the borders is against the warrior code. It's as simple as that. If you would like to question the integrity of one of the most respected and senior warriors in WindClan, by all means, prepare to meet the tips of her Clanmates' claws."

"Wow, she's sure confident." Vixenpaw muttered into Lightningpaw's ear.

"She's right, though." Lightningpaw murmured to her sister, eyes fixed on the furious leaders.

"I guess." They subsided into silence, watching the drama unfold.

"StarClan agrees with me! Look, the sky is clear!" Snowstar shouted.

"Perhaps StarClan is agreeing with me!" Spottedstar shot back.

"Snowstar, find the trespasser and stop them." Ivystar said decisively, her green eyes stonily daring anyone to argue with her. "Spottedstar, bring news of any other evidence you find to the next Gathering, and we can discuss further then."

"Very well." Spottedstar sat down.

Snowstar closed his jaws, irritation sparking in his eyes.

"ShadowClan will share our news next." Ivystar raked her pale green eyes across the cats. "We have _five_ new apprentices; Lionpaw, Darkpaw, Robinpaw, Olivepaw, and Primrosepaw."

"Five! That's a lot! Think that was one litter?" Vixenpaw whispered.

"No, look." Lightningpaw indicated towards where four apprentices were sitting together, glancing at the chanting cats happily, unaware of the annoyed looks a fifth apprentice was shooting them. "Wait, is that..."

"Is that who?" Vixenpaw craned her neck trying to spot what had captured Lightningpaw's attention.

"No, it's not." Lightningpaw squinted at the golden apprentice with the black paws that was sitting with the three other ShadowClan apprentices. "I thought it was Breezepaw. But it's not even a tom."

"Are you seeing things?" Vixenpaw purred, then her eyes widened. "Hey, no, wait, you're right, she does look like that tom who saved you!"

"Weird." Lightningpaw shrugged, turning back to the leaders.

"RiverClan will report now, if you've finished." Snowstar didn't even bother to glance at Ivystar. "We have four new apprentices; Wavepaw, Ripplepaw, and Briarpaw, and Pikepaw has been apprenticed to Sheepbelly. And Duckpaw and Flowerpaw have become Duckfeather and Flowerpelt. RiverClan is strong."

Lightningpaw wondered which name belonged to the silver tom.

"Not cheering my name?" The very tom appeared in front of her. "That's rude."

"I... I don't know which one is your's. You didn't exactly tell me." Lightningpaw gulped, trying to maintain a comfortable distances between them.

"Wavepaw." His eyes glittered with a memory of something for a moment, but it disappeared so quickly, Lightningpaw wasn't even sure whether she'd imagined it or not. "Please feel free to cheer now."

Glaring at him, a strange feeling of refusal bubbling up inside her. _I won't be afraid of some whiny RiverClan apprentice I've never met._ She told herself.

"Ripplepaw! Briarpaw! Pikepaw! Duckfeather! Flowerpelt!" She called, staring straight at Wavepaw.

"That's mean." He said.

"I'm mean." She stormed off, trying to find Slatepaw.

"Wait!" He called. "Meet me! At- at- at moon-high tomorrow!"

"No!" She snarled back. "Why would I ever do that?!"

She spotted Slatepaw's gray fur across the island and sped towards her, anxious to get away from the RiverClan apprentice.

 **I don't think I made any other glaringly obvious plot holes or anything, but please leave a review to notify me of any failures ;).**

 **U** **ntil next time :3...**

 **Pondfrost**


	12. Breeze: The Gathering - Part 2

**Heheheeh,**

 **Me again! I don't know when this is going up, but I'm writing this right after the last one because OMSC Breezepaw's POV is going to be SO MUCH FUN! Also listening to the theme music for my fav anime... :3 (Fairy Tail duh)**

 **Reply to reviews:**

 **KaiLover911- Trust me, it's not going to go... normally... and here's some Copper relief (Comic relief, brought to you by Copperpaw :3)**

 **Snowcrystal- Of course you do ;). I actually came up with Snowstar before I even knew you existed, but there you go ;) it was destined to be. I have a complete chart of all acceptable prefixes and suffixes for all warrior cats ever, sooooo to anyone who tells me I can't name a cat Plumeyes, go eat some fox-dung because I CAN TOO. Icestorm is a little tribute to Icecloud.**

Chapter 10.

"Hey, uh, Breezepaw..." The gray tabby apprentice trailed off as Breezepaw's baleful glare stopped whatever she had been trying to say. "I... would you like to walk with... Palepaw and Rabbitpaw and... um... me?"

He didn't let his glower waver for a second. _You are the reason Leopardpaw is in the medicine den, and for that I cannot forgive you!_ His mind screeched. _Forgive... forgive... she must feel awful about it... but she hurt another cat! No. The dog did this. She lied about knowing who my father was! And you believed her._ His mind let out a gusty sigh. _I must move on. The past is in the past._

 _Live in the present!_ His mother's reprimanding mew echoed in his ears. _Anything less will prevent your chance of being the best warrior you can be!_

"Very well." His mew tightened as he dipped his head.

Jaypaw nodded gratefully, bounding over to join her siblings.

"Breezepaw!" Palepaw's green eyes lit up as she saw him. "We were just talking about what's going to happen at the Gathering! You know, because of the RiverClan scent we found!"

"Yeah, those RiverClan fish-brains don't even know what's coming!" Copperpaw added, swiping her sheathed claws in the air for effect.

"I, for one, would like to know _who_ was trespassing in our territory!" Jaypaw exclaimed, blue eyes gleaming. "I'll shred them!"

"Yeah, right." Rabbitpaw uncharacteristically poked his sister with his paw. "More like you'd _get_ shredded."

"Since when did you grow claws?" Jaypaw shot her brother a half-amused half-surprised look.

"About time." Palepaw joined in, flicking her brother over the ear.

Breezepaw let out a breath, the litter's amiable company loosening a bit of his stress over being in a new place with more cats than he'd ever seen in his life, who were his enemies... _No._ He chided himself. _There's a truce!_

"Hey, Breezepaw, what Clan are you hoping to meet?" Rabbitpaw gave him a friendly push that almost knocked him off his paws. "I want to meet ShadowClan! Every cat says they're evil, but I don't think so."

"I'd like to meet RiverClan!" Jaypaw's tail whipped from side to side as she spoke. "More specifically, I'd like them to meet my claws!"

"I think meeting ThunderClan would be really cool..." Breezepaw said. "I wonder what it's like living under the trees? I think it would be cool, like living underground. I wonder what their prey tastes like? I bet forest prey is delicious. Except frogs, ShadowClan can keep those. Yuck."

"I wouldn't mind trying a lizard." Copperpaw licked her chops. "Who knows, maybe they're secretly super tasty."

"I doubt it." Palepaw wrinkled her nose.

"They can't possibly taste worse than fish!" Copperpaw exclaimed.

"How would you know?" Rabbitpaw's eyes sparkled with amusement. "You've never tasted fish!"

"Oh, haven't I?" Copperpaw beckoned the apprentices closer with a flick of her tail, her pale green eyes glimmering mischievously. "Let me tell you..."

"There is no way!" Jaypaw interrupted, staring at the older apprentice in shock.

"Oh yes." Copperpaw dropped her mew to a whisper. "I was patrolling along the ThunderClan border, when suddenly, a tiny minnow _leapt_ right out of the stream! With my lightning reflexes, I plucked it right out of the air!"

"Wow!" Rabbitpaw exclaimed eyes shining.

"Yeah, right." Jaypaw rolled her eyes, but her whiskers twitched.

"Then, I bent down, against all my instincts, and..." Copperpaw trailed off, her eyes gleaming and pelt bushed out as though she was recounting some sort of dramatic battle. " _took a bite._ "

She gasped theatrically, and the younger apprentices collapsed in purrs of amusement.

"And..." Breezepaw gasped for breath, his eyes watering from the hilarity. "How- how was it?"

Copperpaw leaned close, eyes wide and sincere.

" _Awful._ "

The apprentices lost it.

"I can't believe it!" Jaypaw yowled. "We're here!"

"Keep it down." Honeythorn chided her apprentice. "We don't want the other Clans thinking we can't control our apprentices."

"Come on, Breezepaw, let's be the first to explore the island!" Palepaw encouraged him, charging towards the fallen tree.

"Wait for me!" Purring, he hurtled after the pale brown she-cat.

"Slow-slug!" Rabbitpaw called over his broad shoulder, passing Breezepaw easily.

"Who are you calling slow?" Jaypaw teased her brother, whipping past both of them so fast Breezepaw swore he felt her ruffle his pelt.

"No fair!" Breezepaw increased his speed, relishing the feeling of the humid air against his golden pelt.

"Hurry up! ShadowClan's going to beat us!" Jaypaw called to the rest of the Clan.

Honeythorn and Spottedstar exchanged amused looks. The rest of the Clan purred, watching the enthusiastic apprentices race each other to their first Gathering.

"There's the log! I'm going to cross first!" Jaypaw yowled in excitement, taking a flying leap onto the wet bark.

Breezepaw watched in awe as she charged confidently across, as easily as though it was the open moor.

"Simple as eating a rabbit!" The tiny gray figure of Jaypaw caterwauled in delight from the other side.

"My turn!" Rabbitpaw called, jumping onto the log.

He wobbled for a second, and Breezepaw felt a prick of worry that he would fall, but he reagained his balance easily and hurtled across the fallen tree.

"Breezepaw, you go next!" Palepaw told him, backing up a tiny pawstep.

"O- okay." He gulped.

 _Well, think of it this way._ He told himself. _If you fall in, you get to try swimming, just like you wanted to._

The thought pressed back his fear a little, and he hopped up onto the sodden bark.

Not wanting to be outdone by Rabbitpaw or Jaypaw, he hopped along the tree, doing a strange little routine as he crossed.

Encouraged by Palepaw's soft purrs of amusement from behind him, he bounded across the end of log.

"No!" A shriek split the air behind him as he hopped down from the log.

He whipped around to see a dark form sliding off the tree, splashing into the water, shattering the clear reflection of the moon.

A strange feeling fuzzed through his body, like he was being hit by lightning.

His world narrowed to encompass only the tiny form sinking down in the black water.

His vision dropped away, the whole world going black except for the shape.

Then he realized it was because he had launched himself into the water.

He couldn't feel the cold.

He couldn't feel the water.

All he could feel was the intense feeling of how important it was that he save this cat, here and now.

He snatched the cat's scruff in his mouth, not acknoledging the strange silver reflection that seemed to follow his movements.

He propelled them up, towards where StarClan shone, the moon hanging in the sky.

Surprised at how easily they moved, he glanced to the side, where the silver cat was also churning their paws as though they'd been born for this moment.

Their heads burst above the water.

Barely even registering how fast his heart was beating, he glanced at the cat who had fallen in.

His head felt as though it was exploding and shrinking at the same time.

He thought Palepaw's light brown pelt was pretty. This cat had a lustrous, dark brown coat with shimmering, jagged white stripes across it.

He had thought amber eyes were nice. This cat widened her pure, shining golden ones in wonder.

"Wow." He breathed. "Are you alright?"

He turned slightly as the silver cat asked the same.

"I... I think so..." Breezepaw shivered as the beautiful cat spoke. "Thank... thank you."

His fur suddenly feeling hot with embarassment, he turned towards the Gathering place.

"Let's go back to the island." He sucked in a long breath, suddenly feeling shy and unsure.

"Yeah." The long-furred silver tom added, cutting easily through the water towards the trees.

 _You going to leave me to help her alone?_ He thought, glancing at the tom, who was already almost at the island. _Not that I mind..._

"Here, I can support you." He blinked at the cat, and before he could second-guess himself, he pushed his shoulder under her. "I'm Breezepaw, by the way."

 _But why would such a beautiful cat care?_ His conscious whispered.

"That doesn't sound like a..." Her mew cut off abruptly. "RiverClan... name."

"I..." He trailed off, turning his head towards the island, wondering if he should lie. "WindClan..."

"Sorry? Didn't quite catch that. Coulda sworn you said-" He shifted so she didn't fall off.

"WindClan." He burst out. "I'm... I'm from WindClan."

"You swim remarkably well for a WindClan cat!" His fur warmed at the praise, his heart speeding up tiny bit as her golden eyes shone up at him. "Where did you learn that?"

"I..." He trailed off as he realized the answer. "just sort of... figured it out on my own."

"That's amazing! You saved me!" Her muzzle touched his ear and a tiny fizzle ran through him.

Trying to hide his embarassment, he turned towards the island as his paws touched the pebbly lake floor.

"We're here. You can, uh, get down now." The words pained him.

She slid off his shoulders.

"I'm... I'm Breezepaw." He shifted his paws nervously, realizing after the words had left his mouth that he had already said that. "Uh, what's your name?"

Her golden eyes met his green ones, and he felt a strange tugging sensation in his chest. She hesitated, and he felt worry stab the space behind his eyes for a moment. _Did I say something wrong?_ He wondered, heart pricking.

"I'm..." He leaned a little closer, trying to catch every word. "Lightningpaw. I'm Lightningpaw."

A shiver ran down his spine at the name. _Lightningpaw._

"It's, uh, very, very nice to meet you... Lightningpaw." He stammered, her name whisking out of his mouth like a piece of cloud.

"It's very nice to meet you, too... Breezepaw." Her mew floated through the air. "Y- yeah."

He stared at her, awkward tension filling the air between them.

"We should, uh, go rejoin our... um... Clans." She said suddenly.

"Yes. Yes, we should." He said, bobbing his head quickly and charging away to join Rabbitpaw, Palepaw, and Jaypaw.

It took all of his will power not to look back at the beautiful apprentice.

"Hey, Breezepaw!" Jaypaw flicked her gray tail across his nose. "Excuse me! Breezepaw!"

"Hmm? What?" He blinked a couple times, trying to remember what she said.

"I _said,_ are you crazy?" She demanded. "Jumping into the water, rescuing a cat you don't even know, what are you doing?"

"I... I had to." He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Who is she?" A tiny spark of something glimmered in Palepaw's eyes.

"Lightningpaw." His head felt a little light as he said her name.

"Well, I'm going to go meet some ShadowClan apprentices." Rabbitpaw said decisively. "Want to come?"

"I'm going to go talk to some RiverClan flea-bags." Jaypaw's blue eyes sparkled as though she was hoping to incite a battle. "Come on, Palepaw."

They trotted off towards a couple of RiverClan she-cats and a tom, who Breezepaw realized was the same one who had helped him rescue Lightningpaw.

"ShadowClan awaits!" Breezepaw turned to Rabbitpaw, shrugging his shoulders.

"Let's go!" They padded side by side towards a large knot of pine-smelling apprentices.

"Hey!" A golden one with black paws greeted them with a friendly tail flick. "I'm Lionpaw! Who are you?"

"And why do you look like her?" A ginger and white tabby with gleaming eyes that reminded him of Jaypaw's, except they were green instead of blue.

"Coincidence." Rabbitpaw shrugged. "I'm Rabbitpaw, and this is Breezepaw."

"WindClan." A gray tom with pale green eyes hissed.

"Play nice, Olivepaw." Another tom, who was clearly his brother, reprimanded him. "I'm Robinpaw."

"Wow, your eyes are so cool!" Rabbitpaw said. "I wish I had eyes like that."

"Thanks!" Robinpaw exclaimed, and Breezepaw noticed that his eyes were different colours, blue and amber.

"Yeah, yeah, you're special." The ginger and white tabby rolled her eyes. "I'm Primrosepaw."

"Jaypaw, I think you mean." Breezepaw whispered to Rabbitpaw.

"Right you are." Rabbitpaw rolled his eyes.

"Care to repeat that?" The tabby's claws slid out, and Breezepaw took a step back.

"Just saying that you reminded us of my sister Jaypaw." Rabbitpaw said hurriedly, glancing at her claws.

"That had better be a compliment, Rabbits." Primrosepaw's green eyes narrowed.

"Ouch." Lionpaw's golden eyes sparkled as Rabbitpaw winced from the nickname. "Primrosepaw, don't be mean."

"Too late." Olivepaw snickered.

Breezepaw glanced around uncomfortably as tension fizzed in the air. His eyes met a pair of dark amber eyes, glittering out of the darkness.

"Hey." He whispered, sidling closer to the tiny apprentice, who was sitting a little ways away from the rest of them.

"Hey." The small she-cat breathed.

"Those your siblings?" He asked tentatively.

"Just the golden one with the black paws, Lionpaw." She whispered. "She looks like you."

"Yeah, I guess." For some reason, as he looked at Lionpaw, he felt the same way as when he looked at Leopardpaw.

They held themselves the same way, moved the same way, even sounded similar. _Strange..._ He thought.

"I think the leaders are starting." The she-cat choked out.

He glanced at her, wondering why she was so quiet. He noticed how weak she looked, her head too large for her body, her tortoise-shell pelt ruffled and greasy looking.

Though he felt bad about it, he was a little repulsed. Her dark amber eyes were the only pretty feature on her, they shone in the moonlight as they stared at him as though she could see right through him into his soul.

"Clan cats! Gather 'round!" The ShadowClan leader called.

"I'm Darkpaw." The tiny tortoise-shell introduced herself quickly, then slipped away.

He watched her go, confused at what had just happened.

"I'll begin." A hefty brown tom that Breezepaw assumed was the ThunderClan leader stepped forwards. "In ThunderClan, we have three new apprentices. Vixenpaw, Slatepaw, and Lightningpaw."

Eyes shining, he completely forgot his strange encounter with the tiny, unkempt ShadowClan apprentice, he called out their names, Lightningpaw's the loudest.

"Other than that, prey is running well in ThunderClan, and we have nothing else to report." The light brown tom finished, looking up at the moon.

"WindClan will go next." Breezepaw felt a shiver of foreboding as his leader stepped forwards.

If he had not known what was coming, perhaps he would not have noticed the tightness in her voice, the way her claws were just barely out, or the way her shoulders bunched.

"We have one new apprentice as well, Breezepaw." Spottedstar announced.

His worry at what was coming next disappeared temporarily as the Clans yowled his name to the sky.

"We have one other thing to report." Breezepaw gulped as Spottedstar snarled, her eyes flicking over to Snowstar as she spoke.

 _Here it comes..._

"RiverClan has been trespassing!" She hissed, pale green eyes flashing with rage.

"What?!" The RiverClan leader's white pelt stood on end as his blue eyes blazed with fury. "Lies!"

"Icestorm," Spottedstar nodded to Breezepaw's mentor. "tell them what you found."

"We found one scent only, and a scrap of white fur on a heather bush." Breezepaw felt a stab of pride towards his mentor as she successfully held the tremble out of her voice as she addressed the Clans. "It was certainly RiverClan scent."

"Certainly? And you concede it wasn't a patrol?" Snowstar countered. "Are you sure it was RiverClan?"

Breezepaw bit back a hiss. _Is he claiming Icestorm doesn't know how to tell WindClan from RiverClan?_

"Spottedstar, perhaps you should teach your warriors to use their noses." Snowstar snarled, scowling at the WindClan leader.

"What?" Spottedstar's eyes darkened. "Perhaps _you_ should learn to control your warriors! It matters not how many warriors crossed the border! If any did, that's a clear violation of the warrior code!"

"Control my warriors?!" Snowstar sputtered, digging his claws into the branch, glancing at the other leaders for support.

"I... the truce..." The ThunderClan leader mumbled, glancing at Spottedstar worriedly.

 _Mouse-heart._ Breezepaw thought, glaring at him.

"I, for one, think Spottedstar is right." The ShadowClan leader, Ivystar, stepped a little closer to Spottedstar. "Crossing the borders is against the warrior code. It's as simple as that. If you would like to question the integrity of one of the most respected and senior warriors in WindClan, by all means, prepare to meet the tips of her Clanmates' claws."

 _Go Ivystar!_ Breezepaw screeched internally, furious with the RiverClan leader. _Who does he think he's fooling?_ He noted with surprise how similar Spottedstar and Ivystar looked as they stood shoulder to shoulder, both black and white pelts bushed out, both pairs of green eyes blazing as they stared down the fluffy white RiverClan leader.

"StarClan agrees with me! Look, the sky is clear!" Snowstar blustered, taking a tiny step back.

"Perhaps StarClan is agreeing with me!" Spottedstar shot back, stepping forwards.

"Snowstar, find the trespasser and stop them." Ivystar declared, her green eyes glowing with fury. "Spottedstar, bring news of any other evidence you find to the next Gathering, and we can discuss further then."

"Very well." Spottedstar sat down.

Snowstar closed his jaws, annoyance flickering in his frosty eyes.

"ShadowClan will share our news next." Ivystar raked her pale green eyes across the cats. "We have _five_ new apprentices; Lionpaw, Darkpaw, Robinpaw, Olivepaw, and Primrosepaw."

 _Glad that's over._ Breezepaw thought in relief.

"Lionpaw! Darkpaw! Robinpaw! Olivepaw! Primrosepaw!" He called.

"RiverClan will report now, if you've finished." Snowstar didn't even bother to glance at Ivystar. "We have four new apprentices; Wavepaw, Ripplepaw, and Briarpaw, and Pikepaw has been apprenticed to Sheepbelly. And Duckpaw has become Duckfeather."

He greeted the apprentices and warrior, wondering which one was the name of the cat who had helped him save Lightningpaw.

 _Lightningpaw._ He sighed.

 **All done! I actually like the ending, for once. Sorry if it felt repetitive. I mean, of course it did, it's pretty much the exact same as last time, but I hope it wasn't _too_ repetitive. Although it was interesting to write the same events from a different perspective.**

 **We saw Lightningpaw (I literally forgot her name for a heart-beat there) fall again, but I think Breezepaw fell harder, if ya know what I mean ;)...**

 **Poor Darkpaw... You'll see what I mean in two chapters...**

 **I love Ivystar, she's a boss.**

 **That's pretty much it, please leave a review ;)**

 **~Pondfrost**


	13. Wave: The Gathering - Part 3

**Hey... it's been a while :3**

 **But here I am, back with some TEOA for you guys!**

 **Here's Wave's perception of the action-packed Gathering!**

Chapter 11.

"I want to meet WindClan!" Ripplepaw exclaimed loudly. "And ShadowClan! And ThunderClan!"

"You forgot StarClan." Briarpaw pointed out wryly.

Wavepaw ignored his sisters' idle chatter. His mind was wrapped in worry and confusion. _So, they can't attack me... but we're enemies? Except we're supposed to chat and share news?_ His head continued to babble, even as he pressed back the anxious thoughts.

"Wavepaw! Brother! Cat!" Ripplepaw's tail flicked his nose.

"What?" He demanded, realizing that she had been calling to him for several heart-beats.

"I _said_ ," She rolled her sparkling blue-gray eyes at him. "who do you want to meet?"

"Nobody." He frowned slightly, his mind slipping back into the well-worn circle of _what if some cat attacks me? What if they don't like me? What if... what if..._

"Really?" Ripplepaw snorted. "Bo-oring."

Wavepaw was about to retort when a prickly mew emanated from behind them.

"Hurry up!" Fallowspots snapped at them.

"Fallowspots, we're already ahead of all the other Clans." A milder mew responded.

Wavepaw identified it as Creampelt, a pleasant but unremarkable she-cat. _Why would Fallowspots walk with her? Cloudfall would get angry._ His mind remarked, then he felt a prick of guilt. _Well, it's true! Cloudfall is a great cat, and a great mother, but she's so... jealous!_

"We won't be if my kits continue to drag their tiny paws!" Fallowspots's mew sharpened into a growl.

Creampelt huffed, her amber eyes darkening with annoyance.

Wavepaw didn't want to cause arguments, so he sped up, casting a glance behind him to make sure Briarpaw and Ripplepaw followed. _This was supposed to be exciting._ He thought, his features sliding into a scowl. _But now my mouse-brained nerves are getting the best of me, and Fallowspots is being a fox-heart, and it's just... wrong!_

Hissing softly, he struck the ground with more force than necessary as he walked, his claws sliding in and out.

Wordlessly, Briarpaw pressed her pelt against his. He sighed, knowing he shouldn't let his mentor, father, enemy, whatever he was supposed to call Fallowspots, ruin his first Gathering, but that was difficult. _Fallowspots_ was difficult.

"I can see it!" Ripplepaw shrieked, her words blurring and melding together in her excitement.

 _Well, glad at least one of us can enjoy this._ He thought, streaks of bitterness racing through his fur.

"Focus on the present." Creampelt muttered to Fallowspots.

 _What's that about?_ Wavepaw wondered to himself, staring at the pair.

"That's what _she_ always used to say." Fallowspots growled.

"The whole point of this is not to forget about her." Creampelt retorted.

 _Who?_ He thought, trying to mentally shake the answers out of his... father, mentor, enemy, but his attention was snatched away by Ripplepaw squealing again.

"The tree-bridge!" She yowled, blue-gray eyes shining with enthusiasm.

 _Great StarClan, a tree!_ He thought sarcastically to himself. _This is truly a moment for the Clans to remember! But it will be interesting. These cats will have never met me before... maybe I can make a better impression. Be confident, like I've always failed to be._

"Uh-oh, the other Clans better watch out, Wavepaw's getting that gleam in his eye again!" Briarpaw teased him, snapping him out of his trance.

"Oh, hush." He gave her ear a light flick with his fluffy silver tail.

"And, she's off." Briarpaw commented, watching their sister barrel across the tree.

"She'll fall in." Wavepaw growled.

"She knows how to swim." Briarpaw replied mildly, not letting her bright green glance drift from their dare-devil sister for a heart-beat.

He fell silent, letting Briarpaw cross first.

"WindClan's almost here! Hurry up!" A grouchy mew yowled from near the back of the Clan.

"Oh, hush, Reedtail." Another voice, softer and amused, responded.

 _Reedtail._ Wavepaw thought, irritated. _He's Fallowspots's father. I'm starting to see where Fallowspots got his nasty attitude._

An audible huff preceded Reedtail's inevitable silence. Wavepaw twitched his whiskers in amusement.

"Your turn." Fallowspots hissed from behind him.

 _Ha! If you think I'm scared..._ Wavepaw didn't bother finishing the thought, simply hopped up fearlessly onto the log. _I'm going to be confident. And that starts here._

He felt Fallowspots's glare hot on his fur as he sashayed across the tree, trying to look effortless and graceful.

Wavepaw felt a stab of victory as he hopped down from the sodden log. _Take that, Fallowspots! From now on, I'm not afraid of_ anything. He declared silently, satisfaction fluffing out his fur.

He watched as cat after cat crossed, not feeling ready to enter the Gathering place just yet. There was something tugging at his paws, something he needed to do.

The scent of moor-land crashed into his mouth as what he guessed must be WindClan arrived. Even that stench couldn't make his stubborn paws waver from their chosen place.

He watched, confused, as several WindClan apprentices crossed, the last one doing a strange walk as he passed, similar to what Wavepaw himself had done. _But does he have a harsh mentor-father-enemy? Doubtful._ He reminded himself, still trying to understand why he felt rooted in place.

"No!" The yowl, twisted in fear, tore through the air like sharpened claws.

 _What's going on?_ He demanded, his paws racing to where the water lapped the pebbly edge of the island softly. _I can move!_

"Save her!" A small, gray -ThunderClan, perhaps- apprentice shrieked, the same one who had cried out before.

Silently, his paws carried him deep into the frigid, black water. _What's going on? Save who?_ His eyes caught on a tiny shape sinking below him. _Someone fell in!_

He gasped in a breath, and tried to stop himself from breathing out again as he dove, quick as a fish, towards the sinking form.

Strange whispering began in his head as he churned his paws, forcing his way deeper into the unforgiving darkness.

He seized her scruff in his jaws, his brilliant blue eyes widening, stinging in the icy water, to see a shimmering golden and black form, matching him, stroke for stroke as they propelled the trio towards the glittering, promising surface of the lake together.

As their heads burst above the water, he directed his gaze towards the other two cats, still unsure of what had just happened.

He barely passed his eyes over the golden and black tom, instead focusing on the cat he had saved.

 _Great. StarClan._ Even his thoughts were sluggish.

This cat was the most perfect creature he had ever seen.

Glittering golden eyes were set in a glossy, perfectly shaped brown head with flickers of white. Her dazzling, deep mahogany brown fur gleamed in the pure moonlight, illuminating the jagged white stripes, like flashes of lightning, that banded her pelt.

He was speechless.

He was in love.

"Wow..." The cat next to him mewed breathily. "Are you okay?"

"Are you okay?" Wavepaw demanded at the same moment.

And he had found his rival.

Could he blame the mysterious tom? This cat was... _exquisite_. But she was his.

"I... I think so." The cat's words were not mews. They were music. "Thank... thank you."

 _She's thanking me, not you_. He internally growled to the golden tom.

"Let's go back to the island." He heard the tom mew.

He suddenly found himself wanting to swim away as fast as possible, claw out the tom's throat, or possibly carry the she-cat far away from any tom.

Maybe all three.

"Yeah." He agreed through gritted teeth, beginning to propel himself back to the Gathering place.

 _Don't look back. Be confident. Be strong._ He forced himself to keep his eyes pinned on the island. _She feels the same way, I'm sure of it. I need to make sure. She'll feel the same as I do. She will._

He heard the tom saying something to the she-cat, but Wavepaw forced the growl down, focusing on the water in front of him.

As he dragged his sodden pelt out of the freezing water, he felt as though he was trying to swim up a rushing stream. _Go back to her, go back to her._ The chorus of voices chanted, but he ignored them. _She'll come to me. She better._

He watched, eyes narrowed, as the tom floundered back to the shore, with the gracefulness of a frog trying to walk backwards without hopping. The she-cat was gripping his shoulders.

When he saw this, the voices swelled like a wave, ready to come crashing down upon him, mercilessly. The waves on the lake grew frenzied, slapping against the shoreline, even without any wind guiding them.

The pair stared at each other for a moment, each heart-beat feeling like a pair of claws in his eyes, before she dipped her head and the tension broke.

He scurried away, earning a derisive snort from Wavepaw. _Well, he isn't making any effort to seem confident. He's making this too easy._

As he tracked her movements across the island, confusion pounded in each beat of his heart. _Why isn't she coming to me?_ He demanded. _Where is she going? If she won't come to me, I'm going to her._ He felt mouse-brained for a moment. _It's because we're too perfect for each other. She's obviously doing the same to me as I'm trying to do to her. Waiting for me to prove myself. Well, I'd do anything for her._

He strode purposefully across the clearing, deeper into the heart of the Gathering place.

The ginger and white apprentice next to her glanced at him, before whispering something to the perfect she-cat and diving into a nearby, spiky green bush. _Juniper._ He recognized the berries from his early encounter with the medicine cat. _That's not important!_ He admonished himself, nearing the cat with every shaking pawstep.

"Hi..." Her beautiful voice wavered slightly under the intensity of his eyes.

"Um... hi." _Courage! Confidence! You mouse-heart!_ Fallowspots's mew rang in his ears as Wavepaw glanced around meekly and groomed his chest nervously.

"Thank you." She burst out. "Thank you... for saving me, I mean."

He noted with a prick of joy that she did not specify from what he saved her. _She probably means the cruel world, as well as everything else. In the dark, I will bring her the light of my love._

"Anytime." _Confidence! I can do this._ He told himself, trying to banish his nervousness. "Saving random cats I've never met before is one of my very favourite things to do."

She blinked her golden, owl-like eyes, before letting out a delicate purr.

 _A beautiful sound, befitting a beautiful cat._ He thought, shivering.

"Um... so, who was that other cat?" Jealousy stung him as he forced the words out of his mouth. _I need to know the name of my enemy._ "You know, my side-kick..."

"Oh... that's..." She closed her eyes.

 _Ha!_ He thought, satisfaction clouding his eyes. _She can't even remember his name!_

"Breezepaw."

His vision cleared immediately. _Breezepaw._

"Of WindClan... he's not a RiverClan cat- oh, wait, you must already know that." Her voice was unsure.

 _I make her flustered!_ A little zing shot through him.

"Uh, yes." He gave her a playful shove, and then nearly collapsed as his flank brushed hers. "I was just wondering who could possibly match my skill in swimming."

Her eyes glittered, probably amazed at his confidence. _This is going like a dream!_ He thought, pleased beyond words.

"So, want to go for a walk?" He rasped his tongue over her perfect little ear before he could stop himself.

She drew back, eyes wide. _What? What did I do? She feels the same way! She has to!_ His mind yowled.

"No thanks, I think the Clan leaders are going to start soon..." She bunched her shoulders, not breaking eye-contact for a second.

Rage consumed him for a moment, before he was able to get a grip on himself and took a deep breath. _She's smart, and alert. She's perfect._ He told himself. _There will be plenty of walks in our future. I wonder what our kits will look like?_

"You're right, I'm sorry." He couldn't pull his eyes away.

"Clan cats! Gather 'round!" The ShadowClan leader called, her voice snapping the tension.

"See you later." He murmured, striding away to join his sisters.

"Playing hero, Wavepaw?" Briarpaw's green eyes glittered as she tracked his movements as he made his way over.

"Shut it." He muttered, fixing his eyes on the leaders.

Briarpaw sniffed, sounding hurt, but he didn't care.

"I'll begin. In ThunderClan, we have three new apprentices, Vixenpaw, Slatepaw, and Lightningpaw." A broad-shouldered light brown tom stepped forward. _Thornstar?_ He wondered. _I think that's the ThunderClan leader..._

 _Which one is her?_ He wondered, feeling like he was floating. _Vixenpaw because she's beautiful? Slatepaw doesn't make sense. Or_ _maybe her name is_ _Lightningpaw. For her stripes. Lightningpaw. That's the one, I'm sure of it._

He stared across the clearing at the three apprentices. One of them had ginger and white fur. _Vixenpaw, surely. She has the colouring of a fox._ The one directly to her left looked complacent and calm, her sleek gray fur groomed and blue-gray eyes shimmering in the starlight. _That must be Slatepaw. Gray and boring._ And then there she was. Dark brown and white head lifted, golden eyes glowing with pride. _Beautiful._

"Other than that, prey is running well," Thornstar ended his announcement, staring at the moon. "and we have nothing else to report."

"WindClan will go next." A slender she-cat stepped forwards, shooting burning looks of green heat at the other leaders. _WindClan._ He thought, disgust spiking his fur. _Breezy's Clan._ "We have one new apprentice as well, Breezepaw."

Staring stonily into the distance, he clamped his jaws shut.

"We have one other thing to report." The WindClan leader narrowed her furious eyes. "RiverClan has been trespassing!"

As shrieks of defiance and outrage were tossed at the leader from the RiverClan section of the island, Wavepaw felt strangely calm. _It's not true, so she can't prove it. A lie._

"What? Lies!" A furious Snowstar jumped up, fur on end, blue eyes smoldering.

"Icestorm, tell them what you found." The black and white WindClan leader nodded to a gray-flecked white she-cat sitting near the base of the Great tree.

 _Another rabbit chaser._ He thought, paws still frozen to the ground. _Why should anyone believe what she has to say?_

"We found one scent only, and a scrap of fur on a heather bush. It was certainly RiverClan scent." The warrior's voice shook pathetically. _Ha. No confidence. Cowardly mouse-heart._ He thought viciously.

"Certainly? And you concede it wasn't a patrol? Are you sure it was RiverClan?" Wavepaw felt a burst of cold pride for his leader as confidence spilled from his very words. "Spottedstar, perhaps you should teach your warriors to use their noses."

 _WindClan is falling into a hole they dug themselves._ He thought, satisfied. _Although... Snowstar is acting really defensive. I guess that's only to be expected._

"What? Perhaps you should learn to control your warriors! It matters not how many warriors crossed the border, if any did, that's a clear violation of the warrior code!"

"Control my warriors?!" Snowstar snapped, staring down the other leaders.

"I... the truce..." Thornstar mumbled, glancing from Spottedstar to Snowstar, then back again. _Mouse-heart._ Wavepaw thought furiously, glaring at him.

"I, for one, think Spottedstar is right. Crossing the borders is against the warrior code. If you would like to questiont the integrity of one of the most respected and senior warriors in WindClan," Ivystar snarled at Snowstar. "by all means, prepare to meet the tips of her Clanmates' claws."

 _That coward is one of the best WindClan has to offer? Really?_ Wavepaw thought, directing his angry blue gaze towards the cat in question. _And Ivystar is acting like a fox-heart! Everyone knows WindClan and ShadowClan are enemies, so how come they're all buddy-buddy now?_

 _"_ StarClan agrees with me!" Snowstar yowled, motioning with his fluffed out tail towards the clear moon. "Look, the sky is clear!"

"Perhaps StarClan is agreeing with _me_!" Spottedstar unsheathed her claws and sank them into the soft bark of the branch she was perched on.

"Snowstar, find the trespasser and stop them." Ivystar declared. "Spottedstar, bring any news of any other evidence you find to the next Gathering, and we can discussfurther then."

 _Fox-heart! Ordering around RiverClan like you're a gift from StarClan themselves!_ Wavepaw snarled silently to Ivystar as she nodded to the other hissing and spitting leaders.

"Very well." Spottedstar tilted her head innocently like she hadn't started the argument in the first place.

Snowstar sat down, his eyes not losing their fire for a second.

"ShadowClan will share our news next." Ivystar cast her eyes across the clearing. "We have _five_ new apprentices; Lionpaw, Darkpaw, Robinpaw, Olivepaw, and Primrosepaw."

 _That one looks much older than the other apprentices._ Wavepaw thought, glancing at the cluster of apprentices. _She_ looks _like Breezy. I wonder which litter is which? Or if they're all one? Probably not. That tortoise-shell doesn't look nearly strong enough to be in a litter with any of those others. Any siblings she might have are probably dead. Why is ShadowClan even training that pathetic creature?_

"RiverClan will report now, if you've finished." Wavepaw's leader didn't even spare the ShadowClan leader a glance. "We have four new apprentices; Wavepaw, Ripplepaw, Briarpaw, and Pikepaw has been apprenticed to Sheepbelly. And Duckpaw has become Duckfeather."

 _Duckfeather._ _He was Fallowspots's first apprentice, wasn't he? And he survived._ He told himself, relishing the cheers, seeking out one is particular. _She's not cheering?_

Wasting no time, he charged across the clearing to where she sat.

"Not cheering my name?" Wavepaw demanded. "That's rude."

"I... I don't know which one's yours." She swallowed. "You didn't exactly tell me."

 _Never worry, my sweet, I will always give you the answer you seek. The night of my birth. The water._ The memories lapped against the edges of his mind like the waves for which he was named.

"Wavepaw." He told her. "Please feel free to cheer now."

"Ripplepaw! Briarpaw! Pikepaw! Duckfeather! Flowerpelt!" She yowled, glaring at him.

"That's mean." Wavepaw murmured, feeling danger creep into his voice.

"I'm mean." She turned away.

"Wait!" _Don't leave!_ "Meet me! At- at- at moonhigh tomorrow!"

"No!" She snarled. "Why would I ever do that?"

She left him feeling hollow and confused. It was like the world had just come crashing down around his ears. _She doesn't love me? She has to!_ A pounding began in his head. _I'll make her._

 _She has to._

 **Weird ending, but I think I didn't forget anything crazy important, so dats gud...**

 **Please tell me what you think! With a review! :3**

 **Wavepaw is straight up delusional.**

 __ **Honestly, it would suck to be in a situation like that.** **I know Wavepaw is coming as SUPER creepy, but he just has... strong emotions.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	14. Dark: The Gathering - Part 4

**ME AGAIN,**

 **I know. It's been a week. But listen up! Even though I have no life IRL, somehow I find myself unable to update more than once a week. So that's how often it's going to be updated. _EVERY WEEKEND, MMKAY? IN BIG SCARY LETTERS SO EVERYONE SEES IT._**

 **Replies to reviews:**

 **Lightningstrike: Well well well. I guess I'm going to have to step up my writing if I want to pull off...** _ **more...**_ **love triangles. Wavepaw's got ambition. In lots of ways. Anyway. I guess he doesn't come off as that creepy, but he's not... totally in touch with reality when it comes to Lightningpaw.**

 **Snowcrystal: Again, maybe not creepy, but he's SUPER delusional.**

 **Echo of the Whispering Wind: Welcome! Um... you do what?**

 **ivyyleaf: Why hello, stranger ;)**

Chapter 12.

 _Oh, it's fine. Just ignore little old me over here. I'm not important. Not your sister or anything._ Darkpaw glared balefully at the hind-quarters of the other apprentices.

"Hey, Darkpaw! Come walk with us!" Her scowl faded as Lionpaw invited her over.

 _Where was that friendly invite when we were back at the camp?_ Darkpaw tried to hold onto her annoyance, but it lessened under Lionpaw's sparkling golden eyed look.

"Fine." She grumbled, sliding over to join them.

"When was the last time you groomed your pelt?" Primrosepaw eyed Darkpaw's ruffled pelt disdainfully.

"Oh, hush." Lionpaw shoved the mouthy smaller apprentice with one black forepaw. "At least Darkpaw can fix her pelt. Yours, on the other paw, will never be soft. Pricklier than a thorn!"

Darkpaw joined in.

"Are you talking about her personality, or her fur?" She teased the ginger and white apprentice.

"Hey!" Robinpaw interjected. "It's not that bad!"

"Tell that to Olivepaw!" Lionpaw indicated with a flick of her golden tail the gray apprentice, whose green eyes glimmered with hilarity at what he was about to say.

"I think Lionpaw meant both." Olivepaw burst out, glancing from Lionpaw, then back to his irritated sister.

"Very funny." Primrosepaw snarled, but her green eyes betrayed her amusement. "Just trying to impress Lionpaw, aren't you? That crush is so obvious it's pathetic."

"What?" Lionpaw and Olivepaw exclaimed at the same time, glancing at each other.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Lionpaw growled, staring Primrosepaw down.

Tension crackled between them as green eyes met gold, and Darkpaw shrank away.

 _Are they mouse-brained?! They can't get into a fight now! We're almost at the Gathering! What will the other Clans think?_ Darkpaw racked her brain for something to say.

"If I'm in love with Lionpaw, Darkpaw's in love with you!" Olivepaw snapped at his sister.

"What?" Primrosepaw's eyes went as wide as the full moon shining above them.

Seizing her chance, Darkpaw sidled up to Primrosepaw, and closed her eyes a bit.

"Well, who's saying that isn't true?" Darkpaw asked Primrosepaw, nudging the other apprentice's flank lightly.

"Me!" Primrosepaw jumped away from Darkpaw as though she was on fire. "You can't be in love with me! You're a she-cat!"

Darkpaw spotted Robinpaw's eyes widening a little in hurt, and anger.

"So?" Darkpaw kept her eyes on Robinpaw, gauging his reaction.

"You- I- It's- It's wrong!" Primrosepaw spluttered.

 _What's got his tail in a twist?_ Darkpaw wondered, watching Robinpaw's mismatched eyes darken.

"I think what Primrosepaw means," Robinpaw cut in, his fur rising along his spine. "is that her narrow view of the immediate world she sees is so small and feeble, she doesn't understand anything that doesn't fit into it."

"What are you going on about?" Olivepaw narrowed his eyes at his brother in confusion.

"Look! I see the island!" Primrosepaw threw the attention towards the rapidly approaching log-bridge.

 _Very clever._ Darkpaw glared at Primrosepaw. _But something's going on here, and I want to find out what it is._

"Come on! I promised Mudkit and Poolkit I would tell them about it, so I need to see all of it!" Lionpaw raced ahead.

"Wait up!" Darkpaw dashed after her sister's bobbing golden tail as it retreated into the all-encompassing darkness of the night.

She forgot about the tension between the apprentices as she coursed after her sister. _Great StarClan, she's fast!_ She thought, breathing hard as she watched Lionpaw reach the fallen tree many fox-lengths before her. _Not fair!_

"Ha! I win!" Lionpaw cried triumphantly.

"Not... all of us... are Wind... Clan cats..." Darkpaw gasped for air.

"As if!" Lionpaw rolled her golden eyes. "I'm ShadowClan through and through."  
Darkpaw didn't even bother replying, just collapsed onto the pebbles that made up the lake shore.

"I can cross first if you like." Lionpaw glanced down at her panting sister.

"Go... ahead." Darkpaw wheezed.

 _How weak am I? Lionpaw's obviously not WindClan, so it must just be that I'm_ _a failure. Of course._ Darkpaw thought frustratedly. _No. Don't think like that. Remember the dream. I'm going to be deputy. Then leader. And I don't need to lead my Clan out of the darkness. We_ are _the darkness. And I will be the leader of the darkness, Darkstar. Someday._

...

"Darkpaw! Darkpaw! It's your turn to cross!" An annoyed mew snapped her out of her daze.

 _Ugh. Sootfire._ Darkpaw thought grouchily. He was renowned as the grumpiest cat in ShadowClan. His son and daughter, Ratpaw and Pinepaw, weren't as grumpy, but made every cat uncomfortable for reasons they couldn't explain. The trio were avoided as much as possible.

"I'm going, I'm going." Darkpaw hissed under her breath, leaping onto the soft bark of the fallen tree.

"See that you do." Sootfire growled.

 _It'll take more than a fallen tree to stop Darkstar!_ She thought, clenching her puny muscles as she took a pawstep forwards. Then another. Then another, then another, then another, until she had reached the other side. _Take that, dumb log._

"Good job, Darkpaw!" Lionpaw bounced up to her. "I was so scared, but you looked fine! I love it here! It's so open to the sky, and surrounded by the glittering lake, and StarClan is-"

"Yeah, yeah." Darkpaw interrupted her sister's yammering. "It is pretty here, though."

Lionpaw opened her jaws again, then apparently thought better of it and snapped them shut.

"I remember my first Gathering." Pinepaw slithered up to them, green eyes glinting. "I was no more than a kit..."

Lionpaw and Darkpaw turned to the older apprentice.

"Hello, Pinepaw." Lionpaw dipped her head cordially to Ratpaw's sister.

"Yes, hello." Darkpaw pushed out through gritted teeth.

 _I'm not going to be pleasant towards a cat whose father_ and _mentor was just rude to me._ Darkpaw snarled internally to Pinepaw.

"Well, I hope you kits have fun." Pinepaw revealed her teeth to them.

Darkpaw's tortoise-shell fur rose a little along her spine. Lionpaw straightnened, her broad golden shoulder reaching past Pinepaw's muzzle.

"You know you're only three moons older than us, right?" Darkpaw hissed to Pinepaw.

"Three moons... I'll be a warrior in three moons. And you'll hardly be apprentices." Pinepaw sniffed haughtily and visibly tried to stretch up to Lionpaw's height, and failed. "Just because I'm not as fat as you are doesn't mean I'm not as strong."

"Um..." Darkpaw trailed off as Pinepaw strutted away to join her brother.

"What in StarClan's name was that about?" Lionpaw asked, bewildered.

"I have _absolutely no idea._ " Darkpaw replied, her eyes still following Pinepaw across the clearing.

"Huh." Lionpaw padded away to join Primrosepaw and the others.

 _Leaving me behind again._ Darkpaw thought, irritated. She followed Lionpaw, but stopped short before she reached them, so they wouldn't try to include her in their conversation, but she would still be able to hear what they said.

"And I said to Robinpaw, 'Of course WindClan aren't here yet, they're slow', and he said, 'But aren't they supposed to be the fastest Clan?' And I said, 'I'm being ironic, mouse-brain.'" Primrosepaw recounted to Lionpaw. "But it is true, where are WindClan?"

"WindClan's here!" Some cat yowled.

"Right there." Olivepaw visibly stifled a purr of amusement at his sister's confounded expression.

"Well, naturally." Primrosepaw blustered.

 _Mouse-brains._ Darkpaw rolled her eyes at the siblings.

A loud splash rocked the air.

"No!" A muffled shriek, that of probably an apprentice of about seven moons, rang around the clearing.

Then more two splashes of water.

A strange humming sound began in her ears, drumming out _important, important, important._ She felt as though her life was about to change.

She didn't like the feeling at all.

Darting a glance around the clearing, she raced to the edge of the island, where the fallen tree met the pebbly shore.

 _What's going on?!_ She demanded silently, staring across the rippling water. Even though the night air was still, free of wind, the waves from the lake lashed the shore.

Three heads burst above the agitated water.

 _Who are they?_ She watched the silver, gold, and dark brown heads bob on the water. _Are they alive? What Clan are they from? What happened?!_

"Someone save them! Where's RiverClan?" Alarmed calls rang out from the log.

None of the cats in the water even seemed to notice the voices. It was far, but she thought she could make out their eyes, all staring at each other. The golden one darted their glittering green from the dark brown one to the silver one. The dark brown one seemed to be unable to peel their golden eyes off of the golden one. The silver one stared with burning blue eyes at the golden one.

 _What's happening?_ She thought, pain building behind her eyes. _Not another head-ache! It's not the time!_

She stared as the silver one struck back out towards her, and the golden one began to help the dark brown cat back to the island.

 _He's getting closer!_ Darkpaw's eyes widened. _I've got to hide!_

She dashed back towards her sister and Primrosepaw and her brothers.

"Who was that?" Primrosepaw demanded.

"What happened?" Lionpaw interrupted.

"Who fell in?" Olivepaw cut in.

All three pairs of eyes stared at her.

"I don't know, I don't know, and _I really don't know._ " Darkpaw snarled, retreating to a dark corner in the shade of a tall oak tree.

"Who are they?" Primrosepaw demanded to no one in particular as they all watched two apprentices, both toms, pad over to them.

 _He was one of the apprentices that fell in. Or jumped in, but he smells like rabbits. Probably WindClan._ Darkpaw thought decisively as they approached.

She inspected them silently, noting the golden tom's black paws and tail-tip- _He looks like Lionpaw!_ She thought- and glittering green eyes. She barely bothered to cast her dark eyes over the other tom, who was brown and white with amber eyes that shone with innocence, not nearly as dark as her own.

"Hey!" Lionpaw greeted the WindClan apprentices. "I'm Lionpaw! Who are you?"

 _Of course she's friendly. She's always friendly._ Darkpaw snarled silently, watching them.

"And why do you look like her?" Primrosepaw demanded, looking from the golden tom to Lionpaw, then back again.

 _Of course_ she's _grouchy. She's always grouchy._ Darkpaw stifled a purr of amusement. _Some cats never change._

"Coincidence." The brown and white tom shrugged his broad shoulders. "I'm Rabbitpaw, and this is Breezepaw."

"WindClan." Olivepaw hissed, staring down the apprentices.

 _Alert the medicine cat,_ Darkpaw thought wryly. _Olivepaw has clearly been blessed by StarClan to have such knowledge and perception. Who would have realized that apprentices that smell of the moor and rabbits were WindClan?! Well, Ivystar, might as well make him a warrior immediately!_

"Play nice, Olivepaw." Robinpaw chided. "I'm Robinpaw."

"Wow, your eyes are so cool!" Rabbitpaw stared into Robinpaw's mismatched blue and amber eyes. "I wish I had eyes like that."

"Thanks!" Robinpaw exclaimed.

Primrosepaw shot a poisonous look at the WindClan apprentice out of narrowed green eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. You're special." Primrosepaw rolled her sparking eyes. "I'm Primrosepaw."

Breezepaw muttered something to Rabbitpaw, whose amber eyes sparkled with delight, and he purred something in agreement.

"Care to repeat that?" Primrosepaw dug her claws into the earth.

The golden tom took a tiny paw-step back.

"Just saying that you remind us of my sister, Jaypaw." Rabbitpaw burst out, his amber eyes widening at Primrosepaw in innocence.

 _Ouch. If they have to deal with any cat that's like_ _Primrosepaw, I pity them._ Darkpaw thought.

"That had better be a compliment, Rabbits." Primrosepaw glared at him.

"Ouch. Primrosepaw, don't be mean." Lionpaw snickered.

 _Ha. That's impossible, she's Primrosepaw._ Darkpaw rolled her eyes.

"Too late." Olivepaw added, green eyes flickering with amusement.

Breezepaw's green eyes found her, swallowed by the shadows.

"Hey." He crept a little closer to her.

The nearer he got, the harder she found it to breathe. _What's wrong with me?_ She thought, sucking in a pained breath.

"Hey." She forced out.

"Those your siblings?" He asked, seeming a little nervous.

"Just the golden one with black paws, Lionpaw." She breathed, feeling her words get lost in the air. "She looks like you."

"Yeah, I guess." He glanced over at her.

Darkpaw's paws prickled with something unidentifiable. She wanted to reach out a slender paw and tilt his head back to her.

"I think the leaders are starting." She choked out, glancing at Ivystar, who was clearing her throat.

"Clan cats! Gather 'round!" Ivystar called.

She stared at him piercingly for another moment.

"I'm Darkpaw." She whispered, then dashed away.

 _What's the matter with me?!_ She demanded to herself, feeling strange excitement pricking her near-bushed out fur.

"I'll begin." The ThunderClan leader mewed.

 _Who is he? Well, he's Breezepaw. But_ who _is he?_ She wondered, picturing his burning green eyes.

The leader announced some apprentices, and the Clan cats began to call out their names.

 _Great. More apprentices. Why does any cat want to cheer for them?! It just means more enemies!_ She thought.

The ThunderClan leader finished and dipped his head to the other leaders.

"WindClan will go next." A black-and-white leader stepped forwards, her green eyes glittering with an unseen emotion.

 _Ivystar? No, Ivystar's white patches are bigger, and see, she's there._ Darkpaw thought, confusion dragging her paws.

Spottedstar announced Breezepaw, and Darkpaw called out his name quietly, trying to welcome him without drawing attention to herself.

"We have one other thing to report. RiverClan has been trespassing!" The leader yowled.

 _Of course they have._ Darkpaw rolled her deep amber eyes to herself. _Need to stir up trouble, don't you, WindClan? Scrawny rabbit chasers._

Spottedstar continued her accusation, but Darkpaw didn't listen, choosing instead to stare out across the still lake.

"StarClan agrees with me!" Snowstar, leader of RiverClan, shouted.

 _Oh, hush. No cat cares._ Darkpaw thought, annoyed.

Ivystar stepped in, resolved the conflict, and then began her announcement.

"ShadowClan will share our news next." Ivystar shot a burning glare down at the gathered cats. "We have _five_ new apprentices; Lionpaw, Darkpaw, Robinpaw, Olivepaw, and Primrosepaw."

 _Yeah, yeah. I'm an apprentice._ _Big deal._ She thought, but a happy expression wormed its way onto her face.

She lifted her head, feeling tired, but pleased, as the calls of the cats rang to the sky.

Snowstar cut the cheers short, reporting that his Clan had four new apprentices and a warrior.

 _You can try to stop me, but I'll go further than you ever dreamed._ Darkpaw thought to no cat in particular. _This is just the first you'll hear of me. I'm not stopping until I'm there._

 **AND DONE. *Pants* Well, that took way too long. Okay.**

 **Sorry if you wanted to read the whole Gathering thing again, but it was getting way too repetitive for me to write for the FOURTH TIME. Ahem.** **Don't forget to leave a review! 30** **Th** **reviewer gets a special chance to get any scene involving the four main cats that they request! It's only going to be about 1000 words though.** **(Edit: Contest Closed, congrats to Rainmist!)**

 **Pondfrost**


	15. Lightning: Hunting With a Chance of Rain

**Hello random A/N reader.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own warriors!**

Chapter 13.

"Rise and shine, dormouse!" Blackpool's call was carried in on the soft sunlight streaming into the apprentice's den. "We're going hunting!"

 _It's almost sun-high!_ Lightningpaw gasped, snapping awake.

"Sorry, sorry!" Lightningpaw called to her mentor, padding out of the den hurriedly while trying to clean stray bits of moss out of her dark brown pelt.

"You must have been tired from the Gathering last night." Blackpool eyed her ruffled pelt and wide eyes. "I don't know what Thornstar was thinking, letting such a young apprentice go..."

"No! No, it was... a great experience!" Lightningpaw nodded earnestly, trying to look as convincing as possible.

 _I need to go to the next one as well!_ She thought, panicking slightly. _I need to see Breezepaw again!_

"If you say so." Blackpool's eyes narrowed, unconvinced. "Anyway, let's get going. We're going hunting with all the apprentices. It's going to be a little competition. I hope you won't let me down in front of the other mentors."

She was being tugged in two directions by her consciousness. _Competition! I want to win!_ Shouted one side of her.

 _I've never hunted in my life! How will I know what to do?!_ The other part shrieked.

She looked up, nervous, before catching her mentor's dark blue eyes that gleamed with amusement.

"I know you haven't hunted before." He told her. "This is going to be a learning experience. You'll watch the older apprentices hunt first, then try your own paw at catching some prey."

"Oh." She breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. "Good."

"Don't sound so enthusiastic!" Blackpool shot back, a purr creeping into his amused tone.

"Sorry!" Lightningpaw cried.

"It's okay." Her black tabby mentor led her out of the camp. "Rosepaw, Oakpaw, and Mallowpaw are with their mentors in the training hollow."

Feeling energy surge beneath her pelt, she dashed ahead of her mentor.

"Come on, then!" She called back, relishing the warm sunlight on her sleep-soaked pelt. "We've got to beat my sisters there!"

"I think they might already be there-" Blackpool was cut off as Lightningpaw hurtled away into the forest. "You're going the wrong way!"

"I am?" She skidded to a halt, then trotted back to where her mentor was.

"This way." He nodded at a slightly shadier path, twisting along through the forest.

"Well, let's go!" She charged along the path, eager to begin training.

She heard Blackpool give an exasperated, but amused, huff from behind her.

...

"Quicker! I want to see you leap all the way to the other end of the clearing before we're done here!" Heatherclaw ordered, shoving her apprentice off-balance. "Too much weight on your left foreleg! Even it out!"

"Yikes!" Lightningpaw whispered to Vixenpaw, staring wide-eyed at the harsh mentor. "I wouldn't want her as a mentor!"

"Took the words right out of my mouth!" Vixenpaw replied, pity filling her eyes. "Poor Rosepaw!"

"Hmph." Slatepaw drifted up behind them. "If you ask me, Rosepaw needs a harsh mentor to keep her in line."

"Ah, but we didn't ask you." Vixenpaw pointed out sharply.

"She's right though." Lightningpaw told them both, still fixated on the pair. "Rosepaw isn't exactly the sweetest berry on the bush."

"Observe how easily Rosepaw can adjust to her mentor's slightest critique." Blackpool whispered in her ear.

Lightningpaw nodded slightly, watching as the barest twitch of Rosepaw's hard muscles shifted her weight ever so slightly, making her sturdy as a rock.

"Wow." She breathed.

"Now jump!" Heatherclaw snapped, staring her determined apprentice down.

Rosepaw's hind-legs drew under her a little more as she bunched her muscles, then jumped. She sailed across the clearing, smooth and quick as a snake. Her ginger and cream paws slammed down on a stray oak leaf, crushing it.

"Good." Heatherclaw nodded. "Again."

Rosepaw narrowed her bright green eyes, and repeated the movement.

"Once more." Heatherclaw eyed where her apprentice's paws had landed, silently judging.

Without a hint of exhaustion, Rosepaw leaped again. This time, when she landed, her left paw slipped out from under her.

"See?" Heatherclaw's self-satisfied expression made Lightningpaw want to claw her muzzle. "When you fixed your weight earlier, you over compensated. Now you lean to the left because there isn't _enough_ weight on your left leg. On your hind-legs."

Hissing almost inaudibly, Rosepaw reared up on her back paws, and slammed down again.

"Good. Keep your back legs an even distance apart." Heatherclaw turned to the rest of them as if just noticing they were watching for the first time. "Well, don't just stand there! You should all be using the time to practice as well!"

"Heatherclaw-" Brownwing's tentative interruption was cut off by Heatherclaw.

"Go on!" She stared at them expectantly.

"Heatherclaw, Thornstar told us to take the apprentices hunting in groups, not practice the crouch." Owlclaw told her, yellow eyes glinting.

 _Ha! You tell her!_ Lightningpaw thought, satisfaction filling her at Heatherclaw's annoyed expression. _My father's more than a match for your rudeness._

"Ha." Vixenpaw muttered under her breath. "Take that!"

Lightningpaw shot her sister a side-ways, amused look.

"Come on." Owlclaw nodded to them. "Oakpaw, hunt with Slatepaw. Rosepaw, you'll be with Petalpaw. And Vixenpaw, go with Mallowpaw. And I guess that leaves..."

"Rainpaw and Lightningpaw." Hollybird nodded.

"Is that a good idea?" Blackpool narrowed his dark eyes. "After what happened in training yesterday..."

He trailed off, letting the apprentices' glares at each other speak for themselves.

"All the more reason they should hunt together." Hollybird countered. "They may have their arguments, but in the end, they are Clanmates, and they must be loyal to each other."

Blackpool nodded slowly, not hearing Lightningpaw's silent pleas to stop it before it started.

"Alright then." Owlclaw straightened. "Mentors, follow your apprentices."

"Let's begin!" Blackpool slipped away, into the forest.

"Who died and made you deputy?" Heatherclaw muttered, before padding off in a different direction.

 _Maybe I'll bring back something nice for Leaffur's kits._ Lightningpaw thought to herself, trying to distract herself from negative thoughts about Rainpaw.

"Come on then." Rainpaw growled.

Not gracing him with a reply, she started off into the dense undergrowth.

"Let's go somewhere else." Rainpaw called from behind her. "Every cat will go that way. I want to hunt in a place the other apprentices haven't already-"

"Fine." She snapped, pressing back against her rapidly rising frustration.

"This way." He dashed off.

Hissing to herself, Lightningpaw hared after him.

She felt her hot temper cool off as the shadows fell across her. Suddenly, her head snapped up.

 _Mouse._ She thought, falling into the crouch that Rosepaw had been practicing in front of them. _I want to get it. This'll prove to Rainpaw that he's no better than I am._

"What did you find?" Rainpaw demanded loudly, dodging out of a bush.

A loud hiss broke out of her muzzle.

"You scared it off!" She growled. "I almost had that mouse!"

"Oh, a mouse, fantastic. It'll feed the Clan for moons." He glared at her.

She felt her fur bristling along her spine.

"How much have you caught?" She demanded.

"No more than you." Rainpaw replied, eyes blazing.

"So, nothing." Lightningpaw shot back, her lip curling.

They both whipped around as a bush rustling caught their attention. Blackpool and Hollybird slipped out of it.

"Perhaps you would both catch more if you actually hunted rather than standing around quibbling." Blackpool suggested coolly.

"But I-" Lightningpaw opened her jaws to retort that she would have caught the mouse if Rainpaw hadn't disturbed it.

"'Sorry' catches no prey." Hollybird interrupted.

"I-" She tried again.

"Lightningpaw!" Blackpool glared at her, his normally calm blue eyes dark with annoyance.  
"Sorry." She ducked her head.

"Yeah, sorry." Rainpaw added, still scowling at Lightningpaw.

With a final reprimanding look out of her green eyes, Hollybird slid back into the bush, followed by Blackpool, who shot a disappointed look at Lightningpaw.

 _It's not my fault!_ She wailed silently. _Don't blame me!_

Rainpaw's frustrated blue eyes met her own golden ones.

"Let's split up." She suggested through gritted teeth.

"Sounds good to me." Rainpaw replied, each word shooting out quicker than the last.

She focused on keeping her paws firmly focused on padding off in the direction from which the prey-scent came strongest, rather than cuffing Rainpaw over the head as hard as possible.

She paused, scenting the air.

 _There. A blackbird. Great StarClan, it's huge!_ She stared at the rapidly bobbing, sleek black head of the bird. _I'll catch this one for sure._

She hastily gathered her haunches in an attempt to replicate Rosepaw's perfected crouch. Narrowing her eyes at her prey, she leaped.

Letting out an alarmed screech, the bird launched itself into the air, spreading its shiny black wings wide.

 _No!_ She lashed out with one paw, rearing up at the same time. Her claw caught the bird's rapidly pumping wings, and she dragged it down. _Got you!_ She pressed her other fore-paw to its throat and unsheathed her claws briefly, killing it.

"Messy, but it worked." Blackpool's mew emanated from the bush behind her. "Good job, Lightningpaw."

Pride warming her fur, she scratched some dirt over her catch.

She strutted off into the bushes, going deeper into the forest, heading for the ShadowClan border.

For a moment, she let her mind drift away from the competition, and just enjoyed her surroundings. The lush green forest was alit with sparkling sunshine that filtered in through the branches that waved softly in the cool breeze. She breathed out a sigh, inhaling the strong forest scents that were carried by the wind.

"Come on, focus Lightningpaw." She told herself, snapping open her eyes and rapidly scanning her surroundings for anything that might hint at a bit of prey.

 _Nothing_. She looked harder, pricking her ears and opening her mouth. _There must be something... there! No, that's cat scent. Wait, it's so fresh, is-_

"Lightningpaw?" Her mother asked, glancing at her curiously. "What are you doing here? You're a little young to be hunting alone..."

"I'm not alone." Lightningpaw hastily supplied. "Blackpool's here too, he's just assessing me..."

"Your first assessment!" Fawnshade's eyes filled with pride. "Blackpool?"

The silence hung heavily.

"Perhaps he just went to make dirt." Fawnshade shrugged lightly. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"You're probably right." Lightningpaw nodded, turning away to continue hunting.

"Wait! Walk with me for a moment." Fawnshade stopped her, then at her uncomfortable expression, added. "We can hunt while we talk."

"Okay..." Lightningpaw still felt a little strange, but stepped to join her mother.

"So... I noticed you don't get along with Rainpaw very well." Fawnshade's tone was light, but her amber eyes darkened with worry.

"I know." She said shortly, stiffening.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Fawnshade asked softly.

"No." She responded, biting the word short.

"Okay." They walked side by side, in companionable silence, until Fawnshade stopped short.

"A vole!" She murmured to her daughter. "Do you want to try to catch it?"

Lightningpaw nodded once, and began to creep forward.

 _Just a little further..._ She thought, inching towards the furry creature. _I can do it!_

She leapt at it, stretching out with her claws. _I got it!_

"Yes!" She exclaimed aloud, glancing down at the little animal caught in her paws.

"Well done!" Fawnshade exclaimed. "You'll be a warrior in no time."

"Thanks." Lightningpaw ducked her head, pride warming her pelt.

"I don't see why you and Rainpaw can't just-" Fawnshade's gentle mew was interrupted by Lightningpaw's stony scowl.

"We can't." Lightningpaw bit back a hiss of frustration.

"Fine." Fawnshade looked away.

Lightningpaw buried her vole silently. _Doesn't any cat understand? We just don't get along! I didn't ask for him to make snide remarks about every little thing I do!_

"I saw you at the Gathering." Fawnshade changed topics.

"I was there." Lightningpaw replied simply.

"Making friends with other Clans?" Fawnshade asked, eyes glimmering with an untold joke.

"I suppose." She answered, not really interested in talking about what happened at the Gathering.

"You seemed to be getting very close to those RiverClan apprentices..." Fawnshade trailed off, looking at her meaningfully. "After they saved you."

"One of them was from WindClan." She told her mother listlessly. "And what about them?"

"The silver one seemed to be very taken with you." Fawnshade narrowed her eyes at her daughter.

"I don't like him." Lightningpaw answered, shivering a little as she remembered Wavepaw's advances.

"Really? What about the other one?" Fawnshade asked.

"He's alright." She suppressed the urge to tell her mother exactly how she felt about Breezepaw and his glittering green eyes and soft golden and black pelt...

"If you say so." Fawnshade shrugged lightly.

"I do." She sniffed.

...

After the pressuring of her mother, Lightningpaw felt her fur bushing out with stress and irritation. This fact was not helped in any way when she ran into Rainpaw.

"Here to ruin my hunt again?" She demanded, her claws sliding out.

"Cool it." He replied, eyes wandering. "I'm just doing what any loyal warrior would do. Hunt for his Clan."

"Of course." She dipped her head, not taking her fiery golden eyes off him for a moment.

"Shouldn't you be doing the same?" Rainpaw goaded. "After you lost that mouse, you should really-"

"Shut up!" Lightningpaw hissed, digging her claws into the soil.

"Careful now." His eyes glittered.

Growling, she whipped around and stalked back towards where she had buried her blackbird. Unsheathing her claws, she scrabbled at the earth.

"Stupid, stupid Rainpaw." She fumed, picturing his smug gray face on the dirt as she scratched at it.

Wasting no time, she snatched up her blackbird, the musky forest prey scent almost hiding the smell of thick humidity.

 _It's going to rain._ She thought, the first drop making a gentle _pat_ on the leaves overhead. _Just great. Rainpaw, rain, ugh!_

She huffed out a breath, making her way to the clearing where she had caught the vole.

...

Her foul mood was pulled away slightly as the satisfaction of walking into camp with two good bits of prey hanging from her jaws.

"Good! Good!" Blackpool hurried towards her, a harried look in his eye. "Straight to the elders, we don't want to ruin decent prey in the rain."

"Where were you-" Her annoyed question was cut off as he rushed away, heading towards Thornstar's den. "Oookay, ignore me, I guess..."

Trying to shrug off her frustration at her mentor, she stalked over to the elders den, the blackbird's smooth feathers fluttering behind her and tickling her mouth.

"Here." Lightningpaw said abruptly, dropping the prey in front of Tanglescar's nest.

"Oh, thank you, young'un." He rasped, eyeing the vole appraisingly. "Would'ja like to hear a story?"

"Can't." She muttered. "There's work to be done."

"But surely-" Rowandwind's gentle mew was cut off as Lightningpaw stormed out of the elders' den.

Hissing quietly to herself, she marched over to Blackpool, who was chatting with Redflower.

"What next?" She demanded.

"Oh." Blackpool looked caught off-guard. "You can... uh..."

"Why don't you take a piece of prey to your nest?" Redflower suggested kindly. "You've done a lot. You deserve a break."

Lightningpaw exhaled heavily, finally feeling how exhausted she was. _No! I must continue!_ She thought determinedly.

"If you're sure..." Redflower caught her eye. "You could take a piece of prey to Leaffur and her new kits."

"Alright!" Lightningpaw leapt up, heading towards the fresh-kill pile.

"Don't work too hard!" Blackpool called.

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered.

Snagging a shrew with one claw, she strode towards the nursery, a new purpose in her paw-steps.

"Leaffur!" She called softly into the nursery. "Leaffur, I've brought you something!"

"Oh!" Leaffur looked up, pride and love shining in her eyes. "Aren't they wonderful?"  
Lightningpaw studied the kits. There was a little one with light brown and white patches and soft green eyes, just like his mother. The other one was gray like her father, but a owl-like yellow eyes that peered up at Lightningpaw.

"They're perfect." She whispered, staring at the tiny kits.

 **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAnd done. Ta-da! Lots of little deets about Lightningpaw popping up, seeing how she handles different situations, that kinda thing. Anyway.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	16. Breeze: Nosiness and Strange Encounters

**ME AGAIN!**

 **Holy. StarClan. 46 REVIEWS?! WHAT?!**

 **Thank you, Honeystorm! And Rainmist, Lightningstrike, and Snowcrystal! This chapter is for you, as a huge thank you for all the support, suggestions, and general awesomeness!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! Or the concept of not knowing who someone is!**

Chapter 14.

"Hey." A quiet mew broke into Breezepaw's blissful unconcious state. "Hey! Breezepaw! Wakey-wakey!"

"Mmwah?" He mumbled, swiping the air clumsily with one paw. "Just another few heart-beats..."

"Not a chance!" What he know recognized as Jaypaw's sassy tone meowed. "Get up! We're going on patrol!"

"I'm up, I'm..." His head dropped back onto the gorse and sheep's wool nest.

A slender paw snuck under his ear and lifted. He could feel her hot breath on his fur.

"Breezepaw..." She murmured. "GET UP!"

He sprang to his paws, gasping and rubbing his sore ear with one paw.

"Okay, okay." He muttered, glaring at her. "I'm awake."

"Come on, let's go!" Jaypaw trotted out of the den, and Breezepaw dragged himself after her. "Not a morning cat?"

He snorted at her false sympathy.

"I guess not." Breezepaw growled.

"There you are!" Icestorm greeted him, standing with Jaypaw's mentor, along with Rabbitpaw and Buzzardpaw with their mentors, and Oatpad. "Hope you got a good night of sleep!"

He scowled at her as she twitched her whiskers, exchanging amused looks with Sunnyfur and Swiftclaw.

"Can we just get on with the patrol?" He demanded.

"True. RiverClan could be invading our whole territory, and we won't even know until we've checked the borders." Buzzardpaw added, flexing his claws.

"I don't think it's quite as bad as that." Icestorm told him. "But you're right, we should get going."

"At last!" Breezepaw snorted, stalking towards the entrance.

Silently, Honeythorn stepped in front of him, leading the patrol. The others followed, and Breezepaw fell in step with Buzzardpaw and Jaypaw, trying to ignore Oatpad's looming presence.

"So, what's being the newest apprentice in the Clan like?" Buzzardpaw demanded bluntly.

"Um... wouldn't you know already? I mean, you must have been the youngest at some point..." Breezepaw wrinkled his nose at the older apprentice.

"Yeah, but I was made an apprentice at the same time as my sister, so I wasn't alone." Buzzardpaw pointed out. "You're all alone."

"I guess, but Jaypaw and Palepaw and Rabbitpaw have always been with me..." Breezepaw mewed uncomfortably.

"So, Buzzardpaw, what's it like, having a sister like Copperpaw?" Jaypaw cut in, barely acknoledging Breezepaw's grateful look.  
"Craziness." Buzzardpaw rolled his blue eyes. "It's like she's got ants in her pelt every minute of the day. Everywhere at once, trying to do everything at once."

Jaypaw and Breezepaw purred in amusement.

"No, seriously." Buzzardpaw widened his eyes in mock sincerity. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was following us right now, trying to help us patrol."

With that last statement, he glanced behind himself dramatically, as though looking for Copperpaw's tortoise-shell and white pelt to emerge from the bushes.

"Aah! There she is!" He yowled theatrically, flicking his tail towards the bulky patched form following them.

"That's my brother, feather-brain." Jaypaw flicked Buzzardpaw with her tail, then beckoned Rabbitpaw towards them.

"Have you seen Copperpaw recently?" Buzzardpaw whispered conspirationally to Rabbitpaw.

"Um..." Rabbitpaw's brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't think so, why?"

"Oh, no reason, really." Buzzardpaw exchanged a look with Jaypaw.

Breezepaw rolled his eyes at the antics of the older apprentice, who was obviously trying to impress Jaypaw. _Some cats..._ He didn't finish the thought.  
"Come on, 'paws! We're almost there!" Called Sunnyfur.

"Whatever Buzzardpaw may say, he is most definetely Copperpaw's littermate." Breezepaw muttered to Jaypaw, shooting a glance at the older apprentice, who was bounding forwards to catch up with his mentor.

"True." Jaypaw agreed, rolling her eyes at Buzzardpaw.

"Hey, Breezepaw! Look!" Icestorm flicked her tail at the border which they were rapidly approaching.

They weren't the only ones, Breezepaw realized, watching a RiverClan cat sprint towards the border. _Who is that?_ Breezepaw wondered.

"You!" The cat screeched as they pelted towards the border. "Have you come to taunt me?"

 _What?_ Breezepaw stared as the white cat stopped suddenly on the scent markers. _You! I know you! I've seen you... at the Gathering, maybe?_

"Hello." Though Oatpad dipped her head cordially, her mew was laced with venom.

"And you!" Breezepaw gaped at them in horror as the mystery cat whipped around to face Breezepaw. "It's you!"  
"What... what do you mean?" He stuttered, watching with wide eyes as the cat advanced on him, creeping closer to the border with every step.

"Yeah, what do you mean?" Buzzardpaw stepped up to join him menacingly. "Back off!"

The cat froze, eyes still wide and furious, then turned around unnervingly slowly and stormed away.

"Well, that was weird." Rabbitpaw broke the tension loudly.

"Yeah." Breezepaw nodded, a little dazed.

"Why would..." Oatpad shook her head, before turning back to the patrol, her mew unnaturally bright. "Well, let's go then. We came here to mark the borders, and that's what we should do!"

Jaypaw shot a suspicious glance at Oatpad, but Honeythorn nodded and sprayed a clump of grass near a patch of reeds.

"Come on, then." Honeythorn tilted her head at the rest of them.

"Uh-" Breezepaw cut himself off as the others stepped forwards and began marking the border. "Okaay..."

"Just go with it." Jaypaw muttered to him.

He snorted and obliged, marking the border.

...

"So what do you think that was about?" Jaypaw whispered to him as they trekked back to camp.

"I honestly have no idea." He answered, shrugging. "They just..."

"You know, I think I've seen that cat before." Jaypaw muttered, glancing behind her.

"I thought the same thing!" Breezepaw exclaimed. "Do you think they were at the Gathering?"

"Probably, I mean, how many cats do you know from other Clans that you _haven't_ met at the Gathering?" Jaypaw narrowed her eyes at him.

"None, I guess." He mewed, thinking. "But..."

"Well, I guess it's mostly Oatpad's problem." Jaypaw shrugged, then her eyes widened. "You don't think this might have something to do with..."

"I thought of that." Breezepaw mewed grudgingly. "But I don't see how... why would... _he_... have anything to do with this?"

"I don't know..." Jaypaw trailed off, thinking.

They walked in silence for several heart-beats, until Buzzardpaw walked up behind them.

"That was strange, wasn't it?" Buzzardpaw glanced from Jaypaw to Breezepaw, then back again. "The way he just started... freaking out?"

" _He_? I thought it was a she!" Jaypaw tilted her head it confusion.

"It was Snowstar!" Buzzardpaw rolled his eyes at them.

"Snowstar has green eyes, doesn't he?" Breezepaw cut in. "And that cat had amber, right?"

"No, I'm pretty sure that she had green eyes." Jaypaw snorted.

"It's a _he_ , I'm telling you!" Buzzardpaw snorted. "And Snowstar has blue eyes! Also, that cat had blue eyes."

"What are you all chattering about?" Oatpad asked, the same exaggerated brightness in her voice.

"Nothing." They all exclaimed at the same time.

"Reeaally." Oatpad stretched out the word, drenching it in suspicion.

"Absolutely!" Buzzardpaw nodded.

"Yes!" Breezepaw blinked sincerely.

"Right!" Jaypaw shouted earnestly.

Oatpad stared at them, disbelief in her narrowed eyes.

"Fine then." She stalked away.

"Whew." Jaypaw breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's hiding something." Breezepaw felt a prickle of unease at Buzzardpaw's dark tone. "You don't think it might be about your father, do you?"

"We already-" Jaypaw was cut off by Buzzardpaw.

"No, let him answer." Buzzardpaw watched Breezepaw with narrowed eyes.

"I-" Breezepaw stammered, wavering under Buzzardpaw's intense look.

"Leave him be!" Jaypaw put herself between the two apprentices, arching her back. "Don't you know that he wouldn't know?!"

"I don't." Breezepaw answered firmly. "Oatpad never talks about my father."

"So he could be a kittypet, or a loner, or a rogue?" Buzzardpaw demanded.

"Is this really the first you've thought about it?" Breezepaw asked, irritated. "Yes. He could be any of those. He could be from ShadowClan, for all I know."

"Huh." Buzzardpaw seemed a little dumbfounded by the idea. "So you actually don't know."

"No, he _actually_ doesn't." Jaypaw mewed through gritted teeth. "So stop bothering him!"  
"Jaypaw." Breezepaw glared at her.

 _You can't just go around with a 'holier-than-though' attitude when you've been nasty to me since I was a kit!_ He snarled silently.

"Sorry." She ducked her head, as though suddenly remembering what had happened to Leopardpaw.

 _Leopardpaw._ He thought, ashamed. _I've all but forgotten her. She's healing, I suppose, but I don't think I can completely forgive Jaypaw... or myself._

"What?" Buzzardpaw glanced between them, sensing the tension in the air.

"You remember when Leopardpaw was attacked..." Breezepaw trailed off, catching Jaypaw's pleading eye.

"Don't forget, that mangy brute hurt me too." Buzzardpaw shuddered. "Still got a bit of a limp in my left foreleg."

"Oh, yeah!" Jaypaw turned to Breezepaw, shooting him a look that clearly said _'please go along with this, I don't want to talk about the fact that I seriously injured one of my Clanmates_ '. "It's amazing what a recovery you made."

She pressed her pelt to Buzzardpaw's, purring quietly. He almost lost his footing on the grassy moor.

"Uh, yeah!" He stammered. "It... uh, it took a lot of... um, courage!"

Breezepaw rolled his eyes, scowling at Jaypaw. _What does she think she's doing?_

"I bet!" She twined her tail with his.

"Hey, um, Jaypaw..." Buzzardpaw broke off in surprise as Jaypaw drew away and stood shoulder to shoulder with Breezepaw.

"Hey, Breezepaw, what do you think of RiverClan?" Jaypaw asked, not meeting Buzzardpaw's eye.

"Um..." He squinted at Jaypaw, trying to figure out what she was playing at.

"Do you think your father is part of them?" She asked, still keeping her gaze fixed on Breezepaw.

"I..." He stared at her, shocked.

 _Why would she bring this up, after getting so annoyed with Buzzardpaw for even mentioning it?_ He wondered, staring at her. _My father probably isn't even part of any Clan. Oatpad's always been a little too interested in kittypets. No! I don't want to think that my father might be... a soft, lazy, kittypet._

"What, you think he's a loner? A rogue, maybe?" Jaypaw pressed.

"Shut up, Jaypaw." He glared at her, ignoring Buzzardpaw.

"Fine then." Buzzardpaw growled softly, bounding off to join the rest of the patrol.

"What, a kittypet? Or from a different Clan, maybe?" Jaypaw watched his reaction carefully.

"Shut up!" Breezepaw hissed, turning away from her. "I don't want to talk about my father."

"But I do..." Jaypaw just couldn't stop, could she?

"Stop!" He yowled, flattening his ears.

"No! I want to know! Maybe I could help you!" Jaypaw snarled.

"What? No!" He glared at her. "What would you do? Stroll into the two-legs place and ask everyone if any cat's mated with a forest cat recently?"

"You think he's a kittypet?" Jaypaw drew back, looking disgusted. "I thought we could infiltrate another Clan, and-"

"Well, you thought wrong!" Breezepaw hissed. "You can't just push your way into my life and solve all my problems with a wave of your paw. Play hero for someone else!"

He felt a pang of regret at the hurt sparking in her eyes, but he held strong.

"I-" Jaypaw tried to mew.

"No. I've heard enough. I'm not mad, just don't mention my father again, please." Breezepaw scowled at her, before stalking off towards the rest of the patrol.

"Did you have a fight?" Oatpad sounded concerned, but Breezepaw knew better.

"None of your business." He snapped, before rounding on Icestorm. "Are we almost back at camp?"

"Almost." Icestorm eyed him warily. "Just a bit further. Why don't you race Rabbitpaw back? He's got more energy than a well-fed rabbit."

"He _is_ a well-fed rabbit." Breezepaw rolled his eyes, but relented at his mentor's stern expression. "Fiiine."

He padded over to where Rabbitpaw was hopping back and forth.

"Rabbitpaw, would you like to have a race back to camp?" He asked, bored.

"Yes! Let's do it!" Before another word was out of his mouth, Breezepaw shot off. "Hey! No fair!"

"Let's see you try to catch me!" Breezepaw yowled over his shoulder.

"Oh, I will." Rabbitpaw snarled playfully back.

"We'll see!" Breezepaw lost himself in the simple, soothing thrumming of their paws on the packed earth of the moor.

The wind ruffled his fur as he ran, picking up as he ran faster, the race intensifying.

"Wait up!" Rabbitpaw yowled.

"Never!" Breezepaw called back to him, widening the distance between them.

He heard Rabbitpaw suck in a giant breath as he sped up.

Breezepaw matched the burst of speed, pushing his paws harder against the earth and lengthening his stride.

They raced all the way back to camp, with Breezepaw winning in the end.

"Good... fight..." He panted, eyeing Rabbitpaw.

"That was fun!" Rabbitpaw bounced to his paws, as though all his energy had been restored somehow. "Let's do it again sometime!"

Breezepaw shook his head, purring. _That's a lot of energy._ He thought, huffing.

 **Behold, the most awkward ending in the history of the Clans. Oh well, it was a decent chapter. I hope. Tell me what you think! With a review!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	17. Wave: Cream and Clouds

**Well, being the unorganized couch potato I am, I lost my plans for the next few chapters, so it might be a tad... confusing. I'll do my best to remember stuff though.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Snowcrystal: Why thank you XD**

 **KaiLover: Yes. Yes, he does.**

 **Honeystorm: Do you? Do you really? I'm willing to bet you don't. (Know who his father is, I mean.) And I absolutely will do some more allegiances, it's going to get difficult to keep track of. The Breezepaw thing is loosely based off of what happened with Yellowfang and Raggedpelt, but it definitely won't be turning out the same way. And here's the next chapter!**

 **Rainmist: Yeah... I feel the same way. One moment she's my best friend, then she's back to being a jerk.**

 **Anyway! Let's get this party started!**

 **PS This chapter is mildly inspired by Payphone, which I am currently listening to.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Payphone or Warriors**

Chapter 15.

Wavepaw snapped awake, his paws feeling clammy and his fur ruffled. _I can't let him find any more reasons to make my life miserable!_ He berated himself, hopping out of his nest made of reeds and feathers. _I've got to be out of my nest first every single day!_

"I'm awake! I'm ready to start training!" He called, trotting into the clearing. "Wait... what?"

He looked around, taking in the dark bushes, the purple-black sky, the glimmering stars.

 _Fantastic._ He muttered silently. _It's the middle of the night. What do I do now? I'm not tired anymore... I don't want to go back to my nest._

"Who's there?" A familiar voice demanded out of the darkness.

 _The nightguard!_ He thought, dodging into a bush. _Well... I suppose I could help them guard the camp..._

"W- Wavepaw? Is that you?" Cloudfall demanded, peering into the darkness.

"Cloudfall?" He wondered, slinking back into view.

"What are you doing up so late?" She asked, green eyes shadowed with suspicion. "Going to make dirt?"

"Y- yeah." He forced out, not wanting to tell her the real reason he was up so early. Cloudfall and Fallowspots didn't need another to be furious with each other.

"Really?" Her mew was still thick with disbelief. "You're sure it's not... another reason?"

"N- no!" He shook his head, trying to dispel her suspicion.

She muttered something like 'like father, like sun.'

"Sun?" He tilted his head, confused.

"Nevermind." She eyed him. "You should just make your dirt and go back to your nest."

Still unsure, Wavepaw turned away and retreated back into his nest. Her behaviour made him uneasy, and he still couldn't understand what she meant by her comment about suns.

 _Did Fallowspots have a tough mentor too?_ Wavepaw wondered, settling into his nest. _That might explain his nasty attitude towards me... except he couldn't have known he would be my mentor when I was just a kit!_ He finally landed on the thought that he had been avoiding for so long, telling himself it didn't matter, that he had to focus on his own behaviour and ignore his father...

 _Why does Fallowspots hate me so much?  
Because of he doesn't like Cloudfall? __Because I'm his son? Because he didn't want a son?_ He pondered, each thought driving a thorn into his heart. _Because he loved someone else?_ _Because he didn't want an apprentice?_ _A combination of all of those reasons?_

"I just don't get it!" He exclaimed aloud, digging his claws into the nest.

"Don't get... what?" Briarpaw murmured in her sleep, rolling over and batting a paw sluggishly through the air.

"Shh..." He muttered guiltily. "Go back to sleep."

"G'night..." Ripplepaw chimed in quietly.

 _They're all waking up!_ He panicked silently. _GO BACK TO SLEEP._

He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as their breathing slowed and they stopped fidgeting in their nests. Thoughts still jumbled and unhappy, Wavepaw fell into a fitful sleep.

...

" _Wavepaw!_ " A furious growl sliced into the den.

"I'm up! I'm up!" He jolted awake, a whirling mess of paws and fur that stuck up in all directions.

He scrambled into the clearing, drawing his tongued rapidly across his flank in a desperate attempt to appear presentable.

"You'd think that you were the one on night guard and not... _her_." Fallowspots wrinkled his nose and flicked his paw in a yawning Cloudfall's direction.

"Yeah, ah, well..." Wavepaw chuckled nervously, trying to draw Fallowspots's attention back to himself. "I kind of... woke up in the middle of the night, and-"

"Leave telling boring stories that no one cares about to the elders, please." Fallowspots hissed, turning away from Wavepaw's mother.

"Yes sir." Wavepaw nodded quickly, shifting his paws. "So, um, training, right? What are we doing today-"

"You're more chatty than a starling this morning." Fallowspots scowled at his son. "We're going to go hunting."

"Oh." Wavepaw slapped his tail over his own muzzle, trying not to provoke him. Through a mouthful of fur, he said "Okay, let's go!"

"We're taking Crowpaw and Seedpaw." Fallowspots's mew was disgusted.

Wavepaw grumbled internally, but tried to maintain a pleased but humble expression.

"Wipe that smirk off your face before I do it for you." Fallowspots hissed.

"Sorry!" He squealed, trying to force his face into a more normal expression.

Fallowspots made a _hmph_ noise, before turning and padding out of the camp. Wavepaw dashed after him, making sure not to get ahead of him.

They met Crowpaw, Seedpaw, and their mentors Creampelt and Badgerfur.

 _Creampelt._ Wavepaw hissed in his head.

"Creampelt." An unreadable expression crossed his face as Fallowspots dipped his head to her. "Badgerfur."  
"Fallowspots." Badgerfur nodded slightly, eyeing Fallowspots with a hint of distrust.

"Good morning, Fallowspots." Creampelt smiled ever so slightly.

At her calming words, Fallowspots seemed to relax a bit.

 _Well, maybe this won't be so bad. Creampelt seems to have a quelling effect on Fallowspots..._ Wavepaw observed to himself.

"Hi Wavepaw!" Crowpaw flicked her tail in greeting enthusiastically.

"Hello, Wavepaw." Seedpaw mewed cordially, his mew neither friendly nor hostile.

"Hey..." He murmured, cringing at his own awkwardness. "N- nice day, isn't it?"

Crowpaw arched one eyebrow at him. She muttered something to Seedpaw. Wavepaw's fur rose a little along his spine.

"We haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet, have we?" Seedpaw glanced at his sister.

"No, I don't think so." Crowpaw nodded slowly, as though choosing her words carefully. "Let me help you. Seedpaw is an uptight badger and I'm the coolest cat you will ever meet."

"Yeah right." Seedpaw rolled his green eyes. "More like, I'm a cat who understands the concept of rules and cats being superior to you. Crowpaw, on the other paw, doesn't understand that StarClan doesn't bow to her."

"I know how to be confident." Crowpaw glared at him.

" _I_ know the appropriate times to be confident." Seedpaw retorted.

"If you've all _quite_ finished," Fallowspots cut in with a glare. "I'd like to get on to training."

"Yes, let's." Creampelt nodded, shooting Wavepaw a slightly amused look. "Hunting is debatably the most important duty the Clan must perform."

Wavepaw felt his fur warm with satisfaction as Fallowspots opened his jaws to interrupt, but fell silent when Creampelt gave him a look.

"As I was saying," Creampelt continued as though nothing had happened. "hunting is extremely important. Fighting may be essential for guarding our borders, but hunting is essential to everything from caring for kits to curing sickness, to fighting."

Wavepaw nodded, seeing where she was going. Crowpaw rolled her eyes, but ducked her head and covered her eyes with her paws when Creampelt gave her a stony look.

"So that's what you'll be learning today." Creampelt finished, still scowling at Crowpaw.

"Told you." Seedpaw muttered to Wavepaw, his vibrant green eyes glimmering with amusement. "No respect, that one."

"Seedpaw." Badgerfur shot his apprentice a chiding look.

"Sorry!" Seedpaw ducked his head sheepishly.

"Pah." Crowpaw spat disrespectfully, rolling her green-gray eyes at her brother. "No confidence, that one."

Wavepaw stifled a purr of amusement at the siblings.

"Alright! Listen up!" Badgerfur called to them all. "Follow me. We're going to a river, and we're going to see how well you fish."

"I can't fish yet!" Wavepaw whispered in alarm to Seedpaw.

"I'm sure Fallowspots knows that." Seedpaw comforted.

 _Yes, I'm sure he does._ Wavepaw growled internally. _The problem is, he doesn't care, does he?_

"Looking forward to learning to fish?" Creampelt drifted over to stand beside him. "I remember the first time I caught a fish! I was so surprised when I got it onto the bank, it almost flopped back into the water! Fortunately, Fallowspots, he was Fallowpaw back then, killed it before it got away. Isn't that right, Fallowspots?"

"Yes." For once, Fallowspots seemed almost friendly. "That one made a good meal for the Clan. Ever since then, Creampelt's been in my debt. Isn't that right?"  
Wavepaw cringed a little as he mocked her, but Creampelt seemed to appreciate the good humour, and replied cheerfully.

"Of course, but I'm still not cleaning out your stinky nest!" She teased, flicking her fluffy tail over his nose.

"Oh!" Fallowspots pretended to be wounded by her 'cruel' words. "How could you say such a hurtful thing to your-"

He abruptly cut himself off, his eyes looking furious at how his guard had fallen.

"Your what?" Wavepaw was genuinely curious, but immediately regretted his words.

"None of your business." Fallowspots hissed, his lip curling in disgust as he glared at his son. "Hurry up."

Silently obliging, Wavepaw picked up the pace and left Fallowspots and Creampelt to sort out the issue.

"Fallowspots..." Wavepaw couldn't make out the rest of her words.

 _Stupid Fallowspots, stupid Creampelt, stupid secrets. What's he hiding, anyway?_

"Hey, Wavepaw!" Badgerfur called. "I know you haven't been fishing yet, so I'd like to give you some tips."

"Um... okay?" Wavepaw was instantly suspicious of his friendly attitude.

"You have to be fast." Badgerfur demonstrated with a quick, deft flick of his paw. "And you can't let your shadow fall across the water or the fish will see you."

"That makes sense." Wavepaw nodded, still unsure of why Badgerfur was so friendly after Fallowspots's harshness.

"Like Creampelt was saying, once it's out of the water, the job isn't done." Badgerfur continued, oblivious to Wavepaw's discomfort. "So you need to either give it a bite, or sink your claws into its neck. Personally, I prefer claws, because..."

Wavepaw tuned out of the senior warrior's voice. He knew that it would be useful to know, but he found it difficult to listen to any cat for too long.

"And that's why I always use claws." Badgerfur finished.

"I see." Wavepaw nodded sincerely, hoping to fool Badgerfur into thinking he had been listening the whole time.

Badgerfur's eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

"If this goes well, our final assessment could be in days!" Crowpaw whispered loudly in his ear.

"Bah!" A little cry of surprise burst out of his muzzle. "Ye- yeah, that's great!"

"Ever since Flowerpelt was made a warrior, she's been acting like she was made deputy. Duckfeather too. They drive me crazy!" Crowpaw remarked. "I was pretty surprised when Fallowspots was made your mentor! So soon after having an apprentice, and your own father to boot!"

"I guess..." Wavepaw shrugged, the subject a little touchy. "I guess Snowstar thought he would do a good job."  
"StarClan, he must hate you!" Crowpaw purred.

"Fallowspots?" Wavepaw was shocked, but tried to defend his father. "No, no, he, he's fine, he just-"

"Snowstar, fish-brain." Crowpaw rolled her eyes at him.

"Ooooh." He fell silent for a moment, worried he had said too much about his relationship with his father, but Crowpaw seemed oblivious.

"Well, Fallowspots might be strict, but Duckfeather turned out fine, and I'm sure you will too." Crowpaw nodded.

 _Well, Fallowspots doesn't hate Duckfeather for some unknown reason, does he? I guess we can cross 'hating apprentices' off the list of possible explanations for Fallowspots's cruelty._ Wavepaw sighed.

"What?" Crowpaw arched an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, uh, nothing." Wavepaw shook his head, as though trying to dislodge something.

They both fell silent, something Wavepaw construed was most likely a rare occurrence around Crowpaw. The patrol of apprentices and mentors continued towards the river where they would learn to fish.

"Almost there!" Creampelt called encouragingly. "Just a little further."

Wavepaw noted with a twinge of suspicion that Creampelt's tone sounded strained. _What did Fallowspots say to her?_ He wondered, feeling remorse for his words earlier that had wrecked the happy dynamic between them.

"Ah, here we are." Badgerfur sighed, appearing to take a deep breath of the fishy air. "This is the place where Fallowspots, Creampelt, and I all learned how to swim, you know."

"No, we didn't actually." Crowpaw muttered. "Very touching and meaningful, but could we get on with it already?"  
"Crowpaw." Badgerfur glared at his apprentice, seeming to have caught the last of her words.

She ducked her head again, but shot a mischievious look at Wavepaw. He let out a quiet huff, half-amused, half-exasperated, pretty sure that particular mix of emotions was common around Crowpaw.

"Apprentices, line up along the bank." Fallowspots ordered, but some of the usual scathing bitterness was missing from his voice.

They all stood at the edge of the river with their tails curled neatly over their paws. Wavepaw tried to copy the well-practiced stance of Seedpaw and Crowpaw, but he could tell he was doing it wrong. _Don't let Fallowspots look at me... don't let Fallowspots look-_

"Wavepaw!" His father snarled.

"Y- yes?" He mumbled, not meeting his father's accusing eye.

"Like this." Fallowspots took up the same position as the other apprentices. "Your paws should be more spaced apart. And bend your head without lurching over the river."

"O- okay!" He followed Fallowspots's instructions as best he could.

Wavepaw felt his undeveloped muscles relax into the positioning that many cats before him had developed.

"Now, watch the river carefully." Creampelt directed. "You will learn to tell the difference between the shimmer of sunlight on the water and the shimmer of scales beneath it."

Wavepaw nodded slightly, focusing on the water before him.

"If you think it's a fish, strike with your paw and flick upwards." Badgerfur added.

"We know all this!" Crowpaw muttered mutinously.

"Wavepaw doesn't." Badgerfur told his apprentice sharply. "It's good for even the most senior warriors to get back to the basics every so often as well."

"Whatever-" Crowpaw cut herself off, flashing out a silver and black paw.

An arc of water droplets flung through the air as the fish that Crowpaw clung onto with her claws flipped out of the water. Without hesitating, she whipped her head forward, dealing a killing bite to the fish.

"Whoa!" Wavepaw exclaimed, impressed by her deft movement and lack of hesitation.

"Now you try." Crowpaw nodded to Wavepaw.

"Um, okay." He mumbled, unsure.

He stared at the water, just as Crowpaw had. Suddenly, a flitting silver shape seized his attention. Trying to mimic Crowpaw's swift movements, he thrust his paw forwards towards the shape.

"Frog droppings!" He cursed as his paw cut through the water without even grazing the fish.

"I think that was just sunlight." Fallowspots cut in wryly.

"No, it was a fish, I'm sure of it." He glared at the river.

"Whatever you say-" Fallowspots cutting remark was interrupted by the rustling of bushes behind them.

"What? Who is that?" Wavepaw turned around, only to come face to face with his panting mother.

"What are you doing here?" Creampelt asked, her mew cool.

"Just- just taking a walk!" Cloudfall's green eyes twitched.

 _Odd._ Wavepaw narrowed his eyes and tilted his head at her.

"By the border?" Fallowspots cocked his head, eyes cold.

"Funny, huh?" Cloudfall's eyes twitched again. "Would have thought _you_ were the one who's too close to-"

"Enough." Creampelt snarled. "Not in front of the apprentices."

Cloudfall wrinkled her nose as though a horrible scent had just passed under her nose. She glared at Creampelt, who took a tiny pawstep closer to Fallowspots.

"Well, hope your training is going well!" Cloudfall exclaimed suddenly to Wavepaw.

"Y- yeah, you could say that." His brow furrowed as he thought of his lost catch. "I'm learning how to fish, but I-"

"Well that's just fantastic." Cloudfall bobbed her head and then dashed off, deeper into RiverClan territory.

 _She's acting strange..._ Wavepaw felt unease prickling at his pelt, the interaction between Cloudfall, Fallowspots, and Creampelt making him suspicious and uncomfortable.

 **And that's the end of that chapter! More light has been shed on what the heck is going on, but I'm pretty sure no one's got the whole story yet. Because, great StarClan, it is** _ **complicated.**_

 **Don't forget to drop a review in the review basket on your way out! *Shakes review basket***

 **~Pondfrost**


	18. Dark: Honorary Names

**Look who's updating a day early!**

 **That's right, your favourite cheese-head. It's ME!**

 **58 REVIEW? WHAT? Seriously. Thank you _so much_! I've read every single one about 3000 times by now, and I just keep getting more! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK- I think we'll wait for 75 to do another bonus scene, because that probably won't happen too soon.**

 **Review Replies:  
Snowcrystal: WHY THANK YOU.**

 **Rainmist: Yes. #sausagelivesmatter**

 **Honeystorm: Hu hu hu, you're way too perceptive for your own good ;)**

 **KaiLover911: He. Wavepaw is a tom. And... well, no spoilers ;P**

 **Here comes a Dark chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 16.

"Lionpaw!" Darkpaw batted the ears of her sister. "Lionpaw! Get out of your nest! Shiningsnow's been calling you for a moon!"

"Hrm- wha?" Lionpaw murmured drowsily.

Darkpaw rolled her dark amber eyes, battering her sister's ears with renewed force.

"S- stoooop it." Lionpaw rolled over in her nest.

Darkpaw huffed again and latched her teeth into Lionpaw's scruff and began dragging her out of her nest.

"Wh-" Lionpaw's golden eyes abruptly snapped open. "Argh! Invasion!"

"Shut it!" Darkpaw snarled. "It's your _sister_ and you've been sleeping for ages! It's past sun-high! Wake _up_!"

"I'm up! I'm up!" Lionpaw scrambled to her paws, squawking her indignation.

"Then come on!" Darkpaw snorted.

She bounded out of the den, her sister hot on her heels. Darkpaw abruptly changed direction and swerved towards their mentors.

"Look who finally decided to wake up." Wildwind purred in amusement, shooting a knowing glance at Shiningsnow. "Lovely to see you."

"It wasn't me who was-" Darkpaw defended herself, but Lionpaw cut in.

"Darkpaw was just waking me up." Lionpaw nodded to herself, her golden eyes gleaming with sincerity.

"Well, after the excitement of the Gathering last night, regular training would probably be too much trouble." Shiningsnow told them airily. "So we're going to do something different. Something _special_."

"Ooh, what is it?" Darkpaw asked, interest pricking her fur.

"You're going to make sure the whole camp has fresh moss." Wildwind told them bluntly.

" _What?_ " Darkpaw demanded. "B- but I did that last time! And I've barely had any battle training, not to mention no hunting training, and what about Ratpaw and Pinepaw? Don't they have to do the duties sometimes? And what will happen if one of the other Clans attacks and the borders were left unmarked, and I don't have enough battle training and they kill me, and it'll be all your fault!"

Wildwind's mouth hung open slightly.

"You'll be fine." He managed.

"Listen, Darkpaw." Shiningsnow tilted her head understandingly. "Discipline is important to any warrior. To learn discipline, sometimes you need to do things you don't want to do. You trust Wildwind and I to protect you if anything happens, right?"  
Darkpaw nodded mutely, embarassed at her outburst.

"Well, uh, let's get on it, then!" Lionpaw exclaimed brightly, breaking the silence. "Come on, Darkpaw, we'll have it done in no time!"

Rolling her eyes, Darkpaw turned back to the mentors.

"Do we have to go collect moss?" She wrinkled her nose at the thought of scraping green bits off a tree until her paws ached.

"Nope!" Wildwind told them, stepping aside to reveal a large pile of moss. "We've done that already!"

"Perfect, we can act like kits and not go out of the camp for the whole day." Darkpaw mewed sarcastically.

"Come on, it's not like we wanted to collect the moss for you." Wildwind snorted with a reprimanding look. "We're warriors, not apprentices, but sometimes even we need to swallow our pride and just-"

"Whatever you say." Darkpaw interrupted, pushing past him to the pile. "Lionpaw, you do the warriors, and I'll take care of the queens and the medicine cat den. Then we'll split the apprentice den."

"O- okay." Lionpaw bobbed her head.

Darkpaw's thoughts roiled inside her head as she dragged as much as she could carry towards the nursery.

"Quailwing!" She called, her mew muffled through the moss. "I've brought more moss!"

"Oh, thank you." The black and silver queen rushed out, looking much more calm than the last time Darkpaw had seen her.

Wordlessly, Darkpaw ducked into the nursery, laying the moss beside the large, muddied nest in the center of the den. She began peeling strips off of the bundle as two little identical brown tabby kits bounded up to her.

"Hi!" The one with blue eyes squeaked.

"Hey." She muttered, focusing on her work.

"Who are you?" The smaller one with green eyes muttered, hostility ripe in her tone.

Pausing her work, Darkpaw glanced at the green eyed kit.

"What's your problem?" Darkpaw glared at her.

"Why do you care?" The kit snorted.

"That's just Mudkit!" The blue eyed one exclaimed lightly. "She's had a burr in her fur for as long as I can remember!"

"Mudkit?" Darkpaw stifled a purr.

She felt a stab of amusement mixed with pity. _I wouldn't want to be named Mudkit, that's for sure. Come to think of it, who named me? Certainly not my dead mother, and who knows what happened to my father._ She pondered.

"I know, it's an awful name." The unfortunately-named Mudkit hissed. "Quailwing doesn't care though, does she? Poolkit is her favourite."

"Well, at least I'm not grumpy all the time!" Poolkit snarled, leaping onto her sister.

"I wouldn't be grumpy if I didn't have such a dumb name!" Mudkit wrestled her sister to the ground.

 _I wonder what happens to kits when they don't like their names... I've never really thought about my name. Darkpaw._ She continued to discard the old bedding replacing it with fresh. _I kind of like my name. Most cats from other Clans don't like darkness, but I'm part of ShadowClan, and I'm not afraid of anything. But Mudkit and Poolkit, they're Lionpaw's foster siblings, aren't they? Poor Mudkit. If I was leader, I would give her a beautiful name. I would let her choose her name. What would she choose? She could be Leafkit, for her lovely eyes, or Greenkit, or Fennelkit, or Mallowkit, or any herb, really. Dapplekit, for her pretty tabby pelt. Deerkit or Fawnkit, for her pelt colour, or Mothkit, maybe._

"I think you should just deal with your stupid name, and stop whining about it!" Poolkit squeaked, batting her sister's muzzle with sheathed claws.

"What if your dumb name was Mudkit?" Mudkit snarled, retaliating by bowling her sister off her paws. "You wouldn't be saying that, would you?"

"Well, it isn't!" Poolkit retorted weakly.

"What would you want as a name if you could choose?" Darkpaw asked her.

"What?" Mudkit paused her furious attack on Poolkit for a moment.

"I _said,_ what would you _want_ your name to be?" Darkpaw repeated.

"My name?" She echoed. "I've never really thought about it..."

"Fox-dung to that." Darkpaw snapped, surprising both kits. "With a name like Mudkit, of course you've thought about what you would want to change it to."

Poolkit was obviously trying to stifle a _mrrow_ of amusement at Mudkit's dumbfounded expression. Mudkit quickly gathered herself and replied nervously.

"Duskkit." She glared at Darkpaw, as though daring her to make fun of her.

"Hm." Darkpaw nodded thoughfully. "Well, I'm about done here. I'll see you around, Poolkit and Duskkit."

Mudkit's eyes widened slightly in wonder.

"Thank you." She breathed.

"You're welcome." Darkpaw dipped her head to the tiny kit, a warm spark igniting inside her.

"What's going on in here?" Quailwing's mew broke through the walls of the nursery as the black and silver queen stormed into the nursery. "Poolkit! What happened?!"

Darkpaw turned her head, confused as to what the queen was making a fuss about. She noticed a tiny bump on Poolkit's muzzle, that would probably be gone by tomorrow.

"They were just-" Darkpaw tried to reassure her.

"I don't care!" Quailwing flashed back, fury sparking in her eyes. "Poolkit's hurt, I'm taking her to the medicine cat."

Darkpaw wrinkled her nose as the queen snatched up a wriggling and protesting Poolkit before turning and bounding out of the nursery.

"Are you okay, Duskkit?" Darkpaw turned back to the green-eyed kit behind her.

Mudkit shook her head, but as soon as Darkpaw pretended to look away, she quickly rasped her tongue over her paw and drew it over her eyes, pretty green eyes screwed up in pain.

"What _really_ happened?" Darkpaw bent until she was at eye-level with the kit, which wasn't very much, considering how small she was.

"I told you-" Mudkit cut herself off as she spotted Darkpaw's disbelieving look. "Poolkit clawed my ear."

Mudkit looked absolutely furious that she was admitting any weakness, but Darkpaw simply leaned over and rasped her tongue over Mudkit's little brown ear, tasting the metallic tang of blood.

"I'm going to the medicine den next." Darkpaw reassured her gently. "I'll bring you something back to soothe the pain."

"Thanks." Mudkit choked out, her eyes glittering with emotion far beyond her moons. "See you around, Darkpaw."

Darkpaw nodded, blinking warmly at the little kit, and bent gently to pick up the rest of the moss to bring to Lostpaw and Ashmask.

"Bye, Darkpaw." Mudkit called quietly behind her.

When Darkpaw turned to look at Mudkit, she saw the little brown tabby curled up with her tail over her little pink nose. The image of the tiny kit curled up alone in the middle of the dark nursery melted Darkpaw's heart a little.

"Bye, deputy." Darkpaw murmured to herself, trotting out of the den with renewed purpose in her steps.

She stepped towards the medicine den, but froze as Quailwing pressed by her, Poolkit hanging from her muzzle.

"What does he _mean_ , not a big deal?" Quailwing muttered to herself. "What a fake, can't even cure my kit. He doesn't deserve to be medicine cat, and Lostpaw was no help, who does she think she is..."

Darkpaw turned, but not fast enough. Quailwing's blazing amber eyes caught Darkpaw's, and Darkpaw felt frozen to the spot.

"Stay away from my kits!" Quailwing snarled, baring her teeth around Poolkit. "Don't come near the nursery!"

Not waiting for Darkpaw's reply, the silver and black queen stalked away, back towards the nursery.

"Just try and stop me." She muttered, stepping towards the medicine den.

Darkpaw stood still, the sound of frenzied argument reaching her ears. That wasn't what stopped her, though. The moment she heard her own name, Darkpaw, and the word _prophecy_ strung together in the same sentence, she knew it was important.

"Listen, Ashmask-" Lostpaw's exasperated mew was cut off by her mentor's worried voice.

"No! Lostpaw, you listen to me!" Ashmask interrupted. "I know what I saw! And the words, it was something about... thunder, water, wind, and ground! This is bigger than just the medicine cats, this could affect the whole Clan!"

"Ground? Wouldn't StarClan have said shadow if they meant ShadowClan?" By Lostpaw's tone, Darkpaw knew they had been having this discussion for a while. "Besides, Lionpaw seems much more likely to be in the prophecy than Darkpaw. Why would a cat as weak as her be part of a prophecy? Not to mention one as serious as this one."

"You know that strength comes from inside, not the outside... and besides, about Lionpaw..." Here, he hesitated.

Darkpaw strained to catch the rest of his words. _What about her?_

"Ivystar... she told me not to tell any cat... but..." Ashmask sighed. "We hadn't even named Darkkit's sister... and then..."

A strange force urging her on, Darkpaw burst into the den.

"Hi! Hi!" She exclaimed, trying to act like she hadn't heard any of what they had been talking about.

 _Why?!_ Her mind screeched. _Why?! He was about to tell Lostpaw... but it's too late now. Why did I have to burst in like that?!  
_ "Hey there, Darkpaw." Lostpaw turned to her, eyes unfocused. "What brings you to the medicine den?"

"Oh- I- I uh, I came to replace your bedding..." Darkpaw trailed off, feeling the suspicious gaze of Ashmask sear her fur. "And um, Dus- Mudkit got a scratch from... a thorn. I was wondering if I could have something to help her?"

"A thorn?" His mew was light, but Ashmask's eyes were dark. "Some dock will take care of that, and maybe a little marigold to make sure it doesn't get infected."

Darkpaw dipped her head gratefully, going to work on the nests of the medicine cats, noticing they were a little further apart than normal. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Lostpaw sorted herbs. Darkpaw could tell that Lostpaw was watching her, but tried to ignore it as she dragged the old bedding out of the dips, and laid fresh green moss in its place.

"Well, I'll just take the dock and... goldenrod, did you say?" Darkpaw kept her mew light.

"Marigold." Ashmask corrected, training his serious amber eyes one her. "And Darkpaw?"

"Yes?" Darkpaw drew out the word slightly.

"Please don't tell anyone about what you heard." Ashmask closed his eyes eloquently. "Now be on your way."

A cold wave washed over Darkpaw.

She scurried out of the medicine den, feeling like her fur was frosted with snow.

She ducked into the nursery, quickly patching up Mudkit's ear. The brief stab of warmth she felt towards her new ally was out-weighed by the frosty feeling that ensconced her.

After she finished in the nursery, she ignored Quailwing's fussy protest to Darkpaw's presence in the nursery. She walked mutely towards the apprentice den.

She tried and failed to keep her eyes away from the shadowed entrance of the medicine den, where two pairs of eyes peered out at her, one reddish-amber and the other one electric blue.

 _They won't stop me. I'll get to the bottom of this mystery if it's the last thing I do._

 **All done! Well, that was fun! Thanks for reading the newest chapter of TEOA! We're almost past the page of story outline that I lost, so things should be more organized soon. I wasn't planning to introduce Mud/Duskkit until later.**

 **I find her an interesting character, because the topic of names in warriors has always fascinated me... like, what if a kit absolutely hated their name? I mean, can you blame her? Who would** _ **want**_ **to be named Mudkit?**

 **Anyway, off to more blobifying. Don't forget to leave me a review! I love reading everything you have to say!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	19. Lightning: Dreamy Midnight Encounters

**Are ya proud of me? Well, you shouldn't be.**

 **All I've accomplished all day is putting in a load of laundry, and I'm lying about that.**

 **Anyway, point is, TWO UPDATES IN ONE WEEKEND?! I know, amazing.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Lightningstrike: You people. Geniuses. But don't get overconfident, you're wrong about plenty. (Also, why does everyone think Creampelt is Fallowspots's sister? I'm putting this one out there: She's not. It wouldn't make sense, because everyone would know. Also, they're kind of flirting a lot, and... that's weird.)**

 **Snowcrystal: Yeah, I really like Duskkit, and I think everyone's going to.**

 **Rainmist: My sentiments exactly XD. Poolkit might eventually wisen up, though. Quailwing on the other paw... (Although, for your information, Quailwing is a very attractive cat. Nothing compared to Fallowspots though. *le sigh.* ((Not his personality XD (((Well, come on, how do you think he's such a player?))) )) )**

 **Kai Lover911: I suppose that's true. We've had Mudfur and Mudclaw, neither of which disliked their names, but Mudkit/Duskkit is different. Especially since Quailwing shows blatant favouritism to Poolkit.**

 **Unfortunately, this chapter is just going to be extraodinarily short (For me) and full of fore-shadowing and red herrings. (More Payphone inspired stuff. Damn I love that song ((Also 'I won't say I'm in Love (((From Hercules))) )) ). That's just because of the timing of all this. ANYWAY, onto the actual story!**

Chapter 17.

"Well, see you later, Leaffur." Lightningpaw called quietly to the queen.

"Thank you for the shrew, Lighningpaw." Leaffur sighed contentedly, drawing her kits closer to her stomach. "Good-bye."

Lightningpaw trotted out of the nursery, barely feeling the exhaustion that dragged at each of her paw-steps. Seeing the kits had kindled a little spark of warmth somewhere in her stomach. She realized that, despite her ambition, she wanted to have kits one day. _I wonder what me and Breezpaw's kits would look like?_ The thought froze her in her steps. _Wait,_ what _?! He's from WindClan! I barely know him!_ As much as she tried to force the thought away, it remained, stubborn as a burr. Thinking about Breezepaw made her head feel light and thoughtless. _No! You'll never be leader if you fall in love with a_ WindClan _cat! Think about how disappointed Fawnshade would be! Think about how disappointed_ Vixenpaw _would be!_

Shaking her head, terrified and delighted at the thought of Breezepaw, she forced herself to walk calmly over to the apprentice den.

"W- wait!" A deep voice that resonated with nervousness made her stop and turn. "Lightningpaw, can we talk for a second?"  
"What." She narrowed her eyes at Blackpool, who shifted from paw to paw, not meeting her eye.

"L- listen, Lightningpaw. I'm sorry about leaving you during the hunting assessment... it's just..." He broke off, looking unsure of how much he wanted to tell her. "There's some... things going on. I'm trying to do too many things, but I really want to be the best mentor I can be. With Redflower, and Thornstar needing me to-"

"To what?" Lightningpaw put her head to one side curiously.

"That's... I really shouldn't tell you. Just, I'm going to do better from now on." Blackpool shook his head a little, as though trying to dislodge something. "Redflower, and my... ambition... well, your apprenticeship comes first, okay?"

A little confused as to what he was getting at, Lightningpaw glared at him.

"So you're saying you can't be my mentor anymore?" She tried not to show it, but she felt hurt by the idea. "Well, _fine_ then. I don't want a mentor who can't-"

"No! No, no no no." He reassured her, looking upset. "I'm just saying I'm sorry for not... being totally ready to do all the things Thornstar needs, _and_ spend time with Redflower, _and_ be your mentor. So I'll just have to ask Thornstar to find someone else, and Redflower-"

Blackpool broke off, his mew a little strangled.

"And Redflower might need to... find someone else too." He blinked quickly, eyes pained.

"Oh." Lightningpaw wasn't completely sure of what he meant, but she could tell it mattered deeply to him. "Blackpool, listen, you can ask Thornstar to give me a new mentor, it's okay-"

"No! I need to do this." Blackpool looked furious with himself. "Not just for me! For you too. I want to be the best mentor I can. So just, give me another chance, alright?"

"Okay." Lightningpaw felt confused, but didn't want to see Blackpool, a senior warrior, continue to break down in front of her. "Well, I'm going to go to my nest."

"Alright." Blackpool suddenly bobbed his head, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry to have to tell you all this, but the important thing is, I'll do better in the future."

Wordlessly, deeply embarrassed, Lightningpaw padded off to her den. She wasn't entirely sure what Blackpool meant about Thornstar and Redflower, but was glad that he had assuaged her fears about having a neglectful mentor.

Thinking about her day, she relaxed into her nest, feeling the extra moss padding that some cat had put in her nest. _Vixenpaw? Thank you._ She thought. _Although, I'm so tired, I could fall asleep in the middle of a river._ The thought of rivers made her think of Wavepaw. She shivered a little, picturing him thinking about what kind of kits they would have together. The thought made her fur feel cold. _What if that's how Breezepaw thinks of me?! Surely not! At the Gathering, he seemed..._ She couldn't even finish the thought, her eyes drifting shut.

...

 _W- where am I?_ Her thoughts were scrambled as she furtively glanced around the strange, pale world. The ground beneath her rippled like water, but was solid, and had long stalks of grass that tickled her fur as they swayed in the wind. _What is this place? Am I dreaming?_

There was no answer from the strange world, but she heard a strange growling noise from behind her, and whipped around to find a horrifying sight.

"Ah!" A strangled cry escaped her as she stared at the huge cats.

Lightningpaw wasn't exactly a puny apprentice, she was built fairly strong and bulky, but these cats were massive. They towered over her, making strange noises between growls and hisses. One was sleek and golden with strangely shaped ears and a slightly lighter chest. Its claws were fearsome, dark and unnaturally large. The other one had ears more similar to Lightningpaw's, but had a coat that was spotted in such a way that she felt almost dizzy looking at it.

"W- what _are_ you?" She stuttered, backing up, terrified of the huge beasts.

There was no response from them, they just advanced on her, a light breeze ruffling their fur.

"P- please!" She squeaked, ready to turn and run.

Suddenly, a crack of thunder exploded overhead, and rain began to pour down, drenching Lightningpaw, though she couldn't feel it. It pounded relentlessly onto her pelt, pressing her into the strange ground. She tried to yowl, but the rain continued, thickening with each passing moment. Just as she thought she would pass out, a bright flash lit the sky.

As though stunned, the rain paused mid-air. Terrified, Lightningpaw stared at the drops of water that hung in the air. She felt a strange sense of foreboding, sure that the rain could start up again at any moment.

She heard a fearsome _yip_ from behind her, and whipped around to come face to face with a dark gray creature, that seemed to be a fox, but had an odd colouring, like that of a rock. She knew that foxes were cats' enemies, but this one comforted her, and reminded her of her mother's scent.

She watched, breath caught in her throat, as the gray fox leaped through the air, slashing its claws and cutting away the rain until none remained.

The fox then padded up to her slowly, and bent its head.

"H- huh?" Lightningpaw stammered, watching the fox uncomfortably. "What's going on- ah!"

She cried out as the ground beneath her split open, throwing her down into darkness, where black water lashed and roiled. Staring up at the sky as she fell, she watched the wind began to do something strange... it was spinning. Spinning, faster and faster, until the water beneath her dissipate, thrown up into the frenzied wind, mixing with it until she couldn't tell them apart.

The wind slowed as Lightningpaw's paws returned to the solid ground, caressing her sides gently. She sighed contentedly, momentarily forgetting the horrors that were being fired at her one after another.

Suddenly, a thought broke into her safe, happy mind. _Too late._

Then, the world beneath her broke open and she dropped down into the darkness once more.

Using the last of the strength, she shrieked in shock and fear, an unearthly howl that unleashed so much more than just her emotions.

She watched as the stars broke out of the sky and descended towards her. She felt no comfort from the cold points of light, they were hostile and dangerous.

Her eyes closed.

...

"W- huh? Where am I?" Lightningpaw struggled awake, wriggling in her dampened moss. "What happened?"

Receiving no answer, she looked around. The only thing she could see was darkness.

She sighed, rolling over in her padded nest. _A dream._ The thought comforted her slightly, but the uneasiness that it brought didn't leave her soul.

Sighing again, she got to her paws and walked out of the apprentice den, where all the other apprentices lay silently, fast asleep. Her eyes wandered around the dark clearing, and she observed the way the camp looked at night.

"Can't sleep?" A mew asked from behind her.

"What do _you_ want?" She hissed, turning to face him.

"I can't either." For the first time ever, Rainpaw's eyes glimmered with something akin to sympathy, the emotion the least close to open dislike that Lightningpaw had ever seen on his face. "Did you have a nightmare too?"

"How do you know?" She blurted, glaring at him.

"You were wriggling in your nest and making upset noises." Rainpaw said matter-of-factly.

"You were _watching_ me?" Lightningpaw demanded, disgusted.

"No- I was, uh, I just-" Rainpaw looked caught off guard, but rapidly went from sympathetic to defensive. "Was not! You were making so much noise that you woke me up!"

"But you just said you had a nightmare!" She mewed, exasperated and annoyed.

"Well, I, it was sort of..." Rainpaw turned away, growling quietly.

Lightningpaw didn't look at him, simply choosing to stare up at the moon that hung in the sky. She observed the stars, remembering the nightmare. The stars were more comforting, warmer somehow.

"Listen, Lightningpaw-" Rainpaw began, but then stopped. "Nevermind."

"What?" She asked genuinely curious, but defensive.

"I said _nevermind_." He hissed, turning away and padding off towards the entrance of the camp.

"Fine then." Lightningpaw muttered, glaring at his retreating form. "Wait, where are you going?"

"No where." Rainpaw retorted. "I can't sleep. I'm going to stand guard. _Someone's_ got to watch out for the Clan."

 _Is he criticizing Thornstar?_ Lightningpaw wondered, frustration fluffing out her fur. _RiverClan and WindClan aren't exactly friends, but ThunderClan doesn't have any problems with other Clan. Thornstar didn't think it was necessary to have Shadefur appoint a night guard._ _Does Rainpaw think it's necessary to have one? Why?_

Going on an instinct, she spoke.

"I'm going back to my nest." Lightningpaw said quietly.

"Whatever." Rainpaw replied without turning his head, his tone enveloped by sulking.

Going against her words, but curious as to what her instinct was pressing her to do, Lightningpaw stayed stuck to the ground.

"Damn it, Lightningpaw." Rainpaw muttered to himself, then said something else, quieter, that Lightningpaw couldn't make out."

She was tempted to get closer, but didn't want to risk him catching her.

"I hate her." He whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear.

 _Well._ Lightningpaw had assumed, but hearing him say it without knowing that she could hear him stung worse than anything he had said to her face. _Now I know. Thanks, Rainpaw._

Trying to push off the hurt, she stepped silently back into the den, and stepped into her nest, curling up and wrapping her tail over her nose, trying to mask her quiet whimpers.

 **Aw, the ending kind of broke my heart. Hope I didn't manage to spoil everything with that little dream sequence, but even if I did, well, so be it.**

 **Poor Lightningpaw :(. Rainpaw's awful. Also a specific Japanese term that I can't use without spoiling something.**

 **Anyway, review, appreciate, and I'm feeling mildly inspired, so you might actually get 3 chapters out of one weekend... I know, crazy, right? Well.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	20. Breeze: Waking Nightmares

**Well, instead of working on my high school application, like I should be, I'm writing fanfition. You're welcome! Don't worry though, I've got lots of time.**

 **Anyway, onto the review replies!:**

 **Kai Lover911: Indeeeedily day. Rainpaw most certainly is. And also a specific Japanese term I can't use without spoiling one of the subplots.**

 **Snowcrystal: Thank you. :) I'm proud of me too.**

 **Rainmist: Yeah, it is. I love brackets, and the voice in my head does too. You... like Rainpaw? Uh, okay. Sorry in advance.**

 **Before I forget, important message! _Go read The Meteor Prophecy by Lightningstrike. The link will be on his profile. He is awesome and his story is too. It's also updated erratically, but often._ P.S. I'm not just doing that because he gave me a shout out too, his story is seriously fabulous. Just reminded me that I wanted to do that, because that story doesn't get all the love it deserves. ANYWAY.**

 **Go read it! NOW!**

 **Then come back and read this chapter ;).**

 **If my writing seems really weird, it's probably because I did some inspirational work in class, and I feel really creative and ready to make weird comparisons.**

 **Listening to Bang Bang by Ariana Grande, Jessie J, and Nicki Minaj.**

 **(I do not own that song or warriors, a'ight?)**

Chapter 18.

"Well, see you tomorrow, Jaypaw." Breezepaw spoke stiffly, not feeling warm towards Jaypaw after her infuriating offer.

The gray tabby in question opened her jaws slightly, then apparently thought better of it and turned away.

Breezepaw sighed. _Well, I tried._ He thought, brow furrowing at Jaypaw's confusing behaviour. _I don't understand her at all. Why can't she just be more like her sister, Palepaw?_

He immediately cringed at the thought of Jaypaw finding out what he had just thought. _She would destroy me. They're... different._ He sighed again, and padded over to the apprentice den, where he realized that some cat had made him a heather and sheepswool lined nest.

Letting out a heavy breath, he settled into the nest, feeling his bunched, unformed muscles relax against the soft dip in moorland. He began to groom his shoulder and neck, but realized he was far too exhausted after the long trek all the way to the RiverClan to do anything but sleep.

"Breezepaw?" A soft voice squeaked up into an inflection on his name, making it sound more like a question.

He lifted his head shakily, narrowing his drooping eyelids at the cat. At first, he thought it was Jaypaw, but realized that, in the light of the rising moon, the cat's well-groomed fur was brown, not gray, and the pale eyes that sought him out in the swelling darkness were pale green, not the intense blue of Jaypaw's.

"Palepaw?" He murmured, letting his head rest back on his paws.

"Goodnight." Palepaw whispered to him, rasping her tongue swiftly over one of his golden ears, then drawing back, as though worried she had overstepped her bounds, and settled into a nest beside him.

"Hrm." He rumbled, trying to form some sort of acquiescence, but was too exhausted and simply let the strange mumble answer for him.

At this point, he couldn't have cared less if she'd collapsed on top of him. Breezepaw's vision was slowly cut away by his falling eyelids as he submitted to the all encompassing darkness and comfort of sleep.

...

"Breezepaw!" Some cat hissed into his ear, forcefully yanking him out of the peaceful land of dream rabbits.

"Hmm- wha-?" He groaned, feeling the warm wind of his sweet sleep fade as his eyes opened.

Breezepaw tried to seize back the soft feeling of his slumber, but the harder he tried to catch it, the further away it floated, like a wisp of a cloud, or a hot breath in the middle of leaf-bare.

"Well, I'm up now." He scowled, turning his dirty glare on the cat that disturbed him.

He immediately noticed two things. First, the air was thick with night, but beautiful in its own way, with a shining moon that was as pure white as fresh snow and a sky encrusted with glimmering points of light, each one representing a dead warrior of StarClan. He briefly wondered if his father was up there somewhere. Second, the cat who had woken him was a lithe gray tabby with an expression half way between ruefulness and dark amusement.

"Night patrol." Jaypaw interrupted his indignant cry of annoyance at the ungodly hour she'd woken him up at.

"Just us?" Breezepaw demanded, surprise and frustrated. "What a stupid idea!"

"Tell that to Icestorm." Jaypaw snorted. "And no, of course not 'just us.' What a stupid idea!"

He slid his claws out at her mocking, but refrained from clawing her smug and repentant face.

Resisting the urge, he turned away, letting out a brief hiss before forcing the dissipation of his anger. Breezepaw ambled over to where Honeythorn and Icestorm were watching their apprentices expectantly. Oatpad stood with them.

"Night patrol?" He asked, forgoing any sort of greeting that might have preluded an ordinary conversation.

"Indeed." Icestorm eyed his ruffled fur and dark expression with uncomfortable amusement. "Not a morning cat?"

"This isn't morning, this is closer to the _middle of the night._ " Breezepaw snarled, but softened a little as a thought struck him, like the lightning that sang through his heart, snagging on his thoughts. "Are we going to the ThunderClan border?"

"Why do you want to go there-" Oatpad's arched eyebrows communicated her suspicion as clearly as freshly frozen water, but Jaypaw interrupted her.  
"Nope!" Jaypaw replied cheerfully, bouncing up to them. "We're off to the border of WindClan and fish-face land!"

"RiverClan." Honeythorn supplied, snorting in amusement at her apprentice's antics.  
" _What?_ " Breezepaw demanded, outrage sneaking through his voice and his black-tipped tail lashing once. "But we _just_ patrolled there!"

"Well..." Honeythorn looked caught off balance for a moment, but quickly regained her poise. "Spottedstar is a little... paranoi- _shrewd._ After the events of the Gathering, we need to keep a close eye on RiverClan."

The golden she-cat stared him in the eye, as though daring him to contradict her or mention her brief revealing of Spottedstar's shortcoming.

"Well, we should be on our way." Icestorm cut in hastily. "RiverClan won't wait just because we're standing around."

"I _hardly_ think RiverClan would attack in the middle of the night." Breezepaw grumbled under his breath. "That seems like something ShadowClan would-"

"Speak up." Icestorm's pale blue eyes flashed. "Or be silent."

 _Ha._ Breezepaw felt a little twinge of victory at how easy it had been to provoke her, but that feeling was quickly replaced with remorse. He respected his mentor, and didn't like seeing her on edge. _But for all her teasing about_ me _not being a morning cat, here she is, grumpy as a badger._

"Anyway." Honeythorn cut in between them. "We should get going."

Silently, even Jaypaw, for once, the patrol tottered out of the camp, heading for the strong, yet not unpleasant, fish scent that drifted from the marshy border.

"J- Jaypaw." Breezepaw ignored his gut feeling that told him apologizing at a time when he was easily angered and already on edge was a bad idea. "Listen. I didn't mean what I said... at least, not entirely."

He winced, realizing how nasty that sounded.

"It's fine." She replied frostily, averting her hurt-glazed eyes.

"No, I didn't mean it that way, Jaypaw!" He bit off her name with an edge of a snarl as she sped up her pawsteps until she was right beside her mentor.

 _How am I supposed to apologize when_ _she keeps shutting me out?_ He demanded internally, watching her tail flick irritably. _She acts like I've got green-cough! And lately, every time I talk to her, she looks like she's got ants crawling through pelt!_

Breezepaw hissed to himself. Sighing, he decided to try again later when they were both less irate.

"How are you?" Oatpad's sweetened mew rang stonily in his ears. "We've barely talked since you became an apprentice!"

 _That wasn't really my doing._ He thought nastily to himself. _But if it had been, we wouldn't talk at all! The way you act around Leopardpaw, and avoid the subject of... him... and you're always dissappearing, and-_

He realized she was awaiting an answer, so he quickly shunted the cruel thoughts to the back of his mind and responded in a forcedly light tone.

"I've been fine." Breezepaw spoke monotonously. "Training and stuff, you know."

"Met anyone special?" Oatpad's mew was sweaty with hidden lies. "What about Palepaw, or Jaypaw?"

He felt his fur rise as his claws sank into the ground. Fury at the idea that he and Jaypaw were any more than friends, and often not even that, blazed through him, scorching his mouth and ensuring any words out of it would be rude.

"I don't think that's any of your concern, _mother._ " Breezepaw spat.

Oatpad shrugged eyeing him with uncertainty and defensiveness.

"Just wondering." She sniffed haughtily.

Breezepaw held his barbed tongue, not wanting to break any more branches off the dead tree of their relationship. His mother was constantly pushing her way into his life without any invitation, and he didn't like it one bit. Before he could stop himself, his muzzle let loose another sharpened retort.

"Oatpad!" He feigned surprise, setting himself up for the cruel release of his emotional reaction to her fox-dung. "I found your nose! It was in my business again!"

Oatpad made a hurt noise, but Breezepaw paid her no mind and strode forwards swiftly to stand with his mentor.

"So, Breezepaw." Icestorm looked down at him. "I- forgot what I was going to say."

"Whenever you remember." Breezepaw shrugged, feeling his fur begin to lie flat again. "I would forget my own name if every cat didn't use it to wake me up in the middle of the night."

"True." Icestorm purred in amusement.

"So tell me. Why are we _really_ patrolling the RiverClan border?" Breezepaw demanded suddenly.

"Mm?" Icestorm made a low sound of surprise, than forced ignorance. "Because Spottedstar asked us to, and-"

"Why are we _really_?" Breezepaw repeated coolly.

Icestorm stiffened a little, her white and gray-flecked fur rippling a little, but then loosened with a dry purr of amusement.

"Ah, to be young again." She rolled her eyes. "We're patrolling again because more scents were found."

"Really?" Breezepaw's green eyes widened in shock and worry. "Why didn't we hear about this?"

"Spottedstar didn't want to worry the apprentices or any of the more... _hot-headed_ younger warriors." Icestorm stated quietly. "And hear I am, directly disobeying her order. You mustn't talk about it."

"But how were more scents found?" Breezepaw's mind whirled, sorting through possibilities. "Why would Spottedstar send out two patrols to patrol one border, especially if she was planning a night patrol later? And wouldn't that patrol have at least one non-senior warrior on it?"

"Good questions." Icestorm nodded to him. "Because a _patrol_ didn't find it, Spottedstar herself did. She was... walking along the border, one cat patrol I suppose, you don't exactly question your leader, but anyway, she says she found another clump of white fur on a bush, and it looked like some cat had raked their claws through the dirt..."

Breezepaw fell silent, imagining with a prick of worry a huge white beast with claws as thick as tree trunks vandalizing his territory.

"Great StarClan!" He breathed.

"It's not as bad as it sounds." Icestorm reassured him, but he was certain he spotted a gleam of worry in the innocent shine of her eye. "WindClan is strong. We will easily crush whatever little kitten wandered onto our territory."

Breezepaw pushed back his discomfort at the idea of a cat creeping onto his territory unnoticed. He purred, trying to replace the image of the hulking leader of RiverClan storming into WindClan territory and destroying everything in his path, with the picture that Icestorm had created, of a fluffy white, fish-scented kitten creeping onto the land and rolling around in the dirt.

"Finally! Thought we'd be walking all night!" Jaypaw sighed, exhilaration colouring her tone. "Let's catch ourselves a fish-faced trespasser!"

"Now hold on a moment." Honeythorn chided her apprentice. "If you were a trespasser-"

"Me? A trespasser?" Jaypaw echoed in outrage.

"Hush for a moment." The deputy rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Just imagine. You're a trespasser, trying to get onto our territory. What would you do if you saw a patrol at the border?"

"I'd... I'd wait, for them to leave." Jaypaw narrowed her eyes in concentration, and then, in anticipation of her mentor's next question, said: "So we shouldn't leave! We can just guard the border all night!"

"Rabbit-brain!" Breezepaw burst out; even though he was a younger apprentice, he knew that it was ridiculous to wait all night at a border.

"Rabbit-brain yourself!" Jaypaw retorted, but it was widely spread across her face that she was acknowledging how ridiculous her proposition was.

"Jaypaw, even deputies need sleep." Honeythorn grinned reassuringly at her apprentice. "What else could we do, before we go near the border?"

"Stop making so much noise?" Jaypaw snarled, with a sarcastic edge in her timbre, to Breezepaw.

"Precisely." Icestorm nodded, then fell silent.

The rest of the patrol followed, even Oatpad. The cream she-cat's green eyes flared, as though she was especially interested in catching the RiverClan trespasser.

They stayed quiet for several heart-beats, which felt like hours to Breezepaw. The darkness fascinated him, but he didn't want to be away from his nest for longer than he could bear.

"There they are!" Icestorm spoke in a breathy tone, ensuring her voice didn't carry over to the moon-lit form.

"Wait a moment..." Breezepaw narrowed his eyes at the silver form.

There was something vaguely familiar about the cat, as though Breezepaw had seen them before, not in a situation unlike their current one. But one feature in particular caught his attention. Their star-lit fur shone brightly silver, and not the silver of moonlight reflected onto white fur, the silver of a cat that had that colour naturally.

"Is that..." Oatpad muttered next to him. "Couldn't be."

But Breezepaw had seen her eyes harden, solidifying what he suspected. She knew this cat.

"Who is it?" Breezepaw murmured to her, trying to keep the influence of their previous interaction out of his voice.

"No one you should be concerned with." Oatpad snapped quietly. "In fact, stay far away from that one. If that one's anything like..."

She pressed her lips together as though she had said too much.

Breezepaw was struck the urge to tackle his mother and demand to know who the cat was, but he repressed the temptation. His curiousity had been piqued though, and he wasn't going to stop until he knew the truth.

"They're coming closer." Honeythorn murmured. "Any cat feel like they've seen this mystery cat before?"

"Yeah." Breezepaw and Jaypaw whispered in unison.

"The Gathering?" Breezepaw pondered. "I feel like when I saw them... it was... dark?"

"Well, the Gathering's held at night." Jaypaw said, softness muffling her scorn.

"Darker, and... cold." Breezepaw straightened suddenly, like a bolt of lightning had struck him. "Like water! It was when Lightningpa- that ThunderClan apprentice that I've never properly met fell in the water. I dove in, and that cat followed me! Or I followed him..."

"It's a tom? Are you sure?" Honeythorn's mossy green eyes flicked from Breezepaw's face to the silver form, cataloguing each new snippet of information. "Anything else you know about this stranger?"

"He wouldn't sneak into WindClan territory... I don't think." Breezepaw racked his rapidly deteriorating from lack of sleep brain for any little memories of his interaction with the intense RiverClan apprentice. "Unless he was trying... No."

"What?" Honeythorn eyed him. "We need anything you can give us."  
"No!" He repeated, not wanting to draw any uncomfortable conclusions from the idea that was rapidly alighting in his brain.

His mind replayed the tiny exchange between the apprentice and Lightningpaw over and over again. Each time, he became more and more certain the thunderstruck expression that had decorated the mystery cat's face when the RiverClan apprentice in question had seen Lightningpaw wasn't a product of Breezepaw's imagination.

"Whatever you say." Honeythorn withdrew from questioning Breezepaw, going back to staring at the apprentice across the marsh.

"Hm." Oatpad made a disbelieving sound, but didn't say a word.

Breezepaw looked at her from the corner of his eye. A little frown danced across his mother's muzzle, but she said nothing. Even though he was certain she had spotted him watching her, she continued to stare at the silver tom.

"Oatpad?" Breezepaw asked, doing his best to drain any hostility from his voice. "What is it?"  
She glanced at him, as though she actually hadn't noticed him, but Breezepaw was sure he knew better than to believe that.

"Nothing." Her eyes gleamed with stone. "Just wondering what it was that you thought of, that you decided so charitably to keep from us."

Letting out the tiniest of growls, Breezepaw turned away, studying the cat with renewed fascination.

"He's coming closer!" Jaypaw hissed right into his ear, making him jump a little. "Oops, sorry."

Recovering quickly from the shock, he studied the silver tom, who indeed seemed to be approaching the border.

"Nobody move." Honeythorn murmured, eyes locked onto the nearing apprentice. "He might not cross."

"Doubt it." Breezepaw muttered to himself, watching the tom.

The patrol was frozen in the bush for longer than Breezepaw cared to know, their paws chilled on the hard packed earth, pelts quivering under the long fronds.

Breezepaw could hear a strange noise that hummed through the air, but he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from or what was causing it. He pricked his ear, listening for any indication of what the noise might be, then he suddenly realized.

Oatpad was growling under her breath as she watched the cat near the border. At this point, he was only a couple fox-lengths from the border. Any further, and they would have every right to challenge him.

"Hold... hold..." Honeythorn ordered the patrol, her voice a whisker above inaudible.

Breezepaw glanced nervously at his mother. He could see Oatpad flexing her claws, and he was legitimately worried she might ignore Honeythorn completely and attack the silver trespasser.

Honeythorn raked her vibrant green gaze over the patrol, warning them with her eyes not to move as the mystery apprentice took another pawstep towards the border. He had less than a tail-length to go, but he seemed to be hesitating.

Breezepaw wasn't sure how he felt. One part of his mind was cheering on the apprentice darkly, hoping he would cross so they could challenge him and figure out why Oatpad was acting strangely. The other part of him willed the apprentice to turn around and leave. He knew any cat who would dive into a freezing lake to save a cat they had never met in the middle of the night couldn't be all bad, and he didn't want to see this cat get challenged by an angry WindClan patrol.

For a heart-beat, he thought his prayer had been answered as the tom turned and seemed to dither for a moment. Heart pounding, Breezepaw's frantic green eyes darted between Oatpad and the would-be intruder.

Then the tom turned back around.

Then he took a step forward.

Then Oatpad let out a snarl, and the tom's head whipped upwards.

Then Honeythorn ordered them forward.

Letting out a hiss of fury, partly because the silver trespasser had crossed the border, partly out of frustration that the tom hadn't left, Breezepaw shot forwards.

The fight barely lasted for ten heart-beats, before the silver cat was pinned under Oatpad's glinting claws.

"W- what?" The tom looked like he was in a daze. "What's going on?"

"You!" Oatpad hissed, leaning over until she was nose to nose with the trespasser. "You're _his_ son, aren't you?"  
"Whose?" The tom feigned ignorance, but his blue eyes glimmered with a strange sort of fear for a second.

"Oatpad, back off." Honeythorn ordered, striding forwards. "Who are you, and why are you on WindClan territory?"

The silver tom looked at a lost for words. His eyes were glazed over, like he was in a trance of some sort. Breezepaw felt worried for the silver tom.

"Wavepaw!" Oatpad snarled. "Answer her!"

"It's not my fault! I'm not to blame!" The tom gulped. "It's a spell!"

Breezepaw recoiled from the tom. There was something eerie about the way he was wriggling and the way his eyes blazed with intensity.

"What are you mewing on about?" Honeythorn looked caught off guard from the intruder's strange behaviour.

"I didn't do it! She's making me!" His silver fur was bushed out, tail lashing from side to side in his position beneath Honeythorn's claws.

"What do you mean?" Breezepaw tried to meet the tom's rapidly moving eyes, but couldn't. "What's wrong with you? What's happening to you? Why are you doing this?"

The tom suddenly snatched Breezepaw's eye contact, holding his gaze with blue fire.

" _You._ " He growled, his voice low and dangerous.

"What is with it with all these RiverClan trespassers having weird issues with you?" Jaypaw murmured in his ear, sounding perplexed and irritated.

"I have _no_ idea." Breezepaw muttered back, still unable to pull his gaze from the silver tom's.

"Get off our territory." Oatpad snapped. "And tell your motherthat Oatpad says hello."

Honeythorn, Icestorm, and their respective apprentices all stared at Oatpad, who made to attempt to explain her cryptic request. Breezepaw felt suspicion swirl around his mind as the silver tom stared at Breezepaw's mother in confusion.

Without another word, the silver tom squirmed out from under Oatpad's furious grasp and scampered back to his territory.

"Oatpad." Honeythorn's mew was laced with suspicion. "Why did you say that to that apprentice?"

"Hm?" Oatpad turned, green eyes looking weary. "I didn't. What do you mean?"

Honeythorn stared at her patiently as the rest of the patrol watched the confrontation.

"Why did you tell him to tell his mother that you say 'hello?'" Honeythorn's mew was light, but her eyes were dark and serious.

Oatpad looked surprised, like she honestly hadn't expected to be asked that. She appeared to debate her answer for a few moments, her eyes darting from Honeythorn's accusing stare to the spot where the silver tom had disappeared.

"Oh. His mother is Cloudfall." Oatpad explained, claws sliding out on the white RiverClan queen's name. "She... and I... have history."

Honeythorn muttered something inaudibly, that sounded like ' _that's no explanation.'_

"She's a white-pelted cat." Oatpad explained. "I think she's the one trespassing. Why she would send her son, though..."

Oatpad looked momentarily terrified, as though she had revealed too much, but Honeythorn's questioning abruptly came to an end and the patrol set off to camp.

"I don't buy that." Jaypaw whispered to Breezepaw.

"Me neither." Breezepaw whispered back. "But I have no idea what could really be going on here."

"I think the intruder's probably just a curious loner." Jaypaw sighed, looking like the late hour had finally begun to take its toll on her.

"Doesn't explain the RiverClan scent on the fur though." Breezepaw pointed out.

"Could have just floated over the border." Jaypaw mewed, flicking her gray tabby tail.

Breezepaw shrugged, but he didn't feel convinced.

As the weary patrol padded back over the moor, tails dragging behind them, the pale yellow sun rising in the distance hopefully, Breezepaw replayed the conversation over and over, searching for any discrepancies.

They were almost back to camp when Breezepaw realized something.

 _Oatpad. She said 'Wavepaw! Answer her!' How did she know the tom's name?_ Pelt burning with suspicion and discovery, Breezepaw turned to his mother to properly question her about how she had known the mysterious apprentice's name. _How did she know?_

But his mother had already disappeared.

 **No correlation.**

 **No correlation.**

 **No correlation.**

 **DISCREPANCY DETECTED.**

 **Anyone who gets that reference gets a high five.**

 **75 reviewer is getting a bonus scene of 2000 words or more.**

 **Speculation in the reviews is welcome. I love reading them and laughing like a maniac because I alone know all the spoilers.**

 **We got some extremely brief Palepaw x Breezepaw fluff, and the tension between Jaypaw and Breezepaw is building.**

 **Crazy long chapter, this A/N is breaking us over the 4000 word mark.**

 **Leave a review!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	21. Wave: An Unexpected Visitor

**Yo!**

 **Early chapter! Think of it as an early Christmas present, or whatever holiday you celebrate around this time of year.**

 **I know the last chapter had you all confused, but considering we found out that that suspicious silver tom was Wavepaw, and this chapter is the same events of the last one, except from Wavepaw's perspective. So now you'll find the answers to most of the questions you had!**

 **Review replies:**

 **Riverglade: NO WAY AM I SPOILING IT**

 **Lightningstrike: Your answers will be coming right up!**

 **Kai Lover911: Ah, I should add that to the poll on my profile! (PS GO VOTE PEEPS)**

 **Snowcrystal: High five for you! That reference was from Papers Please, if anyone's heard of that game.**

 **Rainmist: I'm sure. Don't worry, you'll understand all of it soon. Or not, but eventually.**

 **Well, let's kick this one off!**

 **Note: Special appearance in this chapter, bet you can't guess who it is! If you feel like it, scroll down now and write in your review who you think it is, and then see if your guess was right or not. Scroll down. Come on, you can do it. Done? Okay, great.**

 **Warning: A couple dark themes in this chapter, but probably nothing you haven't seen before. But if you really like Wavepaw, your opinion of him might change a little after you see how... um... just read it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own warriors!**

Chapter 19.

Wavepaw glanced nervously from Creampelt to Cloudfall, and then to Fallowspots's scowling face. He could sense the tension roiling in the moist air of the evening.

"Wavepaw." Creampelt murmured to him, stepping a little closer. "Wavepaw, don't worry about all of this. The grown up cats will sort it out."

Wrinkling his nose in distaste at her wording, Wavepaw shifted his weight away from her.

"Sure." He said coldly and flippantly. "I'm sure you'll figure it all out."

Creampelt bristled slightly at his tone, but slid away from him nonetheless. He sighed as she went back to Fallowspots, rasping her tongue over his ear and murmuring comforting words to him. Wavepaw watched with gritted teeth as Fallowspots's twisted expression loosened and he twined his gray and white tabby-banded tail with hers.

He turned away in disgust, only to come face to face with his wide-eyed mother.

"Another one, huh? At least I don't need to do-" Cloudfall broke off, glancing down at him quickly, then going back to shooting poisoned thorns at Creampelt with her eyes. "We used to be close, you know."

Wavepaw stared at his mother, unsure of where she was going with this.

"You and Fallowspots?" He asked tentatively, not wanting to set off Cloudfall.

"No." Cloudfall opened her mouth, then closed it again, then opened it again. "Creampelt and I. Closer than most sisters."

"Sisters?" Wavepaw was completely taken aback. "You- really?"

"Yes..." Cloudfall went silent.

He looked away, curious but wary. He had simply assumed Cloudfall had no siblings, or they had died. Creampelt, now that he thought about it, had some physical similarites to his mother. Both of their pelts were fluffy and pale, and their eyes, while different colours, were the same shape and had a similar shine. Looking at them now, he was shocked he couldn't see it before.

"She... ended our relationship." Cloudfall murmured, flicking her tail subtly in Creampelt's direction without looking at her. "She thought I was... in love with the same tom as her. I told him how I felt, we became mates, and... then she stole him. He was like the air under my wings, and then she stole him away from me. Of course that was only after... Well, now I'm falling, don't you see?"

Wavepaw's mind whirled trying to sort out what she meant. _Him... she means Fallowspots, doesn't she? But why... Creampelt stole him? But they aren't mates... are they?_ _After what?_ _Why didn't I know that Creampelt was Cloudfall's sister? Surely some cat would have mentioned it..._ Wavepaw tried to catch his mother's eye, but she stared straight ahead, green eyes turned into icicles.

They walked in silence back to the camp, Crowpaw and Seedpaw trailing behind their mentors with a serious air, as though they knew it wasn't the time to procure friendly banter between littermates.

By the time they had reached camp, Wavepaw's thoughts had steadily drained away from mulling over the strange interactions between Creampelt, Cloudfall, and Fallowspots, to day-dreaming about Lightningpaw.

He imagined the way her fur had rippled in the moonlight, as smooth as the stones he had raced across to reach the lake shore where he had saved her.

He imagined the way her voice quivered and fluttered as she talked to him.

He imagined the way her fur would feel tearing beneath his claws.

 _Wait,_ what _?!_ His eyes snapped open wide. _What is_ wrong _with me? Why would I want to hurt her? I don't want anything to hurt her, ever! I want to protect her from everything!_ _I want to see her bleed._

Wavepaw's silver fur stood on end as the never-ending flow of blackened thoughts inondated his mind, pushing back any fuzzy memories, replacing them with dark images of a dying, bleeding, hurting Lightningpaw, that gave him shivers.

 _Why I am I thinking this?_ His thoughts raced as he furtively pushed back the pictures. _I don't want this! I would give anything to see her blood._

...

"Well, get a good night's rest, Wavepaw." His father muttered to him as they reached camp, uncharacteristic kindness, however gruff, decorating his voice.

Wavepaw barely registered his father's words, much less his tone. His thoughts were swamped with Lightningpaw at his blood-stained paws, crying out as he clawed her again and again. _No! Why is this happening? I don't want this!_ He cried out against the ceaseless tide of blood-soaked thoughts. _Help!_

Nodding with a wild look in his brilliant blue eyes, he dashed into the apprentices' den, ignoring Fallowspots's noise of surpries, and settled into his sparsely cushioned nest made of reeds and a couple feathers from the thrush he'd eaten that morning.

As he closed his eyes, praying for a merciful release from his dark thoughts, his thoughts landed on the one thing he never expected to think about.

His stillborn sister.

Of course, he couldn't remember her at all, but his mother had told him about her, and sometimes in her darkest moments, would say that she thought Fallowspots might still love her if their third daughter had survived.

Wavepaw's mind darted to another memory from his first day as an apprentice, when Ripplepaw had cheerily remarked that they wouldn't need to be fished out of ponds anymore. He watched again in his mind as Fallowspots's green eyes darkened at the mention of... ponds.

 _Why?_ He wondered.Another memory resurfaced. He had been in the nursery, asking about his dead sister on one of Cloudfall's good days. She had told him about her silver, gray, white fur, her unopened eyes, her fluffy, limp fur, and her unused name. Pondkit. That was what they were going to name her.

Those were his last thoughts before darkness crashed against his conciousness like a black wave.

...

"H- hello?" Wavepaw squeaked, staring around at the blurred landscape, trying to make sense of his situation. "Who's there?"  
"No one." A quiet voice came from behind him. "But me."

"Who- who are you?" He whipped around, studying the cat that stood before him with her head dipped in quiet defeat. "What's wrong?"

She looked up slowly, if her motion could be described as looking. Her eyes were completely sealed shut, her head hanging limply and lifelessly in front of her.

"What's wrong? I'm not alive. I'm not alive, Wavepaw." Her voice grew in intensity. "I'm not alive, brother!"

"Brother- but you couldn't be-" Wavepaw broke off staring at her in terror. "Are you Pondkit?"

"Well, being called a kit is a new one." The cat chuckled, voice barely a raspy breeze. "No cat calls me that. I'm no kit. No kit could see what I've seen. Your future is a dark one, brother. If you still need something to call me... well, the medicine cat name I never received, I suppose. How about Pondfrost?"

"Pondfrost? Is that your name?" Wavepaw staggered away from her. "But how are you here?"

The cat chuckled again, sorrow drenching her dry purr.

"Well, brother, let me tell you. Death is boring." Her frank tone was heavy with pain. "There's nothing to do, or be done for you now. Let me tell you what I mean. Those thoughts?"

"How do you know about that?" Wavepaw interrupted, shocked and horrified.

"I know far too much." Pondfrost sighed, then tilted her head towards him. "Listen. There is something to be done about those thoughts. They're a product of your distance."

"What do you mean?" Wavepaw demanded, then recoiled as the cat's face twisted in anger.

Suddenly, the cat in front of him no longer seemed a still born, dead spirit kit. As she swelled in anger, Wavepaw stepped backwards, increasing the distance between himself and his insane-looking spirit-sister.

"Listen!" She roared, then dropped her mew to a deathly whisper. "There is a way to stop these thoughts. You need to see Lightningpaw. Lightningpaw can help you."

"But she won't talk to me! And how am I supposed to get to ThunderClan?" Wavepaw demanded, lashing his plumy tail. "We don't even share a border with tham, and it's the middle of the night!"

"You'll find a way." Pondfrost promised, fading.

"What? Wait!" He called, leaping towards the fading spirit.

It was too late. His still-born sister was gone, floating away through StarClan. He hissed in frustration as his paws lashed through empty air.

The land around him began to dissipate as the dream faded, no matter how much he yowled to the open sky for answers.

...

Wavepaw opened his eyes, glancing around fearfully for a glimpse of the strange cat that had visited him in his dreams, but there was no sign of the gray, white, and silver cat.

He shivered, remembering the cat's intense words. _Those thoughts are a product of your distance. But what does that mean?_ He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again, studying the dark den. _Dark den... great StarClan! It's barely past moon-high! What is with me waking up in the middle of the night like this? I'm RiverClan, not stinking ShadowClan!_

Sighing, he curled his fluffy silver tail over his nose and tried to sleep.

 _No! Please!_ The screams of Lightningpaw broke into his conciousness. _What's happening? Is Lightningpaw in trouble? If it's that fox-heart, Breezepaw, I swear, I'll tear out his stomach and feed it to the minnows. I need to see her!_

His pelt burning with urgency, Wavepaw leapt to his paws and raced out of the den. His vision was blinded by worry and fear for Lightningpaw, but his paws knew the right direction instinctively.

 _Lightningpaw. Lightningpaw. Lightningpaw._ His heart pounded out. _I need to see her. Is this was Pondfrost meant? A product of our distance... can I destroy the thoughts and screams by getting closer to her?_

His blurred vision gradually grew clearer, until he could see that he was nearing the swampy border of RiverClan and WindClan. His pawsteps slowed until he was barely moving forwards. _Can I do this?_ He wondered, pausing in the cold air. It was a temperature at which when he stood completely still, he hovered on the edge of freezing and normal, but when a breeze blew, or he moved, an icy wave washed over his fur.

 _Thinking about Lightningpaw like that... is bad. But so long as no one finds out, I'm okay... If I cross the border, I'll be trespassing._ He realized. _That's breaking the warrior code._

He could feel the mud giving way beneath his feet as he sank into the marsh. _I've got to decide. Try to get rid of the thoughts, but risk punishment... or live with the fact that I'm a monster._ He thought. _No. I need to cure myself. I need to see Lightningpaw._

With his mind made up, he took and deep breath and stepped towards the border.

 _At what price? I can't do it!_ Wavepaw turned around, hoping no cat had seen how close he had been to crossing, when a thought crashed against his mind with the force of a badger. Lightningpaw running away, blood dripping behind her, as he ran towards her, claws savaging the earth with every step he took. _No! What have I done? I need her!_

Shaking, he forced himself to turn back around and take another couple quavering pawsteps until he was just across the border, standing on WindClan territory.

Then he heard a loud snarl, and his drooping head snapped up to see what had made the noise. He barely saw a flash of cream beneath the moonlight before he heard another, sharper and lower yowl of attack from the large heather bush directly across from him.

There was barely a heart-beat of twisting fur, hissing growls, and unsheathed claws, before he was pinned under the claws of a furious cream she-cat with brown flecks, whose green eyes blazed with fury under the light of the stars.

"W- what?" He squealed, whipping his head back and forth. "What's going on?"

"You!" The cream she-cat snarled. "You're _his_ son, aren't you?"

 _Fallowspots? How does she know Fallowspots?_ Wavepaw's thoughts were twisted with panic. _Play dumb, play dumb..._

"Whose?" He tried to make his voice as normal as a cat's could be when pinned under the claws of an enemy warrior who obviously had some sort of issue with his father.

"Oatpad, back off." A tall, lithe golden she-cat ordered authoritatively, stepping forwards. "Who are you, and why are you on WindClan territory?"

 _Why are you on WindClan territory?_ _Oatpad._ _Why are you on WindClan territory?_ _I've heard that name before._ The words rang emptily in his ears. _Why am I on WindClan territory? Why in StarClan's name am I on WindClan territroy on the middle of the night?! What am I doing?!_ _Where have I heard her name before?!_

"Wavepaw!" Oatpad growled, snapping him out of his daze. "Answer her!"

"It's not my fault!" He flailed under her. "I'm not to blame! It's a spell!"

 _Pondfrost! What has she done to me? I can't be on WindClan territory!_ Wavepaw shrieked internally.

"What are you mewing about?" The golden she-cat tilted her head in confusion.

"I didn't do it!" Wavepaw bristled, the conversation with his dead sister invading his thoughts and sucking any common sense he might have otherwise used. "She's making me!"

Wavepaw's tail lashed from side to side, and his eyes blinked open and shut quickly as he tried to get a grip on himself.

"What do you mean?" He bit back a hiss at the grating sound of Breezepaw's, his enemy's, voice. "What's wrong with you? What's happening? Why are you doing this?"

Before Wavepaw could contain himself, he felt his blazing blue eyes catch Breezepaw's concerned green gaze and pin it there.

" _You_." His voice was sharper and colder than the point of an icicle.

The gray tabby standing next to Breezepaw leaned over and murmured something in his ear. The gesture reminded Wavepaw so much of what Creampelt did to Fallowspots that Wavepaw felt a stab of gratitude to the gray stranger for distracting Breezepaw from Lightningpaw's perfection.

His gaze snapped back to the cream and brown-flecked queen.

"Get off our territory." Her breath was hot on his face. "And tell your _mother_ that Oatpad says hello."

Wavepaw stared at her, utterly perplexed as to what the dangerous request could mean. He had heard his mother whispering Oatpad's name in her sleep once... that's where he'd heard it! Cloudfall had said her name.

Not wanting to be around a cat whose name his mother had said with such venom, unconciouslessly, for another moment, Wavepaw shot off from under her claws, back across the border, and streaked towards the camp.

As he raced back, he realized he had completely failed to see Lightningpaw. He would need to live with his dark thoughts for longer than he expected.

 **Ugh. I had trouble writing this one. Stressing about work 'n' stuff that I need to do... Not fun. But I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I don't think I screwed up anything too royally, unless I did, in which case I will probably fix it.**

 **Lightningstrike is getting the bonus scene for being the 75TH FRICKING REVIEWER. 75. HOW DID THAT EVEN HAPPEN?! Thanks. Thanks, thanks, thanks. So much I can't even say to you all.**

 **We've hit a couple milestones with all this. 75 reviews, as I am going to internally gush about for a little longer, and second of all, 50 000 words! How did that happen? I... WOW. I didn't think this crazy little plot idea of mine and the support of you guys was going to drive me so far...**

 **Please stay tuned for the bonus scene and the next chapter.**

 **Don't forget to review! 75. That still isn't really processing.**

 **Pondfrost**


	22. Dark: The Shadow Tactician

**Yay! More TEOA!**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Starrysong of NatureClan: Hmm. The real question is, is that the real Pondfrost?**

 **Lightningstrike: Hehehehe. Interesting. Well, I'm absolutely certain there are still PLOT TWISTS I have planned that will take your nose by surprise.**

 **Snowcrystal of ThunderClan: I am the still-born :'(. Poor Cloudfall and Fallowspots. It would really suck to have a kitten who died. If anyone remembers, in the prologue, that super concerned father dude was Fallowspots... the question is, what happened?**

 **Kai Lover911: Haha, glad you still like him. Tigerstar? Well, he's not** _ **quite**_ **that ambitious, but he is super obssessed with Lightningpaw... So... hmmm...**

 **So this is the nighttime happenings from Darkpaw's perspective. Here we go!**

Chapter 20. (Great StarClan! Twenty already?! How in Silverpelt did that happen?!)

Darkpaw stepped into the apprentice's den, yawning. Even though the events of the day had been tiring at most, due to her early birth, Darkpaw felt as though she had been racing around the pine forest all day.

"Hello, Darkpaw." Olivepaw nodded to her, already settled into his nest. "What did you and Lionpaw do today? We didn't see you at all! We went hunting by the RiverClan border-"

"I gave fresh moss to the queens and the medicine cats." She said shortly, sitting in her nest and beginning to groom her tortoise-shell and white fur. "Want some?"

"Oh, yes please!" Robinpaw chimed in. "I don't know if I'll ever get this fishy stink out of my fur!"

Rolling her dark amber eyes, Darkpaw slipped back outside and hauled in a large ball of moss. Shredding some of it with her claws, she lined her nest more thoroughly. She sighed in comfort as she relaxed her stiffened limbs against its springy softness, and closed her eyes.

"Thanks Darkpaw! You're the best!" Olivepaw exclaimed.

 _Whatever..._ She thought as she drifted off into sleep. _Go fawn over Lionpaw. I don't want any cat except... No! He's from WindClan! I can't!_

"Something wrong?" Primrosepaw inquired, lifting her head from her nest.

"Nothin'." She muttered, laying down once more.

 _I have to stop thinking about him. Focusing on being the best warrior I can be is the best thing I can do. Darkstar. Remember the dream. Darkstar. Darkstar._

Her leader name swung through her head, lulling her to sleep.

...

"Daaaarkpaw." Someone drawled above her. "Wakey wakey!'

She blinked open her sleep-stuck eyes, annoyed at being woken. Darkpaw glanced up at the intruder, and quickly realized it was Primrosepaw.

"What do you want?" She snapped.

Primrosepaw rumbled a purr of laughter, flicking Darkpaw's nose with her white and ginger tail.

"Hey!" Darkpaw protested as Primrosepaw sauntered out of the dark den. "Where are you going?"

Recieving no answer from the rapidly disappearing tabby, Darkpaw grumbled to herself and hauled herself out of the nest.

Jaws splitting open in another huge yawn, she stretched luxuriously. She fluffed out her short pelt in an effort to make a stand against the frozen air battering her. Sniffing in annoyance, she realized it was no longer green-leaf, and was rapidly transforming into leaf-fall.

The moon hung brightly in the dark sky frosted in glittering stars, demonstrating that it was probably near moon-high.

Darkpaw hissed. Why had Primrosepaw woken her up at such a time? Unless...

She sighed. It was night training, wasn't it? _Ugh. I don't want to train... I'm so tired._ She thought, growling.

She realized that wasn't entirely true. The darkened world of the night seemed to be offering her its strength. Confused, she reached out, touching the strange energy.

Gasping, she felt it rush into her. Darkpaw felt as though as the stress and exhaustion was melting right off her paws like snow in the middle of green-leaf. She could barely feel the chill of the air anymore.

Energy renewed, Darkpaw bounced over to where Primrosepaw sat with her tail curled over her paws, a smug expression masking the energy that she also seemed to have rushing through her body.

"So why are we up at moon-high?" Darkpaw questioned eagerly, turning to Wildwind, who she realized was standing with a large group of warriors, some of which Darkpaw recognized as the mentors of the other apprentices, but some where simply regular warriors. "Night training?"

"That's right!" Foxwhisker sprang to her paws, flicking her bushing white-tipped tail. "So let's not waste any time!"

Darkpaw suppressed a purr of amusement at Olivepaw's overenthusiastic mentor. She padded over to Wildwind, who was casting a quelling look at Foxwhisker.

"Come on, then, we're going by the ThunderClan border and the green-leaf two-legs place," Mousepelt nodded to the others, and set off towards the border.

Because of her shorter legs, she needed to move them faster to keep up with the rest of the cats, but Darkpaw found it much easier now that the night had given her strength.

Sprinting through the black forest, surrounded by her Clanmates who supported her, energy surging through her tiny body, Darkpaw felt light-headed, happiness sparking through her whole being.

"Wow, Darkpaw, I thought I was the fast one!" Lionpaw exclaimed, running alongside her.

Her eyes stinging from the cold air, she replied cuttingly, annoyed at the way Lionpaw said it.

"Well, I'm fast too."

"Oh, I'm sure you are, that was just my thing before," Lionpaw shrugged, increasing her speed.

Frowning, Darkpaw matched her sister's acceleration and shot past her, running shoulder to shoulder with her mentor, Wildwind.

"Well, Darkpaw, how does it feel to be part of a patrol of some of the strongest warriors that ShadowClan has to offer?" Wildwind asked, amused at the shining look in her eyes.

"It's amazing! I can't believe any cat would want to be part of any other mouse-brained Clan, when ShadowClan is the best!" She burst out enthusiastically.

"Well, you're obviously ShadowClan through and through." Wildwind remarked. "Are you ready for night training?"

"I was _born_ ready!" Darkpaw squealed, doing a little hop as she weaved and ducked through the forest, never straying from Wildwind's side.

Wildwind rumbled in amusement. Darkpaw felt a rush of affection for her mentor, caught up in the late night and rush of exhilaration.

Glancing to one side, she saw Primrosepaw and her littermates charging ahead next to their mentors. Darkpaw blinked, noticing the way they all seemed to possess the same rush that was overtaking Darkpaw. She turned her head, spotting Lionpaw rushing alongside Shiningsnow. At first look, Lionpaw seemed just as energetic as the rest of them, but as Darkpaw studied her closer, she realized that Lionpaw's golden pelt clipped on the slick bark of the pine trees every so often, suggesting Lionpaw's night vision wasn't as good as the rest of theirs.

Darkpaw opened her jaws to call to her sister, but didn't bother. Her happy bubble was barely budged by Lionpaw, and she was glad.

"We're here!" Mousepelt called back through the trees.

"Finally!" Primrosepaw skidded to a halt besides Darkpaw. "Thought I was going to turn into a WindClan cat with all that running!"

"You got a problem with WindClan?" Darkpaw bristled, thinking of Breezepaw's soft green eyes in the darkness.

"Keep your fur on, lizard-brain." Primrosepaw rolled her eyes.

Darkpaw's pelt rose a little along her spine, but she forced it to lie flat with a sigh. _Primrosepaw will be Primrosepaw._

"Okay! Listen up, every cat!" Foxwhisker yelled, waving her tail for their attention. "Remember your team, I'm only saying this once! One team will be over there-" she flicked her tail towards a thick, brambly bush that grew across the little streambed that they stood on. "-and the other team will be on this side of the stream, and their camp will be that juniper bush over there. It will be Team Bramble against Team Juniper! Listen up for your teams! Apprentices, you'll be with whatever team your mentors are on, so stick with them!"

"Well, get on with it then." Sootfire grumbled.

"Shut your trap, Sootfire." Foxwhisker snapped, then swept on without a moment of hesitation. "Grumpy badger, that is, Sootfire, Feathermist, Shiningsnow, and Silverpuddle will be Team Juniper! Off you go! And then the rest of us, me, Wildwind, Voleheart, Mousepelt, and Frostsong will be Team Bramble!"

"Team Juniper!" Lionpaw and Primrosepaw chorused, bouncing up and down.

"Did every warrior in the camp come?" Darkpaw tilted her head in confusion.

"Nearly." Wildwind confirmed. "This is a very important part of ShadowClan training, so with five apprentices, no cat wanted to be left out."

Darkpaw's heart warmed a little at the thought that every warrior wanted to be part of their apprentice experience.

"Huh." She mewed in wonder. "That's so... so nice!"

"Don't get used to it." Wildwind visibly failed to suppress a purr of amusement. "They'd just as soon rip the pelt off of an enemy warrior."

"Enemy warrior, sure, but I'm not one." Darkpaw countered, following Wildwind across the stream towards their bramble hide-out.

"Alright!" Her mentor took charge immediately, being the most senior warrior on the team. "As many of you know, and some of you don't, the aim is to take the other team by surprise with an ambush and capture their camp, in true ShadowClan fashion!"

A couple cats caterwauled their support.

"Okay, okay, that's enough." Wildwind waved his tail for silence, then continued. "So we've got to come up with a sneaky tactic to take them out. Suggestions?"

"Full-frontal attack?" Frostsong, Darkpaw's foster mother, suggested.

"I said _ambush,_ Frostsong." Wildwind rolled his eyes. "That's the point of this."

"Exactly, so they won't be expecting it, right?" Frostsong retorted weakly.

There was a pause where every cat looked uncomfortable, then Wildwind carried on.

"Any cat else?"

"What if-" Darkpaw was cut off by Voleheart.

"Send two groups, one on either side, and flank them!" Voleheart called out, his yellow eyes alight with competition.

"Yeah!" Ratpaw, his apprentice, supported him.

"A good idea, but it's been a hard season, and we don't have enough cats to pull it off." Wildwind sighed. "Shame. Anything else?"

Gathering her courage, Darkpaw tried again.

"How about we send one small cat to make some noise in one direction, then have the rest of the group sneak around them and attack?" She offered, praying silently the others would like her suggestion.

There was a pause, where Darkpaw was certain every other cat could hear her heart beating like mad, and then Olivepaw said:

"I like it!"

"It might work." Voleheart agreed grudgingly.

"Hmm." Wildwind appeared to contemplate her idea for a couple heartbeats. "It could work. Not the most ingenious we've ever had, but we've nothing better."

Darkpaw deflated a little from her mentor's harsh judgement.

"Don't worry, Wildwind's known to be the cleverest strategists in ShadowClan." Mousepelt told her. "He's won us wars. When he was younger, he was known as the Shadow tactician. Ivystar wanted him to be deputy, but he declined her offer, instead suggesting his prodigious young ex-apprentice, Ravenwing. The fact he accepted your idea at all speaks in volumes."

"Oh. Really?" Darkpaw felt her mood bounce back, pleased at her mentor's accomplishements. "I thought he seemed like a grumpy old badger to be one of the most senior and respected warriors in ShadowClan..."

"Don't let him hear you say that!" Mousepelt warned, his amber eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Alright, since Darkpaw came up with it, it's only fair that she is the one to make the distraction." Wildwind ordered.

"But she's barely six moons old!" Ratpaw protested, then snapped his muzzle shut at Wildwind's stony look.

"Nearly seven!" Darkpaw retorted.

"And you're not even a warrior, but in ShadowClan, any cat can be the best." Wildwind thrust his muzzle closer to Ratpaw. "She hasn't had enough battle training to be part of the battle patrol anyway."

Even though it was true, the comment stung and Darkpaw restrained from snapping at her mentor. She was pleased that he saw fit to put her in the most important position for this attack, even if it was only for pretend.

"Alright, Darkpaw, listen." Wildwind drew her aside for a moment. "No matter _what_ happens, I don't want you caught it the fighting, you need to draw them away. Even if you can only take away half of them, that's enough. If they after you, run deeper into ShadowClan territory. Don't get stuck in the stream, and _don't_ , in _any_ circumstance, cross the border."  
"Got it." Darkpaw nodded smartly, ready.

"Good stuff." Wildwind flicked his tail over her shoulder, guiding her back to the group. "Let's do it! For ShadowClan!"

"ShadowClan!" The rest of the patrol echoed enthusiastically.

"All hail to the Shadow tactician!" Mousepelt yowled, amusement ripe in his voice.

"No one's called me that in a _long_ time." Wildwind couldn't hold back his quick grin at the title.

"The Shadow tactician!" The patrol called, some joking, others serious.

"Move out!" Wildwind ordered, springing to his paws and stalking out of the bush, the rest hot on his heels.

Darkpaw pricked her ears, listening as the minimal sounds of the patrols disappeared.

She crept out of the bush, trying to spot the patrol, but they were hidden in the thick night air, even Frostsong.

Shrugging, she slunk around in the opposite direction, towards the stream. Pausing to scent the air, she dropped her belly into the mud by the stream, coating her white spots in a thick layer of goop to hide them.

Wrinkling her nose in distaste at the unpleasant stench from the mud, Darkpaw charged into the shallow water of the stream, high-stepping like a deer, trying not to let the mud wash off or let her fur get soaked.

"... if I know, he'll try something sneaky. We're staying on guard..." A voice faded into Darkpaw's ears.

She identified it as Silverpuddle, probably planning with her team.

 _She must be close by,_ Darkpaw thought. _I need to be careful._

Scenting the air for the tang of juniper, she changed directions slightly and slipped into a dense bracken bush that was less than five fox-lengths from the dark, spiky leaves of Team Juniper's hide-out.

Taking a deep breath, Darkpaw tried to lower her voice to around Voleheart's pitch as she batted a longer frond of bracken with her paws, making it rattle.

"Watch it, fox-heart!" Darkpaw changed her voice to try to imitate Foxwhisker. "That was Mousepelt, not me!"

"Did you hear that?" Feathermist's sharp voice demanded. "I think that was Foxwhisker!"

"They're trying to creep up on us." Silverpuddle snorted. "Come on, Feathermist, Shiningsnow, and Lionpaw and Primrosepaw, we've got to go check that out."

"Yes!" Darkpaw muttered under her breath, and then changed her voice to imitate Wildwind's. "Mouse-brains! Both of you shut up or they'll catch us!"

"And Wildwind too?" Shiningsnow's mew sharpened wiht suspicion.

 _Uh-oh, she suspects something, come on Darkpaw!_ Darkpaw thought furiously, trying to come up with something.

Keeping her Wildwind voice, she said:

"I'm going around the back, Foxwhisker come with me. The rest of you, stay here and hold them off." She prayed that would be enough to throw Shiningsnow off. For extra effect, she added in her own voice. "Are you sure, Wildwind? Of course I'm sure, come on Darkpaw!"

Stifling a purr of amusement as the voices became louder, calling over each other to try to find a solution to what appeared to be a growing problem.

"I should attack Wildwind and Foxwhisker and Darkpaw, and the rest of you take out the patrol!" Silverpuddle snarled.

"One cat versus three? I don't think so." Shiningsnow countered.

Amusement bubbling up inside her, Darkpaw added more.

"Ravenwing? What are you doing here?" Switching out of her Wildwind voice, she tried to imitate Ivystar's light, sharp tone. "We've come to help. Silverpuddle needs to be taken down a notch."

"What?" Silverpuddle's indignant mew emerged from the juniper bush. "I'm going after them! Lionpaw, Primrosepaw, Shiningsnow, let's go!"

Darkpaw's heart jumped a little at her furious tone, but held on to her confidence and put in:

"Even us elders can help!" She cringed at her awful Maplenose impression, but Silverpuddle seemed to angry to care.

"Get them!" The one-eyed she-cat yowled, crashing towards the bracken bush.

Amusement spilling out of her mouth, Darkpaw charged deeper into ShadowClan territory, tossing behind her in her Ivystar voice:

"Silverpuddle fell for it! Now, Wildwind!" With an angry yowl, Silverpuddle ran faster, Shiningsnow and their respective apprentices behind her. "Come on, Darkpaw! We've got to give them a surprise!"

Caught up in the ridiculousness of the situation, Darkpaw began saying the first thing that came to her.

"I love you, Shiningsnow!" She yowled in her Wildwind voice, then turned to an Olivepaw voice. "Lionpaw! Come with me! Be my mate, we'll have cute kittens!"

At her last remark, Darkpaw finally lost it and dived into a bush so she could have a giggling fit without any cat finding her.

"Catch them!" Shiningsnow growled, sounding angrier than Darkpaw had ever heard her.

"Wait, what?" Lionpaw's mew was shocked.

Taking a deep breath, Darkpaw thought of another amazing way to trick the confounded patrol.

"I'm coming, Olivepaw!" Darkpaw called in a Lionpaw voice, then switched to Silverpuddle. "Shiningsnow, go back to the juniper bush!"

"O- okay?" Shiningsnow sounded confused, but she turned tail and ran.

"Wait!" The real Silverpuddle called after her, fury ripping through her words.

"What should I do?" Darkpaw asked in a high kit voice, trying to sound like Poolkit, then deepened it a little to imitate Duskkit. "What about me? Poolkit shouldn't get all the fun!"

"Mudkit? Poolkit?" Primrosepaw sounded absolutely bewildered. "What in StarClan's name is going on?"

"Some cat's playing a trick on us!" Lionpaw snarled, but Darkpaw detected a tinge of embarrassment.

"Wait! I don't mean that! Come back Olivepaw!" Darkpaw called out in her sister's voice, then switched to the aforementioned gray tom. "I love you, Lionpaw, but you can't treat me like mouse-dung! No! Olivepaw, I love you!"

"That's not me!" Lionpaw squeaked.

"Lionpaw, shut your mouth!" Darkpaw snapped in a Shiningsnow voice. "Shiningsnow, I thought I told you to go back to the bush! I know, Silverpuddle, but I couldn't fight Wildwind, I love him!"

"Darkpaw?" Primrosepaw mewed suspiciously.

"Yes, Primrosepaw?" She mewed in her normal voice, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"Yes!" The real Wildwind's triumphant yowl rang over the patrol. "Team Bramble wins! The juniper is ours!"

Purring loudly, Darkpaw leapt out of the bush and revealed herself to the patrol, and then gasped as Silverpuddle leapt onto her, pinning her.

"Where's Ivystar?" Silverpuddle's gray eye rolled crazily.

"I- I made her up! She's not here, I was just making her voice..." Darkpaw squeaked, unsure of how to explain it.

"Well played," Silverpuddle suddenly let her go.

Gasping in a relieved breath, Darkpaw shot back off towards the juniper bush, where Wildwind stood.

"We did it!" Darkpaw exclaimed, running up to her mentor and flicking her tail happily.

"Indeed we did." Wildwind looked down at her, amusement in his eyes. "Might I ask what you did to distract them? Whatever it was, it worked."

"I... I imitated voices to make them think things were happening..." She trailed off, unsure of how to explain it. "Look out for Shiningsnow."

"Shiningsnow?" Wildwind's bewildered mew was cut off as a fluffy white shape barreled into him, knocking him clean off his paws.

"You- I-" Shiningsnow sounded absolutely furious, so different from how she usually was.

"Shiningsnow, it was me!" Darkpaw cried out, not wanting to see the fluffy white she-cat shred her mentor in front of her. "I said... all those things."

Shiningsnow paused, then whipped around and stalked away.

"Come on, let's go." Wildwind sounded confused, but he herded the exhausted patrol back to camp nonetheless.

 **Sorry if this was really random, but it was extremely fun to write. Don't forget a review!**

 **If anyone likes Fairy Tail, Shadow tactician is the Fairy Tactician. (Mavis-san)**

 **P.S. Lightningstrike, still waiting for your bonus scene ;)**

 **~Pondfrost**


	23. Lightning: Shy Breezes and Lizards

**HEEEEY.**

 **;) I'm back. After lateness and procra beating, I'M BACK.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Song of the Rain: Great! Glad you like it!**

 **Bumblestorm (Guest): Thanks! Nice reviews like that make my day!**

 **Ivyyleaf: Shuddup. XD**

 **KaiLover911: I didn't even plan that, it was supposed to be a more plot-driven chapter, and ended up... like that.**

 **Starrysong of NatureClan: I tend to be.**

 **So, I'm not sure how y'all are going to like this, but it's gonna be a one moon timeskip, another Gathering, one moon into their apprenticeships... It's because this story's focal point is their growing relationships with one another, and apart from Gatherings, cats from different Clans don't interact with each other.**

 **It's necessary for me to write a lot of Gathering chapters, but don't worry, the majority of chapters about their apprenticeship will be actual training and stuff.**

 **I know this A/N is getting long, but side note, I rewrote some of the prologue so that my traffic stats wouldn't tell me that more than half the readers didn't even read on to the second part of the prologue :(. GIVE ME A CHANCE, PLEEEEASE.**

 **Without further ado, Gathering #2, Lightningcheese edition!**

Chapter 21.

"Alright, apprentices!" Hollybird yowled over their clamoring. "As all of you know, tonight is a full moon. The Gathering _is_ tonight, and whether or not you may go is about to be decided. Thornstar has decided that ThunderClan is to be represented only by its very best apprentices. That means, if you want to go, you need to succeed at this task."

"So what _is_ this mysterious task?" Slatepaw interjected.

Lightningpaw had been about to ask the same, but from the icy look Hollybird shot Slatepaw, she was glad she hadn't.

"The _task_ is really quite simple." Hollybird replied primly. "First three apprentices to bring back four good-sized pieces of prey will attend. _Mice_ count as half, therefore you may bring back two voles, a squirrel, and two mice, and that will be four."

"May we catch more than four?" Lightningpaw worded the inquiry carefully, not wanting to incur the wrath of an irate Hollybird.

"You may."

"So we can catch ..." Vixenpaw's eyes drifted upwards in thought. "Eight mice, and that counts as four?"

Halfear nodded, exchanging a glance with Hollybird.

"But-" Rainpaw's irritated mew was cut off by Daisytail.

"Go!" Her call rang through the forest.

Lightningpaw forget any interest she might have had in Rainpaw's question and shot off into the trees, pumping her legs as fast as she could, eager to find a place to hunt where no other apprentice could interrupt. She slowed, pricking her ears to find out if any cat had followed her, but other than a distant cry of a cat, likely across the ShadowClan border, she heard nothing.

Coming to a complete halt, Lightningpaw inhaled deeply, searching through the scents to find the juicy and promising scent of a nearby squirrel.

Lightningpaw licked her chops. Leaf fall had already made hunting harder, albeit prettier, and a catch like a squirrel would earn her many compliments. And feed a lot of cats too, she supposed.

Brushing off the pointless thoughts, she picked through the possible places the squirrel was hiding.

 _Well, that leaf's where the scent's strongest, but_ that _leaf is rustling. That bush is close to a big cluster of nuts, so- wait!_ Lightningpaw's eyes traced a flash of gray fur and a bushy tail across the leaf-littered clearing, pausing only for a brief heart-beart to snag a beech nut off the hard packed earth and then skittered away, up a tree. _Ha! You think you're safe? I'm an apprentice of ThunderClan, I'll catch you no matter where you go._

She felt a flash of excitement at a chance to use her tree-hunting skills and actually catch some real prey.

Smooth and silent as a snake, she swarmed up the trunk of the beech tree, her brown fur blending in perfectly, only her stark white stripes betraying her location. Biting back a hiss of pain as one of her claws snagged on the tough bark, she maneouvered herself onto the thick branch where the fat gray squirrel stood, nibbling one of the nuts and rapidly turning it in its tiny claws.

Lightningpaw crept towards it, stepping lightly as Blackpool had shown her. The squirrel paused its rapid chewing, and Lightningpaw held her breath, praying it hadn't seen her.

The moment the squirrel resumed chowing down on the nut, she struck as hard and fast as her namesake.

Flicking it into the air like Blackpool had done less than a quarter-moon before, she then followed up the deft movement with a quick downwards slash of her paw, hoping to end the squirrel's life quickly and virtually painlessly.

Lightningpaw's stab of triumph was stolen as she heard a loud thud, a stunned squeak, and then the noise of the squirrel scampering away.

Her thought process was slower than a kit trying to wade through mud, but she eventually came to the conclusion that the squirrel had escaped because she had misjudged the flick and sent it over the branch, crashing down into the forest floor below.

Nearly choking on a snarl, she threw herself off the branch after it, not even bothering to arrange her legs to land safely the way Blackpool had drilled into her.

She hit the ground hard, and staggered sideways, her hindleg on fire.

"Ah!" Lightningpaw inhaled sharply at the fiery pain boiling through her leg. "My leg!"

The squirrel forgotten, Lightningpaw collapsed to the ground, mewling, and blacked out.

...

"W-where am I?" Lightningpaw raised her head, looking around blearily.

The dim forest that greeted her was very familiar.

"Oh no! It's almost sunset!" She gasped, horrified. "I haven't caught _anything_!"

The thought of Breezepaw's soft green gaze spurred her to her paws, but she only managed a few limping steps before she had to stop. _I can't go to the Gathering if I catch nothing! And that's assuming three apprentices haven't already made it back. Which I'm sure they have._ She concluded grimly, steeling her resolve and managing another few fox-lengths. _I can't even smell any-_ what _in_ StarClan's _name is_ that _?_

She closed her golden eyes, tasting the air deeply, relishing the juicy smell of a thrush, two mice, a fat vole, and the wonderfully plump gray squirrel she had scented before.

Eyes still closed, she followed her nose to a pile of leaf-litter. _Huh?_ She scented the air again, confused at how such tantalizing scents could be coming from a pile of dead leaves, when she realized the whole delicious smell was overlaid with the tinge of blood. _Fresh-kill! But whose? A rogue, perhaps?_ As much as she wanted to believe the thought, the scent of her Clanmate was unmistakable. _It could be a rogue. In any case, I shouldn't leave this here, a fox will get it. I'll just... take it back. They needn't know I didn't exactly... catch it..._

Pelt searing with guilt, Lightningpaw pawed the dead mulch aside and snatched up the large pieces of juicy prey, and set back off towards the heart of ThunderClan territory, where Daisytail had first called 'Go'.

"Lightningpaw?" Slatepaw's shocked mew emerged from the clump of horsetail to her right.

 _Slatepaw?_ Lightningpaw wondered guiltily. _Is all this hers?_

"Wow, Lightningpaw!" Her sister's gray-blue eyes shone with admiration in the fading light. "You sure caught a lot! All I found was this tough old shrew."

Lightningpaw purred in amusement and relief as her sister pawed the aforementioned meager catch.

"Do you know if any of the other apprentices made it back yet?" Lightningpaw asked, giddy with relief.

"I'm sure Vixenpaw's almost finished, last I saw her she was stalking the fattest pigeon I've seen in my life." Slatepaw purred. "Rainpaw went in the same direction as me, but I haven't seen so much as a whisker from him. I'm sure he's doing fine, though, and-"

"Petalpaw?" Lightningpaw cut in anxiously.

"She's done, I'm pretty sure- whoa!" Slatepaw hopped backwards as Lightningpaw raced off.

"Sorry, gotta run!" Lightningpaw called behind her.

She heard a snort from Slatepaw, but ignored it, and kept sprinting, her white-banded tail streaming out behind her.

 _If Petalpaw's back already, you can bet that Oakpaw's done too. Rosepaw, she's more of a fighter, I think, but her hunting crouch is almost perfected. Mallowpaw, I'm not too sure._ Lightningpaw catalogued the other apprentices based on hunting and fighting skill, tried to make an educated guess about who had made it back. _If I'm lucky, I'll beat Rosepaw back and it'll be me, Oakpaw, and Petalpaw at the Gathering._

With renewed confidence, Lightningpaw stretched out her legs further with each stride, trying to cover more ground with each bound.

"Daisytail!" She gasped, skidding to a halt in front of the young warrior. "I caught- the four- pieces of- prey, so can- I go to the- Gathering?"

"Slow down!" Daisytail purred, shaking her head. "Young cats, always rushing around like their pelts are on fire."

"Ha. Wasn't that many moons you were an apprentice, now was it?" Halfear rumbled good-naturedly, coming up beside her.

"Yeah, but-" Daisytail stopped herself. "Sorry, you were asking if you were one of the first three, right?"

Lightningpaw nodded, panting, and dipped her head to the warrior.

"Vixenpaw and Rosepaw have finished." Halfear declared, flicking his patchy tail to the two ginger and white apprentices.

"What of Oakpaw and Petalpaw?" Lightningpaw asked, blinking nervously.

"Still hunting, far as I know." Daisytail shrugged.

"So that means..." Lightningpaw flicked her ear excitedly.

"You're going to the Gathering." Hollybird confirmed, coming up beside the group of mentors and apprentice. "Glad to have you with us tonight, Lightningpaw. I'm sure that-"

"I'm done! I've got four- oh." Slatepaw's triumphant yowl was cut off as she saw Rosepaw, Vixenpaw, and Lightningpaw standing with their large piles of prey in front of their paws. "I... well, hope you all have fun at the Gathering."

"The elders will thank you for catching all this." Hollybird comforted her. "There will be more Gatherings, and besides, you went to the last one."

Slatepaw muttered something, dropped her prey, and sulked off towards camp.

"She'll be okay. I remember that as an apprentice, I only got to go to _one_ Gathering." Halfear purred, his eyes misting with half-forgotten memories. "That was mostly my own fault, though."

"Well, if Slatepaw wanted to go to the Gathering, she should have caught four pieces of prey before the rest of you did." Hollybird declared sharply. "Her own failure punishes nobody but herself."

Lightningpaw bit back a nasty comment, but she knew that would only revoke her chance to go to the Gathering.

"Hollybird." Halfear said snippily. "I don't see you saying anything like that to your son, and besides, Slatepaw did complete the task, she just didn't complete it as quickly as these three hunting prodigies."

At Halfear's warm glance, Rosepaw and Vixenpaw puffed out their chests in pride, whereas Lightningpaw shrank away in shame. She didn't deserve any of that praise, she hadn't even caught anything. For all she knew, she had stolen Petalpaw or Oakpaw's catches and that was why they weren't back yet.

"Well-" Lightningpaw's tentative protest was cut off by a hearty nudge from Daisytail that nearly sent her sprawling.

"Nonsense, you've done wonderfully to catch such a squirrel in weather like this." Hollybird said icily, obviously not having forgotten Halfear's snipe at her attitude.

"That's not entirely true." Halfear countered, then sent an abashed look at Lightningpaw, as though she would be hurt that he was discounting her catch. "What I mean is, squirrels are always a little more risky and desperate getting close to leaf-bare, so it would have been easier to catch."

"I had to climb a tree to try to catch it!" Lightningpaw exclaimed, knowing it wasn't entirely true, but not entirely false, either.

"A well-deserved Gathering attender." Daisytail replied approvingly.

...

 _It's not going to be as fun without Slatepaw._ Lightningpaw sighed, thinking wistfully of her cheerful, rule-following sister. _Vixenpaw will probably be flirting with some ShadowClan apprentice or something. What if Wavepaw's here? What if_ Breezepaw's _here?_

"Something on your mind, Lightningpaw?" Rosepaw inquired, drifting up beside her. "Thinking of that _devastatingly_ handsome apprentice you met at last Gathering?"

Lightningpaw's breath caught in her throat. _How did she know?_

"Just kidding!" Rosepaw exclaimed, purring. "The _look_ on your _face_ was _priceless_!"

Letting breath, Lightningpaw closed her eyes, relieved beyond words. If any cat knew how much she had been thinking about Breezepaw...

"But really, what are you thinking about?" Rosepaw pushed.

"Uh..." Lightningpaw racked her brain for something to tell Rosepaw. "Thinking about... Mallowpaw?"

"Oh yeah?" Rosepaw's eyes widened with delight. "Hrmm. You know, it's going to be our warrior ceremonies in less than a moon. I wonder what my warrior name with be..."

"Something pretty, I imagine." Lightningpaw breathed wishfully.

"Ha! I hope it's _fierce_! So cats hear it and shake in their pelts!" Rosepaw flicked her ginger and white tail for emphasis. "Like... Rose... thorn? Or maybe... Rosethistle? Or Rosestem?"

"Rosestem isn't very fierce." Lightningpaw pointed out.

"The stem of a rose bush is covered in thorns." Rosepaw countered.

 _A rose bush? If I were leader, I'd name her Rosebush._ Lightningpaw thought. _Rosebush. Fierce and pretty, just like her._

"What about Roseclaw?" Lightningpaw offered.

"Boring." Rosepaw dismissed it with a flick of her tail. "Rosefang! Ooh, I hope Thornstar names me Rosefang!"

Lightningpaw shrugged. She didn't really see the appeal of it, but respected the older apprentice's opinion.

"And what for your brothers?" Lightningpaw asked, curious.

"Mallowpool and Oaktree." Rosepaw replied readily, a gleam in her eyes. "Don't you think?"

"Sure." Lightningpaw shrugged. "I hope my name is cool."

"I, Rosestar, leader of ThunderClan, name you Lightningfang." Rosepaw said with mock benevolence. "What better a name for my most prized warrior than the one I had as a warrior?"

"Never! I give up my name and become Fatty, the kitty-pet!" Lightningpaw declared. "Lightningfang's a stupid name! I wanted to be Lightningbreeze!"

"Oh really? Like that WindClan apprentice that saved you?" Rosepaw dropped all pretense of ignorance and leaned closer to Lightningpaw.

"W- what? How did you know that?" Lightningpaw gasped. "I mean- n- no, there's no apprentice-"

"News travels fast at Gatherings." Rosepaw replied with a gleam in her eye. "I know about Wavepaw, too."

"How much?" Lightningpaw asked as steadily as she could.

"Enough." Rosepaw held her gaze levelly.

She looked away, shaken. Stepping away from the older apprentice, she rejoined her Clanmates and trotted beside Blackpool.

...

 _Is he here?_ She darted a glance around the clearing, trying to spot his soft, glimmering pelt. _Will he even remember me?_

All thoughts scattered when she finally spotted Breezepaw, with his head thrown back in a throaty purr. Lightningpaw's breath caught in her throat seeing his smoother golden pelt, how he had grown!

She was about to call to him, then her thought from before crashed back into her. _What if he doesn't like me? What if he thought I was like Wavepaw?_

Suddenly, his head swung around and finally, _finally,_ those dreamy green eyes were staring straight back into hers. _Sweet StarClan._ She sucked in a breath, and worked up the nerve to go talk to him. _I'm not doing anything wrong, this is what cats do at Gatherings. Talk to each other. Right?_

"Lightningpaw!" His easy mew sent shivers down her spine. "I was worried you wouldn't come this time!"

"Ha huh, well..." She felt like she was choking on her own tongue. "Guess stuff just works out, right?"

 _Why am I so awkward?!_ She berated herself internally.

"I guess." All his confidence seemed to drain away in an instant. They just sort of looked at each other for several moments, but he finally broke the silence with another bursting, joyous cry.

"Why don't we take a walk around the island? I've never seen all of it." And then, as a nervous-but-mischievious afterthought; "Unless you're afraid of the dark, of course."

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Lightningpaw retorted, feeling a little of her old spark return. "Bring it on!"

He purred at her vigour, and they trotted off together, into the shadowy depths of the Gathering island.

"Mm, I love it here." Lightningpaw sighed, hoping to break the awkward silence between them.

"I know, right?" Breezepaw agreed, glancing at her with a sincere look in his bright eyes. "I feel so close to StarClan, with the moon shining above our heads... and knowing StarClan is watching us. I wonder if I'll ever be up there?"  
"Planning on murder?" Lightningpaw joked, butting his shoulder in a friendly manner. "I'm sure you'll make it to StarClan.

"Not murder. I'm worried I'll break the code in some other way." Suddenly, his intense gaze was pinning her to the bushes. "Don't you think you might break it, if the right cat asked you to?"  
It was phrased as a question, but it sounded like a statement to her. _The right cat asked you to. The right cat is asking._ It took her breath away, and she was lost, falling, falling into his eyes.

"Yes." _Yes, yes, anything, please Breezepaw, never stop looking at me like that._ "For the right cat, anything."

He held her gaze a moment longer, in which Lightningpaw was sure her heart stopped beating several times, then dropped it and looked away with an awkward cough. He stared at his paws, then darted a glance up at her, before looking back down at his paws.

"Um... yeah... _sooo_." Lightningpaw cringed at how awkward she sounded. "Do- you- what's your favourite kind of prey?"  
She gaped internally at how painfully her words rang in the silent air. Breezepaw glanced at her, but seemed to ignore the awkward tension and simply said;

"Well, I really like water voles and rabbits," he said tentatively.

"Oh yeah? That's cool." She stammered. "I like squirrels and... voles, too."

Breezepaw stared straight at her, then looked away, then caught her gaze again. _Why does he_ do _that?!_ She demanded to herself. _He's..._

"Lightningpaw..." He swallowed hard. "Okay. I need to tell you something. What I said earlier, uh, I mean, let me say all this before you interrupt, okay? I just... listen. I know, we're from different Clans. But I only met you last Gathering, one moon ago, I mean, of course you know that, I'm not implying you're stupid or anything, but, uh... I like you? I mean, I can't stop thinking about you. I can't. I've tried, and tried, and tried and tried, but you just hang around my head, with your sparkly eyes and overly fascinating markings, and- uh, that's not what I meant to say! You-"

She brushed her tail over his muzzle, silencing him, unable to speak with the emotions rising in her throat. _He... never in my wildest dreams... he feels the same way?_ She swallowed.

"Breezepaw... I never imagined..." Lightningpaw couldn't look away.

"Oh, uh, no, I understand, you don't feel the same way, no hard feelings, I don't even know if, well, good to see that you... uh..." His stammer broke off into silence, and he stared back at her.

"Breezepaw." She said again, watching him intently, a thousand thoughts running through her head. "Breezepaw... do you want to... meet? Outside Clan territory, of course, so we don't break any rules, and-"

"What, awkward conversations at Gatherings not enough for you?" He asked with a grin. "I would love that."

"Okay!" She felt the infectious grin spread onto her face as well. "How about... in two nights from now?"

"Okay!" He echoed cheerfully.

From that point on, their walk was nothing short of delightful, quick banter shooting back and forth between them as they walked around the darkening island.

"Clans cats!" Spottedstar's muffled yowl rang through the bushes, alerting the two apprentices. "We are ready to begin the Gathering!"

What had been left unsaid between them hung like an uninvited guest.

"I- I'd better go." Lightningpaw sighed, reluctant to leave him.

A flash of hurt darted through his eyes, before he dipped his head in understanding and walked in the opposite direction without another word.

 _Does he think I didn't want to be around him?_ She wondered. _No! That's not it at all! I just think... if some cat saw us, and assumed..._

Lightningpaw shook off the unpleasant thought and scampered over to sit with Vixenpaw.

"Heya!" Her sister greeted her. "Where were you?"

 _Uh..._

"Just walking with some other apprentices." Lightningpaw half-lied, and then quickly changed the subject. "Do you think Thornstar will announce that we won the competition?"

"Of course not," Vixenpaw dismissed with a flick of her tail, "Gatherings are for important information being shared, not gossiping about some tiny hunting thing."

"I guess," Lightningpaw digressed, relieved to be off the topic of her activities. "Look, the ShadowClan leader's starting. What's her name again?"

"Spottedstar," Vixenpaw supplied, directing her gaze to the tree where the leaders usually announced their news.

"Isn't it some kind of plant, like Ivorystar or something?" Lightningpaw argued, also staring at the black-and-white leader.

"Ivory's not a plant, mouse-brain." Vixenpaw gave her a friendly cuff over the ears. "But you're right, it's Ivystar, not Spottedstar. Spottedstar's RiverClan."

" _WindClan_." Lightningpaw told her, rolling her golden eyes.

"Whatever." Vixenpaw's mew was so dismissive, Lightningpaw wondered if any other apprentices knew this little about the other Clans.

"Shh!" Halfear turned around, hushing them.

"Shush to you, grandpa." Vixenpaw muttered in her ear, but fell silent as Ivystar began her announcement.

"ShadowClan has little to report, prey is running well among the pines." Ivystar began. "But I would like to recognize Lionpaw, Primrosepaw, Olivepaw, Robinpaw, and-"

The cheers from the ShadowClan cats were so loud that Lightningpaw could barely hear her as the ShadowClan leader said; "Darkpaw."

"Lionpaw! Primrosepaw! Olivepaw! Robinpaw! Darkpaw!" Lightningpaw called exuberantly, pleased that some of the other apprentices had done well also.

"That is all." Ivystar sat down with a satisfied nod.

"May I go?" Thornstar stepped forwards gingerly.

Wavestar and Spottedstar shrugged and flicked their tails in aquiescence, so Thornstar stepped to the edge of the branch he was balanced on and began.

"ThunderClan also has little to report," Thornstar nodded to Ivystar, "but I would like to recognize three apprentices; Rosepaw, Mallowpaw, and Oakpaw. Today, they completed their warrior assessments, and once we return to our camp, I will hold their ceremonies. ThunderClan is strong."

Once the cheering had died down and Rosepaw's head had gone back to its normal size, Snowstar stepped forwards without a glance at Spottedstar. As the smallest, youngest, and least experienced leader, he looked like a kit that had crept into the warrior's den.

"RiverClan has had a good moon of fishing and patrolling, and we also have little to report." Snowstar stated. "Prey is running well, and RiverClan is strong as ever, with two new warriors! Crowpaw and Seedpaw are now Crowstrike and Seednose! And Poolfur has moved into the nursery, expecting Badgerfur's kits."

"Crowstrike! Seednose!" Lightningpaw cheered.

"On the topic of names," Rosepaw muttered, appearing behind her, "I'd rather not be named Rosenose if it can be helped."

"Funny ring to it," Lightningpaw agreed.

"That is all," Snowstar finished, sitting back down.

"That's _all_?" Spottedstar demanded, furious, springing to her paws.

Lightningpaw hadn't noticed at all, but now she realized that during all of Snowstar's report, she had looked like a beehive about to explode in a swarm of bees. Now they were all about to get stung.

Spottedstar looked a slight bit embarrassed by her outburst, but swept on as though nothing had happened. "My warriors found a lost kitten wandering onto our territory a few nights after last Gathering."

"Really." Snowstar mewed dryly, tucking his feathery white tail over his paws neatly. "Ah, so this time it's not a stray bit of fluff, or a questionable scent, a _cat_ wandered onto your territory."

"A kit." Spottedstar corrected, annoyance creeping into her voice at his cool demeanor, obviously having expected him to explode like he had at the last Gathering.

"I'd _love_ for you to explain that." Snowstar said, colder than his name. "Considering... RiverClan has no kittens, at the moment. Poolfur is expecting, but according to Sheepbelly, it should be at least a moon before she will give birth. Unless you'd like to tell Poolfur she's had her kits already... you've made a mistake."

"No mistakes were made, unless that kit was an apprentice." Spottedstar snapped.

"How careless of you." Snowstar retorted icily.

"Easy mistake to make." Spottedstar's pale eyes glinted as she glanced down at a group of RiverClan apprentices. "According to my loyal deputy, Honeythorn, it was a silver apprentice, male, and she has reason to believe his name is Wavepaw."

 _Wavepaw?_ Lightningpaw's blood chilled. _What business did he have in_ WindClan _?_ There was a big stone in her belly telling her it had something to do with Breezepaw, but she prayed to StarClan that it was wrong.

"Wavepaw." Lightningpaw was sure she was wrong, but she could have sworn Snowstar's eyes flashed with fear as he echoed the young silver tom's name.

"Wavepaw." Spottedstar confirmed, staring down the silver apprentice. "I trust RiverClan will punish him sufficiently, and WindClan has no reason to... _get involved_?"

"Punish him?" Snowstar echoed in disbelief. "You have proof as reliable as a rabbit, and no way of showing it to us. Just one witness. Why should I punish _any_ cat?"

" _One_?" Spottestar repeated. "Snowstar, every cat knows these few seasons have been hard on the Clans, and we've less warriors than normal, but _really_ , we send out more than one warrior on each patrol."

"Your point?" Snowstar asked, each word sharper than a thorn.

"My _point_ is that I have many cats here tonight who can tell you exactly what they saw; a silver apprentice on our territory in the middle of the night!" Spottedstar snarled.

" _Really._ Please produce these cats." Snowstar drawled. "Pay attetion, cats of the Clans, Spottedstar will show us solid evidence shortly."

Hissing quietly, the WindClan leader flicked her tail to a clump of warriors.

"Oatpad, Icestorm, Breezepaw, Jaypaw, and, of course, Honeythorn." Spottedstar called out, voice level. "Please relate to Snowstar, and the _cats of the Clans_ ," Snowstar sniffed at the mockery, "what you saw that night. Honeythorn, begin."

 _Breezepaw was on the patrol?_ For a moment, Lightningpaw feared for his safety, before remembering she had been talking to him only moments before, and he had no physical injuries she had seen.

"Well," the golden deputy stepped forwards, a commanding presence, even though she wasn't on the great tree, "I was patrolling with my Clanmates and we waited by the RiverClan border to see if the white cat that we had scented and seen before would make another appearance." Every cat seemed to be hanging onto her every word, and Lightningpaw realized that if Spottedstar didn't outlive Honeythorn, the golden deputy would make a formidable leader. "We didn't see the same cat, however. This time, it was an apprentice, who looked barely old enough to be out of the nursery, running across our border in the middle of the night. We stopped him, of course, and he returned to his territory."

"Thank you." Spottedstar dipped her head to the deputy, giving Snowstar a triumphant side-eye. "Anything to add, Jaypaw?"

"No." Lightningpaw had to crane her head to spot the gray tabby speaking.

"Very well." Spottedstar nodded again. "Icestorm?"

"No, Honeythorn covered all of it." The senior warrior that had spoken at last Gathering said.

"Breezepaw?"  
Lightningpaw felt her fur warm a little at his name, and she wondered if he would say anything. She stretched up, trying to see him over the crowd of cats.

All he did was shake his head, obviously embarrassed at being singled out.

 _Aw..._ Lightningpaw felt the tiniest bit disappointed, but his adorable reaction made up for it.

"Oatpad?" Spottedstar mewed expectantly, undeterred from the denial of the others.

"Yes!" This time, Lightningpaw didn't need to move to see the cream she-cat in question, because she swelled before them, looking like a dark cloud about to explode into a thunderstorm. "The tom crossed because his mother, Cloudfall, told him to come after me!"

 _What?_ Lightningpaw was mystified by the new information. _That makes no sense._

"Uh... what?" Spottedstar looked caught off guard.

"His _mother_ , has been after me, and she-" Oatpad's furious mew rang over the puzzled cats.

"Thank you, Oatpad, that will be all," Spottedstar spoke swiftly, as though she wanted to erase the embarrassing words.

"See!" Snowstar mewed triumphantly. "How are we supposed to trust any of their words when half of them clearly weren't even on the patrol, and one of them seems to be... _confused._ "

There were a few purrs of amusements and calls of disapproval from the cats, most of them directed at Spottedstar, who looked furious.

"Would you like to finish your report?" Snowstar mewed sweetly to Spottedstar.

"Yes, sit down before you fall into that hole you dug yourself." Thornstar growled, obviously peeved at how long the Gathering was becoming.

"Very well." Spottedstar meowed tightly. "We have nothing to report. Gathering over."

Lightningpaw failed to suppress a huff of amusement at Spottedstar.

There were loud calls of annoyance from the gathered cats.

"I believe some of our Clanmates wish to talk to each other for longer because of how... quickly the last Gathering was adjourned." Ivystar mewed primly.

"Very well," Spottedstar repeated, a growl in her voice snapping off each word.

Lightningpaw sighed in relief. She could talk to Breezepaw!

But as soon as she walked over to the WindClan cats, Icestorm, the gray-flecked white she-cat from before, who she guessed was Breezepaw's mentor, put herself between him and her.

"Uh, I was just," Lightningpaw tried to dodge around her, but the she-cat skillfully matched her step for step and blocked every attempt Lightningpaw made to get closer to Breezepaw.

"Run along now." Icestorm said firmly.

"Hey, it's okay," Breezepaw said reassuringly, "we'll see each other soon. Next Gathering, I mean."

"Yeah. _Next Gathering_." Lightningpaw said, gritting her teeth.

 _Fine then._ She seethed, turning away to go back to Vixenpaw, but she stopped dead in her tracks.

Wavepaw was staring at her from his position a couple fox-lengths away from Vixenpaw. _Nope._ She thought, turning in a different direction. _But where... if I put WindClan between us, he won't make it past them, no WindClan cat would want a trespasser walking through them. That means... ShadowClan. Well, I'm sure those apprentices that Ivorystar mentioned wouldn't mind some ThunderClan company, right?_

She made her way over to a large knot of ShadowClan, hoping there would be at least one apprentice her age.

"Hey, look! A ThunderClan furball!" A ginger and white she-cat that had a pelt not all that different from Vixenpaw's called out.

"Furball?!" Lightningpaw demanded, faking being offended. "How could you _say_ such a thing?"

"Get used to it." A gray tom muttered to her. "That's Primrosepaw, by the way. I'm Olivepaw, this tom here is Robinpaw, and _she..._ is Lionpaw."

Lightningpaw eyed him with amusement. He obviously had a crush on her. She glanced over to see what had him so entranced, and saw an older apprentice with a golden pelt and black paws, similar to Breezepaw, but when the so-called Lionpaw turned her wide head, Lightningpaw saw that the apprentice had golden eyes, very close to her own.

"She's very pretty." Lightningpaw remarked.

"She sure is..." Olivepaw sighed, then shook out his fur, his green eyes glinting with embarassment. "I mean, in a completely platonic and normal... is it that obvious?"

"Kinda." Lightningpaw rested her tail-tip comfortingly on his shoulder. "But don't worry, even older apprentices have feelings."

"Older?" Olivepaw echoed in confusion. "She's the same age as me!"

"Oh! Sorry, sorry." Lightningpaw's fur felt hot.

"She has a littermate, too. That's Darkpaw." Olivepaw flicked his tail dismissively to a small tortoise-shell cat who looked like she still belonged in the nursery, her wide, dark amber eyes peering at them like an owlet.

"Rather undersized, isn't she?" Lightningpaw was taken aback. She was quite sure the reason she had assumed Lionpaw was older because of how much taller the golden apprentice was compared to the others, whereas Darkpaw was much smaller. "I suppose if one parent was very big, and the other was a small cat..."

"Well, her mother died." Olivepaw told her bluntly. "But I remember that my mother, Frostsong, was talking about how their mother, Poppyseed, was a very small cat, and the father was unknown, but Frostsong told me that the medicine cats had almost changed her name to Smallkit as the kits began to grow, or rather, _Lionpaw_ began to grow, but decided that was unfair and cruel."

"Oh." Lightningpaw nodded, not at all comprehending, but the gray tom's voice had a lulling and monotone quality that made her sleepy just listening to.

She was curious about the tortoise-shell with the haunting eyes, so she decided to go talk to her.

"Darkpaw, is it?" She asked, overly loudly, approaching the small she-cat.

"Yes." Darkpaw said shortly. "What do you want?"

 _Well, she's about as friendly as a thorn bush, but no one ever made a friend by being a scaredy-mouse._ She decided to try a little harder.

"Just to talk." She admitted. "That's what the Gathering's for, right?"

"The Gathering is for sharing important news, not gossiping." Darkpaw wrinkled her nose.

"You sound like Rosepaw!" Lightningpaw exclaimed before she could stop herself.

"Really." Darkpaw sounded so disinterested Lightningpaw nearly let out a loud peal of laughter, but stopped herself. "Rosepaw, the one who puffed up so much when Thornstar called her name that I thought she would explode?"

"That's the one." Lightningpaw couldn't hold back the purr this time, and Darkpaw looked at her like she had suddenly transformed into a lizard, but seemed pleased. "I'm Lightningpaw, charmed."

"Sure." Darkpaw said dismissively.

"Not going to introduce yourself?" Lightningpaw arched her eyebrows at the strange cat.

"You know my name." Darkpaw shrugged. "Besides, I'm not here to make friends."

"I am!" Lightningpaw exclaimed exuberantly.

"I'm Darkpaw." The smallest of smiles appeared on the tortoise-shell's muzzle. "Nice to meet you too, Lightninglizard."

"Sorry?" Lightningpaw cocked her head, confused.

"I thought that's what you wanted to be called!" Darkpaw exclaimed sincerely.

Lightningpaw stared at her, completely perplexed, before realizing the tiny she-cat was trying to make a joke, so she relented and gave a purr.

Darkpaw purred as well, but her purr was so wheezy and crackly, it made Lightningpaw purr harder, which triggered Darkpaw, and before long they were both rolling on the mossy floor of the island, purring their heads off.

"Well," Darkpaw wheezed, scrambling to her paws. "cats are staring."

"That's a real shame, Darklizard," Lightningpaw gasped out, trying to stop the flood of laughter that was taking over her throat.

"Stop! Stop!" Darkpaw purred uncontrollably.

Everytime they were about to get a hold of themselves, one of them would blurt out 'lizard!' and it would all begin again.

By the end of the Gathering, Lightningpaw and Darkpaw were friends, and promised to seek each other out at the next one.

"Bye, Darklizard," Lightningpaw called over to her, giggling.

"Bye, Lightninglizard," Darkpaw sneezed, she was purring so loudly.

Barely feeling the chill of the cold leaf-fall air, Lightningpaw scampered across the island towards her Clanmates, eager to tell Vixenpaw about the hilarious ShadowClan apprentice she had met.

 **Awww! Darkpaw made a friend! SO CUTE.**

 **So: LIGHTNINGSTRIKE'S GIVEN ME HIS PLOT FOR THE BONUS SCENE. At long last!**

 **In the mean time... we made it. to. 93 reviews. Huh? Wut? We're over 2 000 views, and this chapter is 6-frickin'-thousand words long. GOOD LORD.**

 **If we can make it to 100 reviews before Christmas, that would be THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER. Seriously, guys, f*** that chromebook my parents are gettin' me. Actually, no, because it'll mean I can always update super fast! (STOP SPELLING FAST 'FATS' GOOD GOD PONDFROST.)**

 **~Pondfrost**


	24. Breeze: Cheating Without Knowing

**Hey peeps!**

 **I know it's been a while, but I hope the bonus scene kept you satiated until the next chapter, which is now! I'm not doing RRs for the bonus scene, but I'm glad y'all enjoyed it!  
Review Replies (For chapter 21)**

 **Lightningstrike('s three review XD): Hope you're doing better by now! And thanks for the extra review! I can tell you, what's between them isn't going to be the bonus scene, sorry XD. That would be too easy. Rosepaw is indeed. All the main characters need relationships, even if they aren't romantic ones, so Darkpaw and Lightningpaw being friends is really cute. (I hope) And Olivepaw and Lionpaw are cute together, you must admit.**

 **The Song of Rain: All will be revealed in good time, don't worry. And I'm glad you're enjoying this!**

 **KaiLover911: I hope they can continue to be!**

 **Ivyleaf: You're a troll. XD NUMBER ONE TROLL**

 **Disclaimer! (I always forget to do it.): I do not own warriors! Or death!**

Chapter 22.

 _Lightningpaw… Lightningpaw…_ Breezepaw's thoughts were swarmed with images of the ThunderClan apprentices as time drew nearer to the Gathering.

"Breezepaw!" Icestorm's irate mew snapped him back to the present. "I _asked,_ what's the first rule of the warrior code?"

 _Uh…_

"Defend your Clan, even with your life?" He guessed, praying to StarClan it was the right answer.

"And…" Icestorm prompted, clearly annoyed he had even managed that much.

"Um, you must have, no, wait, _may_ have friendships with other Clans, I mean, _cats_ from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your own Clan, as you may one day meet them in battle," Breezepaw rattled off the rest of the rule that had been drilled into them.

"Correct." Icestorm bit off the word sharply, but Breezepaw barely noticed.

"Jaypaw!" Honeythorn mewed.

"Yes!" Jaypaw swirled her head around to look at her mentor.

"Second rule of the code!" Honeythorn ordered swiftly.

"Do not trespass or hunt on another Clan's territory!" Jaypaw replied promptly.

"Right!"

"Rabbitpaw!" Rabbitpaw's mentor shouted.

 _This is stupid._ Breezepaw sighed. _I want it to be sun-down_ now _!_ The hazy image of a certain dark brown pelted apprentice floated in front of him, her white stripes glimmering in the afternoon sun.

"Breezepaw!" Icestorm called again.

 _Me_ again _?! But I just went!_ He huffed out a breath, the wind blowing again and ruffling his fur that he'd so carefully groomed the morning.

"Rule number seven!" She flicked him with her tail.

"Uh…" He had no idea. Something about leaders? No! It was the deputy rule! "A cat cannot become deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice!"

"Close enough." Icestorm rolled her eyes, and sat back down.

 _I don't understand why we need to know this! I mean, we already do, and it's not like we'd ever break the code. Unless the right cat asked._ He sighed again, fluffing his fur up against the chilly leaf-fall air. _I know how to hunt rabbits, I can fight off another cat, what else do I need to know?_

"Palepaw!"

"The deputy will become leader after the current leader dies or retires!" Palepaw shot him a sympathetic glance.

 _I don't want you, I want_ Lightningpaw _!_ Breezepaw thought, ignoring how much like a whiny kit he sounded.

"Alright, apprentices, that's enough code for today." Honeythorn declared. "Now, the Gathering is tonight, and I'm sure you all want to go. So we've come up with a little challenge for you all."

"A _fighting_ challenge." Sunnyfur interrupted. "So get your claws ready!"

"Do _not_ get your claws ready." Honeythorn countered, shooting him a reprimanding look. "It's a competition, but you are still _Clanmates,_ and there will be no unsheathed claws. But you will be paired up with another apprentice, one of your fighting skill, and you will fight until one apprentice is in position to end it. _In position,_ you hear me? We don't want any injuries on our 'paws!"

He felt a little thrill race through him. He was really better at fighting than hunting, and this might be the perfect time to showcase his skill.

"First fight! Palepaw versus Leopardpaw!" Larkfeather announced.

Palepaw's eyes widened to the size of moons at hearing her name against the older apprentice's.

"Bu- but she's so much older than me!" Palepaw stammered.

"Only a couple moons." Honeythorn mewed dismissively. "And you're a great fighter!"

"And Leopardpaw's still recovering from the dog attack." Sunnyfur pointed out.

Breezepaw glared at him, spotting Leopardpaw's wince at his insensitive words.

"Sorry, but it's true." Sunnyfur shrugged.

"Anyway." Honeythorn swept on. "On my mark, you may begin."

Leopardpaw stalked to the other side of the clearing from Palepaw, a growl rising in her throat. Palepaw tottered to face her, looking terrified of the menacing older apprentice.

Palepaw's fur rose like the mentors had shown them, in an effort to look bigger, but Leopardpaw kept her fur down.

Breezepaw narrowed his eyes, watching the fight carefully.

"Go!" Honeythorn yowled.

Palepaw sprang at Leopardpaw, but misjudged the leap and landed right in front of her. Leopardpaw swiped a sheath paw across Palepaw's chest; a light blow, but it sent her sprawling.

Palepaw staggered to her paws, and flew at Leopardpaw once more, this time aiming for her side.

Leopardpaw took a flying leap over her and then spun around to face the light brown she-cat.

Palepaw charged again, but instead of careening straight into Leopardpaw again, she dove underneath the larger apprentice and then arched her spine straight into her stomach.

"Oof!" Leopardpaw gasped sharply, as though the spot had been tender. _Palepaw hit a spot the dog must have hurt her in!_ Breezepaw grimaced.

Leopardpaw flopped onto her side, and Breezepaw got a mere glance at the smooth, unblemished belly-fur. _Then why did she take that kind of hit from such a pointless attack?_ Breezepaw wondered. _Unless…_

As the fight progressed, Breezepaw realized that Leopardpaw seemed unnaturally hurt by small attacks. _Something's not right here._ Breezepaw studied Leopardpaw.

At first glance, she seemed to have taken great lengths to try to keep her balance and stay standing, but he soon realized that her posture was relaxed. _But she's fighting!_

Palepaw ran at Leopardpaw again, and Leopardpaw staggered backwards, but Breezepaw noticed that she fell backwards before Palepaw had even reached her. _Why?_

 _She's throwing the match!_ His green eyes widened as he realized she wasn't even fighting back as Palepaw rained light blows down on her chest.

Leopardpaw fell backwards dramatically and lay on her back. Palepaw reared above her, but then dropped to her paws without doing anything.

"And the winner is Palepaw!" Icestorm announced loudly.

"Did you see that?!" Palepaw bounced over to him, fur ruffled with exhilaration. "I beat her!"

"Good job." Breezepaw mewed stoically, wanting to go talk to Leopardpaw and find out why she wasn't fighting for real.

"What's wrong?" Palepaw asked, her enthusiasm turning to worry.

"You couldn't tell?" Breezepaw turned back to her, pressing down the urge to crush her excitement. "Leopardpaw was going easy on you."

 _That's hardly it. You couldn't have lost if you tried._ Breezepaw gritted his teeth. Palepaw's eyes flashed with hurt and anger.

"She was not! I beat her, fair and square!" She flounced away, irritated.

"Whatever." Breezepaw muttered under his breath, continuing towards Leopardpaw.

"What?" Leopardpaw stood up easily, then realized that she should be more unsteady after losing a fight, she swayed sideways.

"You don't need to pretend around me." Breezepaw said softly. "I know you threw the match."

"I don't know what you're-" Spotting the look in his eye, she relented. "Was it that obvious?"

"No." He said simply. "I just want to know why."

"Well, I don't really want to go to the Gathering, but Palepaw obviously does, but I know that the mentors would give me a lecture about doing my best blah blah, I don't care." Leopardpaw snorted, giving her golden, spotted pelt a couple of quick licks.

"Oh…" Breezepaw nodded. The explanation made sense. "That's really nice of you…"

Leopardpaw shrugged, but grinned at him.

 _I don't know why Oatpad has such animosity towards her, she's a great cat!_ He thought, grinning back at her.

"Next fight!" Dustpetal shouted, storming forwards. "Copperpaw versus Breezepaw!"

"Let's do it!" Copperpaw yowled in excitement.

"Uh-oh." Breezepaw gulped, staring at the enthusiastic apprentice.

Now, Breezepaw was big, for a WindClan cat. But Copperpaw, she was much bigger, and that did not help the fact that he was scared out of his pelt.

By the time he had managed to force his quavering paws to take the couple steps to bring him to one side of the clearing, Copperpaw had managed to fluff up her fur so much she was twice her normal size. Her tail seemed to have transformed into a tree trunk, and her lips were drawn back in a snarl.

"Uh, we're Clanmates, right?" Breezepaw let out a nervous laugh.

"Go!" Icestorm yowled.

Breezepaw made a tiny noise of surprise as Copperpaw dashed towards him, long legs eating up the ground before her.

"Eek!" He darted away, slipping to the other side of the clearing.

Copperpaw's eyes were green slits of fire as she charged him again, and this time he tried to leap over her and land on her back, but one of her paws flew up, and he saw the barest glint of a claw before it slashed across his belly.

"Copperpaw!" Dustpetal's shocked mew made them both freeze. "Stop! Your claws need to be _sheathed_!"

"Sorry!" Copperpaw looked genuinely remorseful, but Dustpetal just glared. "I didn't mean to! I just got caught up in the fight, I wasn't trying to hurt him!"

Breezepaw gritted his teeth, fighting against the yowl of pain that was threatening to burst out of his mouth. The fiery pain in his stomach wasn't unbearable, but it was present and stinging.

"Copperpaw, you're almost a warrior, that kind of behaviour is unacceptable." Dustpetal's stony mew left no room for interpretation. "Copperpaw is disqualified. The winner is Breezepaw!"

"R- really?" Breezepaw gasped, shocked. "I won?"

"Not properly." Copperpaw grumbled, her fur beginning to lie flat again.

"Don't be a sore loser." Honeythorn chided Copperpaw, then turned to Breezepaw. "Congratulations. You, Palepaw, and the winner of the next fight will be going to the Gathering tonight. And the next fight will be Jaypaw versus Buzzardpaw!"

"Yes!" Jaypaw hissed, flexing her claws.

"Ha. You think you can win?" Buzzardpaw jeered.

"I don't think so." Jaypaw replied with a shrug. "I _know_ so."

And as Jaypaw had predicted, she won the bout after a long match, several dirty tricks, and an attempt at seduction.

"Well, you might have won this one, but I'll be winning more!" Buzzardpaw snapped.

"Whatever." Jaypaw flicked her tail. "I won, suck it up."

Buzzardpaw hissed softly.

"What about me?" Rabbitpaw's whine made Honeythorn turn.

"Sorry, Rabbitpaw, you can go to the next one." Honeythorn sighed. "We can't bring _every_ apprentice to the Gathering you know."

"But that's not fair!" He protested. "I didn't even get a chance!"

"Life isn't fair." Swiftclaw snapped. "Better learn it sooner than later."

Rabbitpaw sniffed, but didn't say anything.

Breezepaw rolled his eyes without the other apprentice seeing him and trotted over to stand beside the two she-cats.

 _I'm going to the Gathering. I get to see Lightningpaw!_ He thought.

…

He trotted behind Spottedstar, head full of thoughts about Lightningpaw. Her fur, her eyes, her voice, her personality, everything about her mystified him and drew him in.

"... and I talked to Dawnsplash, Sheepbelly, and Ashmask when you were busy with Leopardpaw last half-moon," Morningpoppy's normally enthusiastic and cheery voice was almost unrecognizable, it was so dark and sodden. "and Ashmask said that his apprentice didn't think the prophecy referred to Darkpaw, but he knew that it was too clear, and Dawnsplash is sure of the apprentice, and Sheepbelly said he was worried about their apprentice. I mean, the Clans have never received such a dark prophecy. I don't know if he's our hope for survival or the thing that will destroy us."

Breezepaw pricked his ears, thoughts dissipating as he heard the mysterious words.

"I don't know…" Littlepaw sounded worried. "He doesn't seem dangerous, but when he… twists? What does that even mean?"

"I don't know." Morningpoppy echoed. "Sheepbelly is worried about Wavepaw, he said that he seemed strangely tired a while ago, but since then he's been very distracted in training… so I don't know whether or not to worry…"

"We have enough problems." Littlepaw countered. "Between dog attacks, and prophecies of destruction and trespassers, RiverClan is hardly our biggest problem."

"The dog attack was moons ago." Morningpoppy said dismissively, sounding more like her old self.

Breezepaw felt a little guilty for eavesdropping on the medicine cats, but he wanted to know what they were talking about.

"I don't think this is a good time to talk about this." Littlepaw said abruptly. "We can talk more at the Gathering."

"Fine." Morningpoppy didn't sound happy, but she fell silent and walked beide her apprentice.

 _No!_ Breezepaw clenched his teeth together.

"Hey, Breezepaw!" Jaypaw's call made him turn.

"Yeah, what?"

"Just wanted to make sure you were still alive." Jaypaw snickered. "Walking along like you've eaten a fox and it's giving you a belly-ache."

"Huh?" He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Nevermind." She twitched her whiskers.

…

"Ugh, we're _finally_ here!" Jaypaw yowled.

"It's been a moon, and you haven't changed at all!" Breezepaw teased.

Jaypaw stuck out her tongue at him, and charged ahead to cross as soon as Spottedstar had.

He sighed, not really exasperated, and followed her to the edge of bride again. _I hope Lightningpaw doesn't fall in again._ He thought, imagining the night again. _This time I'm going to talk to her properly._

"Breezepaw?" A tentative mew from behind him made him turn.

"What, Palepaw?" He demanded, annoyance weighing heavily on his tone.

"Do you think the RiverClan apprentices are going to be here again?" She shied away a little at his tone, but asked anyway.

"I'm sure they will be." Breezepaw responded, irritated. "RiverClan has to bring apprentices, so I'm sure that at least one of them will be."

"I met a really nice she-cat last Gathering." Palepaw mewed wistfully. "Her name was Briarpaw. She has a sister a bit like Jaypaw, but nicer, she said."

He gritted his teeth, tempted to snap at her that he didn't care, but he let her prattle on about Briarpaw and her sister.

"And _I_ said, there's no reason that he wouldn't…" Palepaw continued talking, but Breezepaw tuned out, instead choosing to indulge in his hazy memories of Lightningpaw.

"Well?" Palepaw's curious mew broke into his daydreams. "Are you going to cross, or what?"

"Huh?" He snapped back to the present. "Oh. Yeah, sorry."

Breezepaw charged across the bridge, his paws easily finding purchase on the slick, smooth surface. His golden tail streamed out behind him, the black tail-tip disappearing in the night air.

"Wow! Slow down!" Palepaw exclaimed from somewhere far behind him.

 _Never._ He vowed. _Where is she?_

He rapidly came to a halt on the opposite side of the bride, and he hopped down, scenting the air for ThunderClan.

There was only the faintest of scents, stale ones from last Gathering.

He sighed. ThunderClan hadn't arrived yet.

"Oh, I guess we're the first ones here." Palepaw sounded vaguely disappointed, and for a moment Breezepaw wondered why. Then he remembered the RiverClan she-cat Palepaw had been rambling about.

He shrugged, not wanting to show any sign of wishing the other Clans were here.

They settled near the great tree, around some other WindClan warriors, and Palepaw took up the role of filling the silence once more.

"You know, when I was fighting Leopardpaw," she began, "it was like every fighting move I've ever learned was suddenly crystal clear in my mind."

Knowing what had really happened, the earnest claim made Breezepaw throw his head back and laugh.

"What-" Palepaw's mew completely disappeared from his head when he saw her.

 _Lightningpaw._ His mind breathed, watching her as she made her way towards him.

Some of the kit fluff around her ears was gone, leaving only a smooth and lustrous pelt behind. Her bright stripes shone in the moonlight, making them look almost purple, and then his eyes were drawn right up to hers. And he knew, he was gone. There would be no more small-talk, no more pretending, he had to tell her.

Her bright golden eyes exploded into his, and he felt dizzy for a heartbeat.

"Lightningpaw!" He called out bravely, ignoring Palepaw's squeak of annoyance. "I was worried you wouldn't come this time!"

"Ha, huh, well," she coughed, "guess stuff just works out, right?"

 _She's just as nervous as me!_ His confidence melted away.

"I guess." His eyes couldn't pull them away from hers, like they were hypnotizing fireflies. He suddenly couldn't take the silence, so he broke it. "Why don't we take a walk around the island?! I've never seen all of it!"

Then, trying to destroy the tension between them again, he added; "Unless you're scared of the dark, of course."

"I'm not afraid of anything!" A bit of a spark returned to those impossible eyes. "Bring it on!"

A purr rumbled in his throat, and they set off together.

"Mm, I love it here." Lightningpaw sighed, turning to Breezepaw.

"I know, right?" He agreed, happy some cat else shared his opinion. "I feel so close to StarClan, with the moon shining above our heads… and knowing StarClan is watching us. I wonder if I'll ever be up there?"

"Planning on murder?" She quipped, giving his shoulder a light push that sent stars exploding through his head. "I'm sure you'll make it to StarClan."

"Not murder. I'm worried I'll break the code in some other way." He looked at her, unidentifiable emotions racing through him. "Don't you think you might break it, if the right cat asked you to?"

It wasn't a question.

She stared back into his eyes, before breathing her answer.

"Yes. For the right cat, anything."

Her answer made him shiver. _I need to be your right cat._

He could only hold her gaze for another moment, before he had to drop it, but the feeling was addictive, and soon his eyes were drawn back up towards her.

"Um… yeah… _so_ …" Lightningpaw mewed awkwardly. "Do- you- what's your favourite kind of prey?"

However awkward the question was, he was immensely grateful for the opening. "Well, I really like water voles and rabbits."

"Oh yeah?" She stumbled over her words. "That's cool. I like squirrels… and voles too."

He held her gaze until it was too much for him, and dropped it again, before looking back at her. It was hard to look straight at her, like she was the sun.

Suddenly, a wave of annoyance with how difficult their interaction was, and how much he wanted to tell her exactly how he felt washed over him. "Lightningpaw…" He swallowed hard, all the words and suppressed feelings swamping his throat. "Okay, I need to tell you something. What I said earlier, uh, I mean, let me say all this before you interrupt, okay? I just… listen. I know, we're from different Clans. But I only met you last Gathering, one moon ago, I mean, of course you know that, I'm not implying you're stupid or anything, but, uh… I like you? I mean, I can't stop thinking about you. I can't. I've tried, and tried, and tried and tried, but you just hang around in my head, with your sparkly eyes, and overly fascinating markings and- uh, that's not what I mean to say! You-"

Her tail brushed over his muzzle, and he fell silent, waiting to see what she would do. _You messed up big time, Breezepaw, there's no way she likes you, but if you hadn't been so-_

"Breezepaw… I never imagined…" She stared into his eyes.

"Oh, uh, no, I understand, you don't feel the same way, no hard feelings, I don't even know if, well, good to see that you, uh…" His words broke away into silence, and he stared back into her eyes.

"Breezepaw." One word, and he was gone, gone, gone. "Breezepaw... do you want to… meet? Outside Clan territory, of course, so we don't break any rules, and-"

"What, awkward conversations at Gatherings not enough for you?" But he knew that things wouldn't be so awkward now that he had finally told her. "I would love that."

 _I think I love_ you. His thoughts whispered to her, but she couldn't hear them, because all she did was grin brightly and say;

"Okay! How about … two nights from now?"

"Okay!" He repeated, happiness ballooning around him.

Once he had finally said what needed to be said, as he had predicted, they talked easily, shared ambitions and dreams, talked about Lightningpaw's sisters and Breezepaw's fellow apprentices, and Breezepaw told her about the fighting competition, and Lightningpaw shared a funny story about their hunting competition, but seemed uneasy about the whole thing, so Breezepaw quickly changed the subject.

Eventually, Spottedstar's muffled call rang through the trees, bringing them all to the base of the stump.

"I- I'd better go." Lightningpaw sighed reluctantly.

 _She doesn't want to stay?_ Hurt flashed through him, but he nodded, understanding that they couldn't really talk anymore, or cats would get suspicious. Not that there was anything to be suspicious of.

He padded off in the other direction without a word to her.

Spotting Jaypaw across the clearing, he scampered over to sit with her.

"So, who's starting this time?" He asked looking at the leaders.

"Ivystar." Jaypaw muttered.

"What's wrong with you?" He tilted his head in concern. She seemed very put out by something.

"You abandoned me in the middle of the Gathering!" She rounded on him, blue eyes blazing.

"What?" Breezepaw took a step back. "First, the Gathering hasn't even properly started yet. Second, I never get to see any cat except ones from WindClan at times other than Gatherings, so you can't just expect me to stick by your side all the time."

"Well…" Jaypaw sniffed, turning back to the leaders.

Breezepaw knew he was right, but he didn't like disagreeing with Jaypaw. She was good fun and a genuinely nice cat most of the time, but sometimes she really annoyed him. _She-cats._ He sighed. They were impossible.

"ShadowClan has little to report." Ivystar declared. "Prey is running well among the pines. But I would like to recognize Lionpaw, Primrosepaw, Olivepaw, Robinpaw, and Darkpaw."

"Lionpaw! Primrosepaw! Olivepaw! Robinpaw! Darkpaw!" Breezepaw called, his shouts mingling with the ones of others.

"That is all." Ivystar nodded and sat down.

 _Darkpaw, I met her last Gathering, didn't I?_ He thought, glancing over at the ShadowClan area. _She was the tiny tortoise-shell, right?_

"May I go?" Thornstar asked, stepping forwards, and then with the approval of the other leaders, began his report. "ThunderClan also has little to report, but I would like to recognize three apprentices; Rosepaw, Mallowpaw, and Oakpaw. Today, they completed their warrior assessments, and once we have returned to camp, I will hold their ceremonies. ThunderClan is strong."

As he sat back down, Breezepaw decided he wanted to see the ShadowClan apprentice again, so he slipped away from every cat.

As Snowstar began his report, Breezepaw snuck through the ShadowClan cats, looking for the tiny apprentice. He almost didn't recognize her when he finally laid eyes on her.

She had grown a lot, her head finally looked the right size for the rest of her body, which had gained a small amount of muscle, and her fur was shining with health instead of grime.

"Darkpaw!" He called easily.

"Huh?" Her head turned, her dark amber eyes finding his in the half-darkness.

"It's me, Breezepaw!" He flicked his tail, happy to see her.

"I remember you." She muttered, but her eyes glimmered with amusement. "You're the annoying WindClan apprentice that wouldn't leave me alone! And who _still_ looks _creepily_ like my sister…"

"She looks like me." He corrected with a huff.

"No, I don't think so." She eyed him. "You look like her. Except with green eyes instead of yellow."

"Mm, her eyes are more golden." He said thoughtfully. "Just like Lightningpaw's."  
"Lightningpaw?" The tortoise-shell didn't even try to hide her jealousy at the way he said her name.

"A friend." He said, worried from the look in her eye.

"A friend." She echoed, relaxing a little, but not entirely.

"Yeah." He confirmed. "So anyway, how's ShadowClan been?"

"Same old, same old." She shrugged. "You heard my name, though?"

"Yeah, but I was wondering why." Breezepaw pondered out loud. "Uh, I mean, I'm sure you deserve praise, I'm just wondering for _what_ exactly."

"Well, Ivystar wouldn't say this because it's supposed to be a _secret_ ," Darkpaw rolled her eyes. "but we have night training in the first moon of our apprenticeships, and then again in the last one as our final assessment, so it was exciting. I was the most important part of the whole thing…"

"But why are you telling me, if it's supposed to be a secret?" Breezepaw creased his brow in worry.

"I trust you." Darkpaw said simply, deep amber eyes boring into his.

"Oh." The look in her eye reminded him of Lightningpaw.

"Please produce these cats." Something in the RiverClan leader's voice brought Breezepaw back to the present.

"What?" Breezepaw whipped around to stare at Snowstar.

"Oatpad, Icestorm, Breezepaw, Jaypaw, and of course, Honeythorn." Spottedstar's clear mew sent him scampering back to the WindClan side of the Gathering with only a tiny 'bye!' to Darkpaw.

Breezepaw was confused as to what was going on, but Honeythorn began talking about the night they had seen Wavepaw on the border. _Spottedstar is accusing Snowstar of trespassing again!_ He realized, and pricked his ears to hear what Honeythorn was saying.

"... he returned to his territory." Honeythorn finished, and sat back down.

"Thank you. Anything to add, Jaypaw?" Spottedstar asked.

"No." Jaypaw replied strongly, not even standing up.

"Very well." Spottedstar dipped her head. "Icestorm?"

"No, Honeythorn covered all of it." His mentor nodded.

"Breezepaw?"

His eyes widened at his own name. _I didn't even hear what Honeythorn said? But I trust Icestorm and Jaypaw._

He shook his head, fur burning with embarrassment.

"Oatpad?" Spottedstar asked, undeterred.

"Yes!" Oatpad swelled like a storm cloud. "The tom crossed because his mother, Cloudfall, told him to come after me!"

 _What's she talking about?!_ Breezepaw thought in alarm.

"Um… what?" Spottedstar was so confused, Breezepaw might have purred in a different situation.

"His _mother_ , had been after me, and she-" Oatpad's furious mew was cut off by Spottedstar.

"Thank you, Oatpad, that will be all." Her mew was tight.

"See!" Snowstar shrieked.

Breezepaw flattened his ears, unwilling to listen to Snowstar's triumphant diatribe.

He almost yowled in protest when Spottedstar tried to end the Gathering right away, but Ivystar stopped her.

"Very well." Spottedstar bit off the word.

"Good!" He sighed, eager to see Lightningpaw again.

But the moment he saw her making her way over to him again, Icestorm stepped in front of him, her back to him.

"Uh, I was just…" Lightningpaw mewed nervously.

Icestorm blocked her every step easily, preventing her from coming any closer to Breezepaw.

"Run along now." Icestorm snapped at her.

At the look in Lightningpaw's eyes, halfway between running away and challenging Icestorm to a fight, he said reassuringly: "Hey, it's okay, we'll see each other soon. Next Gathering, I mean."

He hoped she could see the hidden meaning in his eyes.

"Yeah. _Next Gathering._ " Her lip was curled, but she padded away without another word.

"What's that all about?" Icestorm demanded.

"Nothing." He muttered. "I'm going to go talk to some RiverClan apprentices."

"Okay." Icestorm relented, giving him a quick nod. "Don't be long."

He took off across the clearing, passing Palepaw who was deep in conversation with the RiverClan apprentice she had been talking about, passing a clump of ThunderClan and RiverClan warriors chatting.

"Hey!" A friendly, long-furred silver she-cat greeted him. "I'm Ripplepaw! Who are you?"

"Breezepaw." He responded. "Nice to meet you."

"WindClan, right?" She exclaimed. "Your name is a dead giveaway!"

"Well, my scent too." He pointed out wryly.

"That too!" Ripplepaw bounced over to another cat identical to her, but taller and more muscled. "This is my brother, Wavepaw!"

"Nice to meet you." Breezepaw said coolly, recognizing him immediately.

"Same to you." Wavepaw replied icily.

"Whoo!" Ripplepaw flicked her brother with her tail. "Great StarClan, where'd all this ice come from?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." Wavepaw told his sister, snow freezing his words. "Breezepaw and I have met. He helped me save Lightningpaw."

"You helped me save her." Breezepaw retorted.

"We saved her." Wavepaw said stonily.

Breezepaw shrugged, knowing it wasn't worth it.

"Well, anyways, I'll leave you to two to chat." Wavepaw sniffed. "I'll see you later, Ripplepaw. Breezepaw, better hope you don't see me."

"Stay away." Breezepaw glared at him.

"I've no reason to visit you." Wavepaw shrugged, one eye closed. "Unless you give me one."

Breezepaw narrowed his eyes at him, feeling a growl rise in his throat, but just Wavepaw turned, his feathery silver tail smacking across Breezepaw's muzzle as he went.

"Sorry!" Ripplepaw exclaimed to him. "He's not usually like that! Or at least, not _that_ much like that."

"Sure." Breezepaw dipped his head. "Nice to meet you, Ripplepaw, but I should really go."

 **I know this was abrupt ending number I've-lost-count, but it couldn't be helped. I hope you liked this chapter anyway. I've decided to start QOTDs about the chapter, so that means I'll probably forget about it soon, but whatever.**

 **Q: Why do you think** **Wavepaw** **had to leave? Was he making an excuse, or did he really have somewhere to go?**

 **Don't forget your review! ;3 Merry late Christmas!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	25. Wave: Friends in the Dark

**Hi!**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Rainmist: She's not perfect… you'll see what I mean.**

 **Lightningstrike: You might be right, you might be wrong, but you'll definitely find out soon. As in, in this chapter. Lionpaw and Breezepaw being related? I've got pages of notes all over my desk about plot twists and such, so I might change the category to mystery XD!**

 **KaiLover911: Also are in love with the same cat…**

 **Snowcrystal: I see. XD I'm glad people like the ships in this story.**

 **Guest: It's 2017 now! And lots of people are still writing fanfiction, but I'm happy you stumbled upon mine! (Or maybe you gracefully swan-dived upon mine, I don't know.)**

 **Wavepaw's Gathering experience!**

Chapter 23.

"Hurry up!" Fallowspots's angered snap pulled Wavepaw away from his daydreaming.

 _Come on, Wavepaw!_ He silently chided himself. _You should know better than to walk so far behind him! A pawstep behind him, always. You can't screw it up now, we're so close!_

"Sorry," he apologized quickly, stepping to Fallowspots's side, making sure he was a little behind him.

They had been fishing all day, perfecting the hunting strike, and practicing hunting land prey as well. Wavepaw's paws were sore, but he wasn't tired. His head was light and his heart was bursting.

As the days after the Gathering progressed, Wavepaw's images of Lightningpaw bleeding, hurting, and dying, slowly faded into calm daydreams about her. Now, he wasn't sure if the dark pictures were caused by not being around Lightningpaw, or seeing her.

Either way, he couldn't wait to see her again, and there was no way he wasn't going to this Gathering.

"Hey, Wavepaw." Crowstrike greeted him. "Are you going to the Gathering?"

"I hope." He muttered. "Are you?"

"I don't know yet." She responded, her green-gray eyes sparkling. "I hope so, too! I met the funniest WindClan apprentice last time, and I hope she's there again! Maybe she got her warrior name too?"

"What WindClan apprentice?" Wavepaw narrowed his eyes. Maybe that apprentice knew Breezepaw.

"Copperpaw." Crowstrike replied. "The tortoise-shell? She's always got burrs in her fur."

"But you said she was funny." Wavepaw tilted his head, confused.

"No, she's literally got burrs in her fur." Crowstrike purred in amusement. "Apparently, it drives her mentor crazy."

"Mm." Wavepaw made a noncommittal noise, no longer interested in the conversation.

 _I need to go to the Gathering. Whatever it takes._ He thought, brow furrowing in worry. _I need to see her again._

Crowstrike continued on about the apprentice she met, but Wavepaw wasn't listening. Seednose came up beside them and began chatting with Crowstrike. Wavepaw was grateful for the distraction.

…

"And the cats attending tonight's Gathering will be as follows." Mistcloud announced, Ripplepaw by her side. "Snowstar and myself, Crowstrike and Seednose, Fallowspots, Flameleaf, Timberheart, Creampelt, and all the apprentices."

"Don't forget about me!" Sheepbelly hobbled out of his den, flicking his tail. "I'm not dead yet!"

There were a few purrs of amusement as Sheepbelly stalked right up to Mistcloud and spat the words in her face. Pikepaw followed him with a meek expression on his face.

"I wouldn't dare forget about you, Sheepbelly." Mistcloud dipped her head.

"You just did." Sheepbelly grumbled, but he subsided into muttering about young cats as Mistcloud padded away, towards the fresh-kill pile, Ripplepaw on her heels.

"Come on, Wavepaw, let's get a bite to eat before the Gathering." Briarpaw ambled up to him. "I'm so hungry, I could eat Snowstar!"

"You shouldn't though." Ripplepaw remarked snidely, eyeing Briarpaw's belly, obviously having heard her last statement.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Briarpaw's green eyes flashed with hurt.

"Nothing." Ripplepaw shrugged, selecting a long, skinny salmon for herself.

Briarpaw shot a heated glare at her sister, before grabbing a fat trout.

Ripplepaw made a disapproving noise with her tongue at Briarpaw's choice. One of Briarpaw's ear tilted towards her sister, but she said nothing, dropping the first fish and picking up a decent sized minnow.

As Ripplepaw sashayed away with her fish, Wavepaw whispered to Briarpaw:

"That's not enough for you! You know that!"

"Ripplepaw's right, I eat too much." Briarpaw wouldn't meet his eyes. "Who cares if I'm a little hungry."

"I care!" Wavepaw insisted, worry snaking into his head. "You don't want to go to the Gathering on an empty belly!"

"Just leave me alone." Briarpaw turned away.

"But-" Wavepaw sighed.

He knew that once Briarpaw got an idea into her head, there was no changing her mind. But the fact that it was Ripplepaw that had put the idea there made him feel sick. Briarpaw wasn't overweight, and he knew it. Just because she weighed more than either him or Ripplepaw, didn't mean she was unhealthy.

But as he watched Briarpaw cross the clearing to sit alone in a shady spot, her pelt reminded him of Lightningpaw, and he was thrown back into daydreams.

…

 _Finally! The Gathering!_ He could hardly walk straight, he was so excited. _Lightningpaw! I'll see her again!_

"Wavepaw?" Briarpaw mewed from beside him, worry clouding her gaze.

"Yeah?" He turned to her, not really aware of her, too caught up in images of Lightningpaw.

"Do I really eat too much?" She looked scared.

Brushing off his daydreams, he twined his tail with hers.

"No." He said firmly. "Ripplepaw doesn't know what she's talking about. Just because you get hungry more easily than us, and you weigh more, it-"

Alarm raced through him at Briarpaw's expression.

"I mean… she… you're perfect the way you are." He finished awkwardly.

"Whatever." She tugged her tail away and sped up, leaving him feeling confused and upset.

 _What was I supposed to say? She would know if I was lying, and I don't want to lie anyway! But if Briarpaw's really that worried… I don't know what to do!_

"Wavepaw?" Another concerned voice mewed.

" _What_?" He snapped. "Sorry, Seednose, I'm just a little on edge."

"It's fine." The older cat shrugged. "I just wanted to ask you something…"

"Yeah?" Wavepaw was curious what had the young warrior so worked up. "What is it?"

"Well…" Seednose scuffed the earth with his paw. "I…"

"Out with it then," Wavepaw looked at him expectantly.

"I like your sister." Seednose burst out, then looked mortified. "I mean…"

"You do?" Wavepaw's eyes widened. _This is great news! Maybe Briarpaw won't think there's something wrong with her if she knows Seednose likes her! He's perfect for her, too. Really nice, and follows the rules, and gentle. I remember… she said something about liking him back when they were both apprentices, right?_ "That's great!"

"So… would you talk to her for me?" Seednose flattened his ears and looked away.

"Wouldn't you rather?" Wavepaw nudged him. "Briarpaw doesn't bite."

"Briarpaw?" Seednose sounded confused, but a little incredulous. "No, no, I like Ripplepaw."

Wavepaw felt stone slam across his features. _He likes Ripplepaw? That would really inflate her ego. And it would crush Briarpaw._

"You're sick. She's five moons younger than you!" He snapped. "Not to mention that she would never like a tom like you."

"What? But you said-"

"Because I thought you liked Briarpaw!" Wavepaw's mew broke a little on her name.

"So you won't talk to her for me?" Seednose sounded genuinely upset, but Wavepaw didn't care.

"You're on your own." He stormed off.

He knew that Seednose didn't deserve that, and he knew that it wasn't Ripplepaw's fault that the same tom that Briarpaw had a crush on liked Ripplepaw, but he wasn't in the mood for reasonable explanations.

He saw Briarpaw approach Seednose, but the older tom brushed her off and walked towards Ripplepaw, leaving Briarpaw with a broken expression, that reflected how Wavepaw's heart felt at that moment.

…

"Come on, Wavepaw, what are you waiting for?" Fallowspots's irritated mew came from behind him.

He swallowed, remembering the first day of his apprenticeship as the dark water under the log roiled in the moonlight. The shining waters of the practice pool and the lake became one, and he gulped in a frigid breath.

He breathed out slowly, closing his eyes briefly. He crossed the whole log brigde like that, with his eyes firmly shut, mouth breathing in the air slowly, and his claws sinking into the half-frozen log.

Eventually, he'd made it to the other side and he hopped down, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

The worry in his mind melted away as he realized what was happening. _I'm going to see her again. For the first time in a moon. She's going to be here, I can feel it._

"She'll be here." He murmured.

"Speak up!" Suddenly, an older cat was looming front of him. "Youngsters, always mumblin'."

"Sorry?" He looked up to find Reedtail, an elder, eyeing him with distaste.

"You're my grandson. Hope you didn't inherit my son's nasty attitude." Reedtail spat, spittle flying out of his mouth.

Wavepaw wrinkled his nose in annoyance. _Or yours._ He thought privately, but said nothing, only dipped his head respectfully and trotted away to find ThunderClan.

"Lightningpaw, where are you?" Wavepaw murmured, scanning the cats, looking for the cat he had pictured so many times in his mind. "Is ThunderClan here yet?"

 _Nope._ He sighed. _WindClan is, though. Stinking up the whole place. Filthy rabbit-munchers._

"Briarpaw!" A light-hearted call rang across the clearing. "Hi Briarpaw!"

"Hi!" Briarpaw's mew was much more enthusiastic than it had sounded before. "Palepaw!"

 _She has a friend in WindClan?_ He wondered. _Well… okay. If she's happy. I don't care about any WindClan cat but Breezepaw, anyway._

Suddenly, the musky scent of squirrels and trees that he had begun to dream of enveloped him as ThunderClan cats poured down into the clearing. _They're here!_ He gasped, searching for her dark brown pelt among the sea of tabbies and toms.

 _Did she come?_ For a moment, he doubted the certainty he had felt before about whether or not she'd come to the Gathering. _I don't see her…_

But he did spot the reddish-ginger pelt of a cat that he was sure was closely related to her. _Vixenpaw, maybe?_ He remembered the first night he'd seen her, when all their names had been announced. Lightningpaw had been sitting with two other she-cats, one with a pelt like a fox, and the other with the colouring of a rock.

Wavepaw surreptitiously padded over to her, not so close that she would try to make conversation, but close enough that he could if he wanted to.

He ignored her as she looked over to him and made an approving noise. Wrinkling his nose in distaste, he tried to imagine she was Lightningpaw. _No, Lightningpaw's more demure and gentle. She wouldn't behave… like that in public._

He waited there for a while, but it soon became obvious to him that Lightningpaw hadn't come this time. Wavepaw felt like wailing like a lost kit, but he knew it wouldn't do him any good. He slunk back towards the RiverClan cats, his tail between his legs.

"... just let me talk to her!" The faint sound of Fallowspots's irritated mew reached Wavepaw's ears.

"You know I'm just worried about you." The gentle mew of another cat that Wavepaw knew very well responded. "She'll find it strange, an enemy warrior talking to her in the middle of a Gathering."

 _Who are they talking about? That crazy WindClan she-cat? No… they're not even looking at WindClan. Wait, when did ShadowClan get here?_ Wavepaw was confused.

He crept closer to Fallowspots and his companion, who Wavepaw realized was Creampelt- _Ugh, of course she's here_. He thought- and listened to what they were saying.

"I just don't think it's a good idea." Creampelt sighed, shifting closer to Wavepaw's father. "Cats will wonder."

"I have a right to see her," Fallowspots insisted.

"Not really, no," Creampelt argued.

Fallowspots sighed heavily, as though he didn't want to fight with her, but was holding his opinion. He stood up slowly, and Creampelt lifted her tail away from him, and he sighed again.

"You understand, at least a bit, don't you?" He sounded a little vulnerable, and Wavepaw almost felt a bit of sympathy.

"Not really, no." Creampelt repeated. "But I know you have to do this, and I'll respect that, even if I don't understand why you would walk up to a _random_ ShadowClan apprentice, and make conversation."

"When you put it that way…" Fallowspots took another shaky breath. "But I'm going to. I'll be back before you know it."

Creampelt said nothing, just watched him go.

 _What is he doing? An apprentice? That's just gross._ Wavepaw wrinkled his nose in distaste.

Against his instincts, he followed Fallowspots carefully across the clearing towards ShadowClan. He wanted to growl at his father as the white and gray tabby tom padded over to a little group of ShadowClan apprentices.

"Hello," he said awkwardly.

"You're in the wrong Clan." A ginger and white apprentice snapped bluntly.

"I was looking for…" Fallowspots stumbled.

"Get lost," a bulky gray tom hissed, not even reaching Fallowspots's shoulder, but still looking menacing.

Fallowspots looked so worried, Wavepaw almost wanted to pad over and lead him away, but he resisted the urge. _He's a full-grown warrior._ He reminded himself. _He can take care of himself._

"I'm sorry, I was looking for a cat who doesn't seem to be here." Fallowspots said through clenched teeth, surrounded by apprentices.

"Who?" A light brown tom with different coloured eyes padded forwards. "Maybe we can tell you where they are."

"Robinpaw!" The same hostile ginger and white she-cat snapped.

Robinpaw rolled his eyes at her, and continued talking to Wavepaw's father.

"She's an apprentice…" Fallowspots appeared to be at a loss for words to describe the cat, but Wavepaw knew better than to be fooled by his father. He obviously knew more about the apprentice than was appropriate for a warrior from another Clan to know. "I think she's about nine moons?"

"ShadowClan doesn't have any apprentices that are nine moons old." The same helpful tom supplied. "There's me and my littermates, there's Darkpaw and her sister, but we're all seven moons old. Then there's Ratpaw and Pinepaw-"

"And how old are they?" Fallowspots demanded.

Robinpaw didn't look certain how much he should tell Fallowspots, but he spoke without a waver in his voice. "They're ten moons old. I think, anyway, they're small cats."

"And where are they?" Fallowspots growled, stepping closer to the light brown tom.

 _Fish-brain, the cat is helping you._ Wavepaw bit back a hiss. _You don't need to threaten him._

The big gray tom and the ginger and white she-cat both stepped closer to Robinpaw, forming a sort of defensive line against Fallowspots, both pairs of greens eyes sparking, juxtaposed against Robinpaw's dual-coloured eyes that glimmered with a note of worry.

"Sorry." Fallowspots relented, probably realizing that, even if he could beat three apprentices in a fight, he would shoulder the blame for initiating the fight. "I just want to know if you know where Pinepaw is."

"She went off with Sootfire a while ago," Robinpaw told him, his voice betraying the lie.

"Tell me the truth!" Fallowspots leaned closer to Robinpaw, his green eyes blazing with urgency.

"I- I-" Robinpaw's mew broke off.

Wavepaw didn't hear any of the rest of his stammering, because sudden movement had caught his attention.

"... and then, I said, well, if you want to catch a mouse, you can't act like a squirrel!" Lightningpaw's mew was riddled with purrs.

 _Who is she talking to?_ He felt his fur begin to burn. _I thought she wasn't here!_

"What is she, an owl?" Another mew replied, sounding amused.

"Why?" Wavepaw heard another voice. For a moment, he thought it was his own, but quickly ascertained it was a she-cat, and it was coming from a couple fox-lengths away.

Perplexed and furious, he crept towards the voice. _Who is that?_ He caught a glimpse of ginger, white, and black fur through the bushes. _A ShadowClan apprentice? Pinepaw, maybe? The one Fallowspots was looking for?_

 _That's not the point, though!_ He shook his head, flattening his ears as though he could block out the grating sound of Breezepaw's purrs.

"Who are you?" A lithe head poked out of an elderflower bush. "Why are you watching me?"

"I'm not watching _you._ " Wavepaw felt irritation creep into his voice. "I mean…"

"You were watching Breezepaw?" Her black-amber eyes widened.

"No!" Something about the way her whole body was turned towards Breezepaw and Lightningpaw, the desperation in her dark amber eyes, the way she reminded him so much of himself… he relaxed. "I was watching Lightningpaw."

"Oh." She seemed to acknowledge their similarities as well. "I see."

"Why are you watching Breezepaw?" He challenged her.

"You first." She retorted. "It's none of your business, anyway."

"Then why do you think that the reason I'm watching Lightningpaw is any of _your_ business?" He demanded, not entirely sure it made any sense.

"Uh… what?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing. It's…" he sighed. "I love her."

The stranger's amber eyes rounded. "I… really like him. We met last Gathering, and I can't stop thinking about him."

"You _are_ like me." Wavepaw huffed a sarcastic laugh. "But you haven't admitted it yet. You're obsessed with him."

"What?"

For a moment, Wavepaw was worried he had been too forward, and she didn't feel the same way, but then he saw the way her eyes widened.

"I am." She breathed. "Great StarClan, I'm in love with a WindClan cat."

"That's not the point." He always felt uncomfortable when any cat mentioned the rule of not being allowed to have relationships across borders. "The question is, what do we do about it?"

"What do you mean?" She demanded.

Wavepaw raised his eyebrows at her, and flicked his tail towards the pair without a word.

"They're in love." Her eyes darkened. "How?"

"How are you in love with him?" Wavepaw countered, then sighed. "I don't know. All I know, is that if Breezepaw takes her from me, I'll kill him."

He immediately realized that he should _not_ have said that.

"You can try." Her mew was soft. "You could also underestimate me. But I wouldn't recommend it."

Despite himself, he felt a little chill run through his fur. The fur along his spine rose a little.

"What are you saying?" Without an answer, he tried something else. " _You_ want to hurt Lightningpaw. Don't deny it! We're one and the same."

"Not hurt her." The same dangerous note was in her voice. "Just put her somewhere where she can't ever touch him."

"I don't need another enemy." He growled, leaning closer to her. "You know, neither of us would need to do anything to our… rivals… if the other one managed to be with the other."

"What?" The tortoise-shell tilted her head.

"Let me explain. You love Breezepaw. I love Lightningpaw." Wavepaw said bluntly. "And they love each other."

She opened her jaws to protest, but then closed them again, so he continued.

"So if Breezepaw falls in love with you, there will be no one to be with Lightningpaw." Wavepaw smirked. "Except me, of course. Or if Lightningpaw falls in love with me first, then Breezepaw will be all yours. Get me?"

"Hm." She looked intrigued. "But if I manage to… uh, get Breezepaw first, and that helps you, what do I get out of it?"

"A chance at a happy life with the she-cat, er, tom you love." Wavepaw declared. "Or vice-versa."

"Oh." She nodded. "My name is Darkpaw. It's nice to meet you."

He threw his head back and purred. _Darkpaw, you and I can help each other. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship._ "I'm Wavepaw."

Darkpaw studied him for a moment, then nodded. "You need to befriend Breezepaw."

"I… what?" Wavepaw was taken aback.

"Befriend Breezepaw. I'll make friends with Lightningpaw." Darkpaw repeated.

"Befriend Breezepaw," Wavepaw echoed.

"Yes." Darkpaw confirmed. "How will you tell him that he should love me when you don't like him?"

"Alright." He couldn't deny it, her logic made sense, but he didn't want to hang around Breezy. "But I want to talk to Lightningpaw."

"And I'd like to talk to Breezepaw." Darkpaw agreed. "But you better have talked to him by the end of the Gathering."

"You had better talk to Lightningpaw." He retorted. "We can help each other. After you've met with her, come back and we'll talk more. I know you don't like her, and I sure don't like him, but for both our sakes, we have to try."

…

"ShadowClan has little to report." Ivystar declared. _The Gathering started?_ Wavepaw turned to the great tree. "Prey is running well among the pines. But I would like to recognize Lionpaw, Primrosepaw, Olivepaw, Robinpaw, and Darkpaw."

 _For what?_ Wavepaw wondered. _I shouldn't be scared._

He ignored the calls of all the other cats.

"That is all." Ivystar nodded to Thornstar.

As the ThunderClan leader began his report, Wavepaw began to pick his way over to the ThunderClan group. _I need to talk to her._

As more cheers for ThunderClan apprentices rang out, he neared the Clan. _Lightningpaw._ His heart drummed out. _Go to her._

Suddenly, he paused. WindClan was all around him, and Spottedstar was snarling. _The night that I tried to go to Lightningpaw. She's going to challenge Snowstar. I need to get back to RiverClan!_

Eyes wide, head empty of Lightningpaw for the first time in a moon, he raced back towards Ripplepaw and Briarpaw, who weren't looking at each other, but were sitting next to each other.

"That's _all_?" Spottedstar cracked. "My warriors found a lost kitten wandering onto our territory a few nights after the Gathering."

 _Kitten?!_ He fumed, embarrassed and outraged.

"Really." Snowstar laid his tail over his paws. "Ah, so this time it's not a stray bit of fluff, or a questionable scent, a _cat_ wandered onto your territory."

"A kit." The scornful mew of the WindClan leader made Wavepaw itch to dig his claws into her spotted fur.

"I'd _love_ for you to explain that. Considering… RiverClan has no kittens at the moment. Poolfur is expecting, but according to Sheepbelly, it should be at least a moon before she gives birth. Unless you'd like to tell Poolfur she's had her kits already… you've made a mistake."

"No mistakes were made," Spottedstar's claws slid out, "unless that kit was an apprentice."

"How careless of you." Snowstar rolled his eyes.

"Easy mistake to make. According to my deputy, his name is Wavepaw." Spottedstar stared right at him, and he was pretty sure his heart stopped.

 _I'll show you kit, worthless rabbit-muncher. One RiverClan apprentice is worth ten WindClan leaders._ Wavepaw stared right back at her, blazing green meeting freezing blue.

"Wavepaw." Snowstar's voice seemed unsure for the barest moment.

"Wavepaw." Spottedstar didn't shift her gaze from him. "I trust RiverClan will punish him sufficiently, and WindClan has no reason to… get involved?"

 _Punish me?_ Wavepaw's blood ran cold.

"Punish him?" Snowstar echoed Spottedstar and Wavepaw's thoughts. "You have proof reliable as a rabbit, and no way of showing it to us. Just one witness. Why should I punish _any_ cat?"

Wavepaw sighed in relief. Spottedstar began a tirade about patrols and the cats that had witnessed him, but he didn't care anymore. There would be no punishment, and no rabbit-muncher could change that.

 _I need to see her._ He dashed over to ThunderClan, ignoring the stares and noises of disapproval.

"Can't stay in your own Clan for a single moment." One cat snapped after him.

"RiverClan really that bad?" Another comment greeted him as he pushed past another clump of warriors.

 _There she is!_ Triumphant energy shot through him, until he realized it was the ginger apprentice from before. Hissing in annoyance, he positioned himself further away from her, trying not to attract the attention of any more warriors.

 _Where is she- what's she doing in ShadowClan?_ He couldn't hide his surprise as he spotted her dark pelt among the apprentices that Fallowspots had been talking to.

"Darkpaw, you're good." He murmured, then as the warriors began to look at him strangely, he padded back towards RiverClan.

 _That's right, I have to go be friendly with Breezy…_ He growled softly, but he knew that it was in his best interest to make friends with the golden WindClan apprentice.

As he headed back towards his sisters, unsure of how to approach Breezepaw, he considered the fact that he had probably infuriated most of WindClan when he crossed the border.

 _Never thought friends would be so hard to make._ He grumbled internally. _Wait a minute…_

He clenched his teeth as Breezepaw and Ripplepaw made their way over to him. _What is she doing. Seednose and now Breezepaw too?!_

"This is my brother, Wavepaw!" Ripplepaw announced.

"Nice to meet you." Breezepaw's mew was cold.

"Same to you." He kept all emotion out of the words for fear that any sort of growl might betray the fact that he wanted to leap onto Breezepaw and claw him until he screamed.

"Whoo!" Wavepaw gritted his teeth as Ripplepaw flicked him with her tail. "Where'd all this ice come from?"

 _Well, dear sister, I believe it crept over to the RiverClan group in a golden pelt with black feet and a tail-tip, and it's name is Breezepaw._

"Don't know what you're talking about." Wavepaw responded icily. "Breezepaw and I have met. He helped me save Lightningpaw."

"You helped me save her." Breezepaw retorted.

 _Great_ StarClan _above, this tom is asking for a shredding._ Wavepaw thought, digging his claws into the ground, but forcing himself to reply civilly.

"We saved her."

Breezepaw shrugged. Wavepaw fought the urge to rip open his pelt so he could get a proper look at the shoulders that had dismissed him so easily.

"Well, anyways, I'll leave you two to chat." Wavepaw sniffed. "I'll see you later, Ripplepaw. Breezepaw, better hope you don't see me."

"Stay away." Breezepaw glared straight at him.

"I've no reason to visit you." He shrugged, one eye closing lazily. "Unless you give me one."

Before the growl rising in Breezy's throat could make it out, Wavepaw whipped around, letting his long, feathery silver tail smack across his rival's muzzle.

 _I have to go meet Darkpaw._ He hissed. _Well, fish dung. I blew that one. How am I supposed to make friends with a cat that hates me?!_

"Wavepaw!" He turned as Darkpaw called him over. "Great StarClan, why are you standing around? Get over here!"

Miffed at being ordered around and reluctant to tell her he'd failed spectacularly, he stalked over to her.

"So?" She looked at him expectantly.

"What?" He feigned innocence.

" _So,_ how did it go?" She rolled her eyes.

"Well." He gritted his teeth, then burst out: "He hates me! We'll never be friends!"  
Darkpaw did not look impressed. "You sound like a kit. You know I hate Lightningpaw, but I can still put on a mask."

"You're lying." Wavepaw searched her eyes. "You can act? I know when a cat lies."

"What?" Darkpaw looked uncomfortable at his accusation. "Okay, maybe I got a little too into it, but that's all for the better!"

"No cat can hate Lightningpaw." Wavepaw purred.

"That's not the point!" Darkpaw snapped. "You failed."

"I did not!" Wavepaw was furious. "I tried!"

"You should have tried harder." Darkpaw narrowed her eyes. "We're done here. Good-bye, Wavepaw."

His mouth hung open a little as she stormed away.

 **Not as long as the other two, but flipping long anyway. So. Complications. And yeah. Fallowspots being a creep, Wavepaw being a creep, Darkpaw being AWESOME but kinda cold, and stuff went down, amirite?**

 **Don't forget your review telling me how confused you are!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	26. Dark: Do You Like My Mask?

**Here we are, again!**

 **REVIEW REPLIES:**

 **Rainmist: Pretty much. I mean, when he's not around her, he's a pretty okay character. But she makes him… a little stupid.**

 **Lightningstrike: *Cracks knuckles* Tangled indeed. That's the best part. I swear, once I reveal everything, you will all be staring at your devices, smacking your foreheads, going 'OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I get it now!' I hope. It's fun to make people do that. Good suggestions. But Lightning Breeze will happen with difficulty, or not at all. Just sayin'. Tangled secondary events probably won't be completely unraveled until they're warriors. Which won't happen until at least chapter 40 say.**

 **Starrysong: LOOOOOOOOOOVE IS THE ANSWER. No, literally, they did it cause they're in LOOOOOOOOOVE.**

 **Snowcrystal: Lel.**

 **Riverglade: We'll see. BTW to you and everyone who has been misguided by the bonus scene, her name is absolutely definitely** _ **NOT**_ **going to be Lightningwish. I think it's a stupid name, tbh, but she needed one and the only thing other than her planned name that I could think of was Lightningbreeze, which I can't use, obviously.**

 _ **QUICK SPEEDY NOTE:**_ **Nearly every cat already has a planned name, but if you want to suggest one, go ahead! (But not one for the main four.)**

 **KaiLover: I've already estimated this fanfiction to finish around the 350 000 word mark, so yeeh, if I want to finish it ever, I'd like to speed things along without wrecking anything. And Darkpaw and Wavepaw aren't done with each other. Actually, I could turn this into a series… hmm.**

 **MysticWolf: Haha, Darkpaw will love who she wants to love! Who says Breezepaw will even end up with Lightningpaw?**

 **Holy guac, you guys heaped the reviews on me this time! Love you all ;).**

 **Disclaimer: Warriors is not owned by me!**

Chapter 24.

"From this day forwards, until the day you recieve your warrior name, you shall be Poolpaw." Ivystar nodded solemnly to the apprentice. "Your mentor shall be Ravenwing."

Poolpaw couldn't contain her excitement at being apprenticed to the deputy, and that was awfully clear to a scowling Mudkit.

 _I wish I could mentor her._ Darkpaw thought. _Even if I'm only a moon older. If Lionpaw and I had been born at the right time… we'd be the same age. And, of course, the Clan wouldn't have four dead kits to think about. And I might not have the nightmares._

"Typical." Mudkit muttered bitterly. Darkpaw had to prick her ears to hear the sullen mew of the soon-to-be apprentice.

"And until you receive your full name, you'll be Mudpaw, apprenticed to Feathermist." Ivystar continued briskly. "Mentors, take your apprentices out into the forest and Ravenwing will initiate the training technique we spoke about yesterday."

Ivystar nodded briefly to Ravenwing, who dipped his head sharply back. Then the black tom spun on his heel, his excited brown apprentice right behind him, and he strode out of camp.

Confused, Darkpaw approached her mentor to see if he could tell her what 'the training technique' could possibly entail, but Wildwind simply shook his head.

"I suppose he'll tell us when we get there." Her mentor shrugged. "Always a bit quiet, that one. A good cat though."

Darkpaw nodded absently, already trailing through the entrance of the camp to follow the retreating tail of Poolpaw. Mudpaw drifted to her side, but returned to Feathermist when her mentor beckoned her.

Darkpaw sighed. _Now Duskpaw will have training, and we'll hardly see each other! Except, now we'll sleep in the same place, and Quailwing can't tell me what to do. But that's no use if I can't talk to her._ Her tail drooped thinking of her dappled brown tabby friend. _She'll be my deputy one day, but we can't even talk to each other anymore._

"Darkpaw?" Wildwind repeated, and she realized he'd been calling her name for several heart-beats.

"Hm, yeah?" She shook her head, then directed her intense amber gaze towards him.

"Please pay attention when I'm speaking." Wildwind flicked her ear with his tail. "I asked you if you wished to go to the Gathering tonight."

 _Breezepaw._ Her traitorous heart whispered. _What if he's there?_

"Yes." She fought to keep her mew vacant. "It would be a good opportunity to expand my current knowledge of the other Clans."

"Indeed." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Ivystar told me that in consideration of the fact you excelled in the night training, it would be customary for you to attend."

She took a moment to unravel his meaning, and realized he was praising her skill at the night training and telling her she could go to the Gathering.

"Oh! Thank you." She dipped her head. "But that training was nearly a moon ago!"

"The Gathering only happens once a moon." Wildwind tipped his head at her. "And that training is one of the most important parts of a ShadowClan warrior's apprenticeship. Unless, of course, you're politely saying that you do not wish to attend, in which case-"

"No! Uh, no, I'd like to attend; very much so." She bobbed her head, then continued. "I just thought… well, you're right. Is Lionpaw- which of the other apprentices will also be coming?"

"That's to be determined." Wildwind said shrewdly. "But you will also take part in today's training, make no mistake."

"Very well." Darkpaw murmured.

She fell silent as they traipsed through the pines, towards one of the more thickly wooded areas, near where ShadowClan territory met the forests of the outside world.

"It's so _big_!" She heard Mudpaw's shocked mew from somewhere behind her, and she huffed a purr of amusement.

They continued along the rigid path, Ravenwing never wavering for a moment. Every apprentice was there, along with every mentor, except Silverpuddle, who had come down with white-cough and was staying inside Ashmask's den until she had recovered.

 _I wonder what Ravenwing's planning._ Darkpaw thought. _Maybe it's another excersise like what we did last moon. But it's barely sundown, it's not dark enough to do anything like that._

"Hurry along, Darkpaw." Wildwind threw over his shoulder, and she realized she had been trailing along slower than a sleeping kit.

"Sorry." She sped up, catching up to her mentor with relative ease.

 _I guess I'm stronger than I was when I was first apprenticed…_ She realized. _I wish I was as big as Lionpaw. She so strong, it's easy for her to get through the forest. StarClan's sake, she's bigger than Olivepaw, and he's big for a tom his age. I wonder if I'll ever be that big._

She cast a longing glance at Lionpaw's broad, rapidly shifting golden shoulders. _It's too bad I can't just_ pretend _to be bigger. Well, I could, but no one would think any differently. They can see easily that I'm tiny. Duskpaw's just as big as me, and she's a moon younger. Unless I can find a way to be bigger…_

Feeling a little stupid, she raised her fur a little. Glancing along her flank, she noted that she looked a bit bigger, but it was still painfully obvious how tiny she was. She tried lifting her shoulders more with every step she took. It helped a bit, and her small size looked more like an act, rather than an unfortunate consequence of being born nearly a moon early.

Praying that no cat could see her trying, she raised her head and tail, trying to cover more space with her body. _Is it working?_ Walking in that manner was exhausting, so she could only keep it up for a few fox-lengths before she had to stop.

"What's wrong, Darkpaw?" Primrosepaw's normally abrasive mew was a little more gentle.

"What do you mean?" Darkpaw glanced at her ginger and white foster sister.

"Nothing, you just…" Primrosepaw glanced meaningfully at Darkpaw's semi-raised fur. "You just look like you're on edge."

"Oh." Carefully, she let her fur fall flat, and stilled her tail so it only bobbed a little as she walked. "No, I'm fine. Just curious as to what Ravenwing has planned for us."

"Something sneaky, if I know Ravenwing." Primrosepaw snorted. "He's tricky."

"You don't know Ravenwing, though." Darkpaw pointed out wryly.

"Yet." Primrosepaw struck a dramatic pose. "He is my future mate, after all."

Darkpaw had to stop walking for a moment. "Say what?" She spluttered.

"Ravenwing and I, we're destined to be." Primrosepaw said simply, then burst into purrs at the tortoise-shell's dumbfounded expression. "I'm kidding! Great StarClan, you thought I was serious. But come on, he's handsome."

"I guess." Darkpaw shot an evaluating glance at the black deputy. "I don't know, isn't he… a bit old?"

"Twelve moons older." Primrosepaw said dismissively. "He took over training Feathermist only a couple days after Sandywind retired. He was barely a new warrior, but he was a very talented strategist, which I'm guessing he learned from Wildwind."

" _Twelve_ moons? How is he possibly deputy? And how do you know all this?" Darkpaw sniffed.

"Sandywind told me." Primrosepaw explained. "What? I like the elders, they're nicer than most of the warriors."

"I didn't say anything." Darkpaw rolled her eyes. "But taking over training an apprentice for a moon isn't exactly having an apprentice. How did the Clan accept that he was going to be deputy?"

"Well…" Primrosepaw hesitated, darting a glance at the older cats to make sure they were out of earshot. "It's a bit dodgy, but…"

"What?" Darkpaw was genuinely curious now.

"See, apparently, after the last deputy died, Stoneclaw, I think his name was, Ivystar obviously needed a new deputy. Stoneclaw died early in the morning from green cough, so Ivystar had lots of time… but she needed a cat, and Wildwind turned down her offer." Primrosepaw elaborated. "He did suggest his former apprentice, Ravenwing, though. Ivystar was uncomfortable with appointing such an inexperienced cat as deputy, though, so she delayed the ceremony for another little while. It was almost sundown when a loud cry from a bird happened, and then a giant flock of black birds flew across the sun."

"Ravens." Darkpaw guessed, and Primrosepaw confirmed the guess with a nod.

"Ravens indeed. It was at that point that according to Sandywind, Ashmask burst out of his den, with a prophecy." Primrosepaw said, eyes uncertain.

"A _prophecy_?" Darkpaw's dark amber eyes widened. "Well, what was it?"

"'Raven's wings will block out the sun, helping the shadows to thrive.'" Primrosepaw looked worried. "Which was pretty much what had just happened. A whole bunch of birds flew overhead, and their wings blocked out the sun, and the territory was covered in shadows."

"Well, that's pretty clear." Darkpaw shrugged.

"The problem is, Ashmask is Ravenwing's brother." Primrosepaw said. "So a lot of cats accused Ashmask of faking a prophecy to get his brother into an important spot. Cats like Foxwhisker, Voleheart, and Quailwing didn't support Ashmask and called for his removal as medicine cat, but Ivystar appointed Ravenwing as deputy anyway."

"Oh." Darkpaw took a moment to absorb the information. She remembered Quailwing storming out of the medicine den in a fury when Ashmask refused to treat Poolpaw, then Poolkit, because there was nothing wrong with her. Darkpaw had thought that that was because Quailwing was overprotective, but it might have been because of the scandal from moons before.

"Yeah." Primrosepaw fell silent, then continued. "But it seems to me the prophecy was real. I mean, how could Ashmask possibly convince about five thousand birds to fly over the sun like that? Besides, ever since Ravenwing became deputy, ShadowClan has never been stronger. I mean, we haven't lost a single battle, and no cats have died, and Ivystar and Ravenwing lead the Clan better than any other deputy and leader I've ever seen. If he outlives Ivystar, we'll be in good paws."

"Ha!" Darkpaw purred, flicking Primrosepaw with her tail. "You haven't seen any other deputies and leaders."

"Have so!" Primrosepaw retorted. "For example, ThunderClan. Thornstar's annoying, and it's pretty clear that Shadefur has the real power in the Clan. No cat respects Thornstar."

"And how do you know all this?" Darkpaw inquired.

"I talked to Rosepaw at last Gathering." Primrosepaw said defensively. "Fine then, take WindClan. Honeythorn's obviously an excellent deputy, but Spottedstar's too quick to anger and behaves like a petulant kit. Honeythorn supports her leader, though, so they're better than ThunderClan, at least."

"And how do you know _that_?" Darkpaw rolled her eyes.

"I got some information out of a handsome WindClan tom." Primrosepaw said in a monotone voice, as though it meant nothing to her, but there was an undeniable spark of triumph in her eyes.

Darkpaw felt her claws slide out. "What tom?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"Something to do with bunnies. Harepaw or something." Primrosepaw said dismissively.

"Rabbitpaw?" Darkpaw relaxed. _Not Breezepaw._

"That was it." Primrosepaw nodded sharply. "Not the fastest frog in the swamp, if you know what I mean."

"Hm." Darkpaw let out a huff of amusement. "And what of RiverClan?"

"What about RiverClan?"

"What does the great Primrosepaw think of Mistyclaw and Snowingstar?" Darkpaw asked.

"Mistcloud and Snowstar, frog-brain." Primrosepaw corrected. "Mistcloud's a strong deputy, from what I've seen, but Snowstar's too young to have the experience a leader needs."

"The same could be said about Ravenwing." Darkpaw pointed out, a tinge of a challenge in her voice.

"Ah, but Snowstar's not _nearly_ as _handsome_." Primrosepaw pretended to swoon.

Darkpaw rolled her eyes.

…

"Listen up, cats of ShadowClan." Ravenwing's deep voice called out. "Ivystar and I have prepared a training excersise to sharpen the skills of the warriors and teach the apprentices about some of the most important ShadowClan tactics."

"Fascinating." Darkpaw said caustically.

"Isn't his voice just _dreamy_?" Primrosepaw leaned on Darkpaw, fanning herself with her tail.

"You're doing this to annoy me." Darkpaw scowled at the ginger and white she-cat.

"It's fun." Primrosepaw didn't even try to deny it.

"What is one of ShadowClan's prime battle tactics?" Ravenwing asked the gathered cats.

"Night attacks!" Foxwhisker called out.

"Care to expand?" Ravenwing prompted.

"Ambushes." She said simply.

"Good." Ravenwing praised her, but the ginger and white she-cat just glared at him. Darkpaw remembered Primrosepaw telling her that Foxwhisker was one of the cats against Ravenwing. "Cats of other Clans say it's cowardly. Why?"

"Because they lose!" A call rang out from somewhere in the back of the crowd.

Ravenwing threw his back and purred. Primrosepaw swooned onto Darkpaw's shoulder again, and this time the tortoise-shell threw her off.

"Good answer!" The black deputy exclaimed. "Not quite what I was looking for, though. Any cat else?"

"Because they believe it's cowardly to hide from the enemy and lure them into battle." Primrosepaw declared.

"Correct." Ravenwing nodded to her, and she sighed heavily right in Darkpaw's ear.

"So help me, I will claw off your muzzle." Darkpaw hissed to her.

"And why do they believe that's cowardly?" Ravenwing continued, prompting the crowd.

"Because they can't see us coming." Voleheart narrowed his eyes.

"Exactly." Ravenwing nodded to the silver and black tom. "So that's what we'll be practicing today. Ambushes. The key is to not be seen, so stealth is vital."

"How will this work?" Sootfire grouched.

"One patrol will be the enemy warriors, and the other will be the ambush team." Ravenwing continued, as though Sootfire hadn't spoken. "I will go with the ambush team, until they've hidden themselves. At that point, I'll return to where the 'enemy warriors' are waiting, then give them the signal to begin to come through the territory. The ambush team's goal is to stop the enemy warriors before they reach camp, and the enemy warrior team is trying to get to camp, obviously. Claws sheathed."

"We're not kits." Pinepaw grumbled.

"The ambush team will be as follows: Voleheart, Vinestem, Foxwhisker, Frostsong, Sootfire, Ratpaw, Lionpaw, Poolpaw, Olivepaw." Ravenwing said. "The enemy warriors will be Wildwind, Shiningsnow, Primrosepaw, Robinpaw, Darkpaw, Pinepaw, Mudpaw, and Mousepelt."

The gathered cats nodded, and split apart into their respective groups.

"They get the tactician?" Sootfire's put out mew rang over them. "How is that fair?"

"You have less apprentices." Ravenwing countered. "And besides, it should be easier to stop them from reaching camp than it would be to get there."

"Fine." Sootfire still looked annoyed, but Darkpaw was pretty sure that that was just his normal face.

"Anyway." Wildwind turned back to them. "Our objective is to avoid ambush. And I've got an idea for how."

"Well, tell us then!" Mudpaw exclaimed.

Wildwind looked irritated for a moment, then purred. "Young cats." He muttered, a note of amusement in his voice. "They'll obviously be hiding together, to avoid being outnumbered. All we need to do is to get a cat to camp."

"So…" Pinepaw prompted.

"Split up." Wildwind said simply. "Three groups. At least one warrior in each, and they should be able to hold their own."

"Which group will go for the camp?" Pinepaw demanded.

"None of them." Wildwind stated. "This is where it gets complicated. Listen up."

Every cat turned their head to listen.

"If this is where we are, and that's where the camp is," Wildwind scraped out shapes into the ground as he spoke. "then they'll be hiding here."

"How do you know?" Mousepelt demanded, staring down at the drawing.

"There's a large bush with strong smelling flowers on it between this spot that we're in now and the camp. It's the most logical place for them to hide." Wildwind explained. "On the off-chance they hide somewhere else, it should be fairly easy to adapt the plan."

"What is the plan?" Mudpaw questioned.

"I like this cat." Wildwind's mew was humorous. "Straight to the point. The plan, well, like I said. Complicated; three groups, two of them will circle around, so they're almost across from each other, but closer to camp. The third group will approach the bush from over here, and then we'll trap them in the bush. Eventually, one of the two groups will leave and go straight for the camp. That's the only flaw with ambushes. You're trapped in close-quarters."

"I see." Mousepelt nodded. "And how will we adapt if they don't hide in that bush?"

"Easily." Wildwind smirked. "They pose absolutely no threat if they aren't between us and the camp. Should they choose a spot other than the elder-flower bush, we simply run for the camp."

"Thought you a tactician." Pinepaw sniffed. "I don't see what's so tricky about running full-pelt."

"That's precisely the trickiness of it." Wildwind swept on. "They'll expect us to try something low and circle around and sneak in. They wouldn't expect a full-frontal charge."

"Let's do it." Shiningsnow nodded.

"I'm in." Primrosepaw grinned.

"It better work." Pinepaw said dubiously, but dipped her head.

Robinpaw simply flexed his claws. Darkpaw purred in agreement.

"Enemy warriors?" Ravenwing's mew echoed through the trees. "Are you ready?"

"Right on time, Ravenwing." Wildwind beckoned his former apprentice. "We're ready. Has the ambush team hidden in the- sorry, are they ready?"

"You've already figured out where they're hiding." Ravenwing's eyes twinkled. "I expected nothing less, Call."

"You flatter me, Scraps." Wildwind responded. "May we begin?"

"You may." Ravenwing nodded to them, and Wildwind snapped into action.

"Shiningsnow, you're leading group number one. Take Robinpaw and Mudpaw, and begin to circle the bush. Bark like a dog if they're in the elder-flower bush, make a birdcall if they're somewhere else." Wildwind commanded. "Mousepelt, you'll lead the second group. You'll take Primrosepaw and Pinepaw, and circle the elder-flower bush when you hear the bark from Shiningsnow. If otherwise, run full-pelt for the camp, and don't stop for anything."

Mousepelt nodded, and signalled to Primrosepaw and Pinepaw to follow him.

"The last group is just you and I, Darkpaw." Wildwind nodded to her.

She realized with a shock that Shiningsnow and her group had already gone. A sharp yip echoed through the trees, and Wildwind's smirk deepened.

"Sootfire, you couldn't beat me when we were apprentices, and there's no way in StarClan you're beating me now." Wildwind set off into the trees, and Darkpaw followed.

They charged through the trees, not even pausing for a moment. Darkpaw lengthened her strides in an attempt to match Wildwind's. Soon they came to the bush that Wildwind had spoken of, and they stood shoulder to shoulder with Pinepaw and Mudpaw.

"Ready?" Darkpaw murmured to Mudpaw.

"I don't think so." Her green eyes were wide with worry.

"Duskpaw, you'll be fine." Darkpaw reassured her, and the sound of her name seemed to make her relax a little. "These are your Clanmates."

"I guess." Mudpaw looked slightly less nervous, that is, until Ratpaw burst out of the bush right in front of them.

Not wasting a moment, Darkpaw's fur shot straight up and she reared up on her hindlegs and yowled a battle cry. Ratpaw's amber eyes went as wide as moons and he darted back into the bush.

"Pinepaw! Now!" Wildwind screeched, and Pinepaw took off towards camp. "Every cat, get into the elderflower bush! Don't worry about beating any cat, just confuse them!"

Darkpaw nodded, and laid her tail onto Mudpaw's shoulders, guiding her into the bush.

Together, they took on Foxwhisker, hissing at her and darting around her. Mudpaw held up remarkably well for an apprentice who'd never had any training. They crashed headlong into Voleheart, who was facing off with Shiningsnow, his silver and black fur on end.

The tom whipped around and yowled in surprise as Foxwhisker smashed into him.

"I'm on your team, fool!" He exclaimed, swiping a paw over her ear.

"Back off!" Foxwhisker snapped back.

"I'm not the one that crashed into a Clanmate!" Voleheart retorted, spinning around and sharply catching Foxwhisker in the ribs with a kick.

"I'm not the one who _kicked_ a Clanmate!" Foxwhisker tackled him, and Darkpaw and Mudpaw charged off to find a new target.

"Wow. Wow wow, that was great!" Mudpaw exclaimed. "You're a brilliant fighter!"

"Ha, thanks." Darkpaw purred, and they scrambled over to where Wildwind and Sootfire were facing off and hissing at each other.

"You couldn't beat me when we were apprentices, and you're not beating me now!" Wildwind jumped on Sootfire, a scowl decorating his face.

"Nice try, _Call_." Sootfire dodged out of the way, growling.

"Only Ravenwing has permission to ever use that name." Wildwind's eyes were amber slits of fire, and he leaped at Sootfire once more.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Darkpaw exclaimed to Mudpaw, and she jumped onto Sootfire.

Mudpaw nodded, and hauled the gray tom away from Darkpaw's mentor. Darkpaw clouted his ears, hard, and Sootfire fell backwards. Wildwind nodded sharply in approval briefly to them, and then stormed away to find a new opponent.

"Let's take on Frostsong!" Darkpaw hissed to Mudpaw, her dark amber eyes alight with the adrenaline of the mock battle.

"Wait, where's Ratpaw going?" Mudpaw's eyes narrowed.

Darkpaw turned to look and spotted Ratpaw slipping out of the bush. "He's trying to stop Pinepaw!"

"But he can't catch her…" Mudpaw looked confused, but followed Darkpaw as the tortoise-shell dashed out of the bush.

"He's the fastest cat in ShadowClan aside from Ravenwing!" Darkpaw's paws pounded the soft pine-littered floor. "We've no time for stamina, just sprint! If we can't catch him, no one can!"

"Hey!" Pinepaw's annoyed shriek was quickly cut off.

"Faster!" Darkpaw snapped.

They burst out of the underbrush into a clearing where a wriggling Pinepaw was pinned under her brother.

"Duskpaw!" Darkpaw hissed. "Run for camp. I'll stop Ratpaw, don't look back."  
Too terrified to speak, she nodded and shot off into the forest. By the time Ratpaw realized where she was going, Darkpaw was already attacking him ferociously.

She didn't particularly like Pinepaw, but they needed to work together to beat Ratpaw. Pinepaw might not have been as fast as Ratpaw, but she was more than a match for him and she hardly needed Darkpaw's help. Pinepaw latched onto her brother's scruff and yanked him backwards, exposing his belly.

Not missing a beat, she battered his soft belly fur with her front paws, carefully keeping them sheathed. They still knocked the air out of him, and by the time they heard Mudpaw's triumphant screech, Ratpaw was finished.

"We've won!" Pinepaw grinned at Darkpaw wolfishly.

The look was a little unsettling, but Darkpaw smiled back.

"It's over!" Ravenwing yowled. "The winners are the enemy warriors! Every cat please return to the elder-flower bush!"

Darkpaw whipped around and charged towards the bush. The adrenaline of the battle made her feel as though there was lightning zipping through her pelt.

"We won!" She exclaimed to Primrosepaw.

"Did you see me take on Vinestem?" She widened her eyes. "He was practically _begging_ for mercy."

"I think that means you're going to the Gathering." Darkpaw said happily.

"Oh goodie, I'll see Mistyclaw and Snowingstar." Primrosepaw mewed dryly. "But I did meet some friendly ThunderClan apprentices. There was a ginger and white one that looked like me. But her eyes were amber."

"Oh yeah? Funny how some cats look more like cats from other Clans than their own littermates." Darkpaw pondered out loud.

"Yeah. I saw a RiverClan elder who looked like Lionpaw." Primrosepaw stated. "It's creepy, how many cats look like that she-cat."

"It's annoying." Darkpaw wrinkled her nose.

"I've never seen those golden eyes on any cat though." Primrosepaw relented. "So maybe not every part of her."

"Hmm." Darkpaw pictured the Gathering. "You're right."

"Clanmates!" Ravenwing called. "The enemy warrior team will be attending the Gathering, along with the cat on the ambush team that the Clan believes performed best."

"Well, it wasn't me." Vinestem grouched bitterly.

"Darn right it wasn't." Primrosepaw snickered to Darkpaw. "I could have beat him with my eyes closed!"

"Frostsong, what do you think?" Ravenwing nodded to Darkpaw's foster mother.

"Voleheart and Foxwhisker were to busy fighting each other to be any real help." Frostsong frowned at them. "And Sootfire lost against two young apprentices. Lionpaw did an acceptable job, but her strength isn't fighting in tightly enlosed spaces. Poolpaw as well, she did well for an apprentice her age, but she should have stuck with an older apprentice or a warrior like Mudpaw did."

"Then… who's left?" Primrosepaw murmured to Darkpaw.

"Olivepaw performed exceptionally well." Frostsong's pale eyes were brimming with pride. "He helped Poolpaw when she was unable to beat Robinpaw, and he held his own against Shiningsnow. I believe he was the best performing cat on the team, even if he was only an apprentice."

Olivepaw ducked his head in embarrassment and modesty as his team crowded around him, calling out good-natured congratulations.

"That's right, I saw him fighting Shiningsnow." Primrosepaw realized out loud. "It was pretty cool to watch. He kept slithering under her like a snake and kicking her up."

"Oh yeah?" Darkapw watched as Lionpaw touched her muzzle to Olivepaw's, her golden eyes pleased. "Ew. The love-birds are back."

At the mention of love, Primrosepaw pretended to swoon in Ravenwing's direction.

"This Clan is full of nutters." Darkpaw muttered.

…

Once they had finally set off for the Gathering, Darkpaw's thoughts were slowly invaded by a certain WindClan tom. She realized Lionpaw wasn't with them either. She had been on the ambush team, and according to Frostsong, she hadn't done well enough to attend.

 _That's a shame._ She felt a stab of guilt that there was no real feeling behind the thought. _I love Lionpaw! It's just hard to have a sister who… is perfect. It just isn't fair!  
_ "What's wrong, Darkpaw?" Primrosepaw asked, looking concerned.

"Nothing!" She snapped. "Lionpaw's not here."

"She isn't." Primrosepaw agreed slowly. "Why does that matter?"

"I don't know. It shouldn't. It doesn't." Darkpaw lied. "I just… I feel like she should be here."

"Why?" Primrosepaw asked simply.

 _Because there's a hole without her._ Darkpaw thought. "I don't know."

Primrosepaw nodded, but it was clear she didn't get it. Olivepaw and Robinpaw were always with her, anywhere she went. Besides, she was a better fighter than them and she could easily hunt more in an day than her brothers.

"So, do you think you'll ever have a mate?" Primrosepaw shifted closer to her, a mischievious look on her face.

"I don't know." Darkpaw glared at her. "Do you?"

She immediately wanted to snatch the words back as Primrosepaw's eyes lit up. "Of course. _Ravenwing_!"

"Twelve moons is a _long_ time. When you were _born_ he probably became a warrior!" The idea disgusted her, but it obviously didn't faze Primrosepaw.

"So what?" She shrugged. "My father was Voleheart, and he's practically a million moons old."

"Yeah right." Darkpaw rolled her eyes. "That's not true. Besides, Frostsong's about his age, right?"

"No, according to Sandywind, she was barely a warrior when they became mates." Primrosepaw wrinkled her nose. "And Vinestem is nearly six moons younger than Quailwing and they still had kits."

"I guess." Darkpaw was still unconvinced.

…

"... it wouldn't make sense-" Primrosepaw abruptly cut off her own rambling. "Who is that?"

They all turned ot look at where she was motioning towards. There was a gray and white tabby warrior that stank of fish approaching them. _RiverClan?_ Darkpaw thought, alarmed. _I'm not talking to him._

She backed away, stationing herself several fox-lengths away.

"Hello," the tom's mew was awkward.

"You're in the wrong Clan." Primrosepaw scowled at the newcomer.

"I was looking for…" he trailed off.

"Get lost." Olivepaw snapped.

"I'm sorry, I was looking for a cat who doesn't seem to be here." He hissed.

 _Who?_ Darkpaw wondered.

"Who?" Robinpaw moved forwards, echoing Darkpaw's thoughts. "Maybe we can tell you where they are."

"Robinpaw!" Primrosepaw snapped.

Robinpaw rolled his eyes at her, and continued talking to the RiverClan warrior.

"She's an apprentice…" He appeared to be at a loss for words to describe her. "I think she's about nine moons?"

"ShadowClan doesn't have any apprentices that are nine moons old." Robinpaw cocked his head. "There's me and my littermates, there's Darkpaw and her sister, but we're all seven moons old. Then there's Ratpaw and Pinepaw-"

"And how old are they?" The tabby warrior demanded.

Robinpaw didn't look certain how much he should tell the RiverClan cat, but he spoke without a waver in his voice. "They're ten moons old. I think, anyway, they're small cats."

"And where are they?" He growled, stepping closer to Darkpaw's foster brother.

 _Threatening him isn't going to get you anywhere._ Darkpaw curled her lip at the intruding warrior. _It'll just make Olivepaw and Primrosepaw mad._

As Darkpaw had predicted, both of Robinpaw's littermates stalked forwards, glaring at him. Even though they all had different pelt colours, it was clear that Primrosepaw and Olivepaw were siblings, their green eyes blazing.

"Sorry." He relented. "I just want to know if you know where Pinepaw is."

"She went off with Sootfire a while ago," Robinpaw told him, his voice betraying the lie.

"Tell me the truth!" The mysterious warrior leaned closer to Robinpaw, his green eyes blazing with urgency.

"I- I-" Robinpaw's mew broke off.

"Just tell me!" His eyes bored into Robinpaw's.

"Back off!" Primrosepaw snapped.

Darkpaw's attention was suddenly snatched away by a sudden purr from somewhere in the underbrush next to her. She spotted Breezepaw walking through there, and her heart began to race and her vision clouded as she realized there was a she-cat beside him.

"Why?" Her voice was so raw she barely recognized it as her own.

She suddenly scented the same fishy smell of before.

"Who are you?" She stared at the newcomer. "Why are you watching me?"

 _I've had enough RiverClan for one day._ She thought, scowling at him.

"I'm not watching _you_." He curled his lip at her, then realized how she might take that. "I mean-"

"You were watching Breezepaw?" Darkpaw's eyes went as wide as moons.

"No!" He denfended himself quickly. "I was… watching Lightningpaw."

 _Lightningpaw? That…_ she-cat _that Breezepaw's walking around the island with?_

"Oh." She felt a prick of amusement at the similarity of their situations. "I see."

"Why were you watching Breezepaw?" He challenged.

""You first." She retorted. "It's none of your business, anyway."

"Then why do you think that the reason I'm watching Lightningpaw is any of _your_ business?" He demanded..

"Uh… what?" She raised an eyebrow at him. _What in StarClan's name is this tom going on about?_

"Nothing. It's…" he sighed. "I love her."

Darkpaw's eyes rounded. "I… really like him. We met last Gathering, and I can't stop thinking about him." _Why am I telling him this?_

"You _are_ like me." The tom huffed a sarcastic laugh. "But you haven't admitted it yet. You're obsessed with him."

"What?" _That's not true… is it?_

 _Sweet StarClan, it is true._ Her eyes widened.

"I am." She breathed. "Great StarClan, I'm in love with a WindClan cat."

"That's not the point. The question is, what do we do about it?"

"What do you mean?" She demanded.

He raised his eyebrows at her, and flicked his tail towards the pair without a word.

"They're in love." Her eyes darkened. "How?"

"How are you in love with him?" He countered, then sighed. "I don't know. All I know, is that if Breezepaw takes her from me, I'll kill him."

Her blood turned to ice. _Enemy._

"You can try." Her mew was soft. "You could also underestimate me. But I wouldn't recommend it."

The fur along his spine rose a little. _He's scared._ Satisfacion rippled through her.

"What are you saying?" Without an answer, he tried something else. " _You_ want to hurt Lightningpaw. Don't deny it! We're one and the same."

"Not hurt her." The same dangerous note was in her voice. "Just put her somewhere where she can't ever touch him."

"I don't need another enemy." He growled, leaning closer to her. "You know, neither of us would need to do anything to our… rivals… if the other one managed to be with the other."

"What?" She tilted her head.

"Let me explain. You love Breezepaw. I love Lightningpaw." He said bluntly. "And they love each other."

Darkpaw opened her jaws to protest, but then closed them again, and he continued.

"So if Breezepaw falls in love with you, there will be no one to be with Lightningpaw." The silver tom smirked. "Except me, of course. Or if Lightningpaw falls in love with me first, then Breezepaw will be all yours. Get me?"

"Hm." She felt a stab of curiousity. "But if I manage to… uh, get Breezepaw first, and that helps you, what do I get out of it?"

"A chance at a happy life with the she-cat, er, tom you love." He declared, his eyes burning with desperation. "Or vice-versa."

"Oh." She nodded. "My name is Darkpaw. It's nice to meet you."

He threw his head back and purred "I'm Wavepaw."

Darkpaw studied him for a moment, then nodded. "You need to befriend Breezepaw."

"I… what?" He looked taken aback.

"Befriend Breezepaw. I'll make friends with Lightningpaw." Darkpaw repeated.

"Befriend Breezepaw," Wavepaw echoed.

"Yes." Darkpaw confirmed. "How will you tell him that he should love me when you don't like him?"

"Alright. But I want to talk to Lightningpaw." He stated.

"And I'd like to talk to Breezepaw." Darkpaw agreed. "But you better have talked to him by the end of the Gathering."

"You had better talk to Lightningpaw." He retorted. "We can help each other. After you've met with her, come back and we'll talk more. I know you don't like her, and I sure don't like him, but for both our sakes, we have to try."

…

 _Make friends with Lightningpaw._ Darkpaw thought, disgusted. _What was I thinking?_

"I'd sooner snap her neck." She muttered to herself.

"ShadowClan has little to report." Ivystar declared. _The Gathering started? Oops, I must have been talking to Wavepaw for too long._ "Prey is running well among the pines. But I would like to recognize Lionpaw, Primrosepaw, Olivepaw, Robinpaw, and Darkpaw."

 _For the ambush practic?_ She wondered. _No… that couldn't be it, Lionpaw didn't do very well, and Robinpaw was okay, but not amazing._

Still, she soaked up the cheers of the Clan cats.

"May I go?" The golden-brown leader of ThunderClan stepped forwards.

 _Ugh, Lightningpaw's from ThunderClan, isn't she._ Darkpaw scowled at the thought of the dark brown she-cat. _She better hope that we never meet in battle._

"Darkpaw!" A familiar call rang across the clearing to her.

"Huh?" _Could it be?_

"It's me, Breezepaw!" He flicked his tail.

"I remember you." She muttered humourously. "You're the annoying WindClan apprentice that wouldn't leave me alone! And who _still_ looks _creepily_ like my sister…"

"She looks like me." He corrected with a huff.

"No, I don't think so." She eyed him. "You look like her. Except with green eyes instead of yellow."

"Mm, her eyes are more golden." He said thoughtfully. "Just like Lightningpaw's."  
"Lightningpaw?" She gritted her teeth.

"A friend." He said carefully.

"A friend." She echoed, relaxing a little, but not entirely.

"Yeah." Breezepaw confirmed. "So anyway, how's ShadowClan been?"

"Same old, same old." She shrugged. "You heard my name, though?"

"Yeah, but I was wondering why." Breezepaw pondered out loud. "Uh, I mean, I'm sure you deserve praise, I'm just wondering for _what_ exactly."

"Well, Ivystar wouldn't say this because it's supposed to be a _secret_ ," Darkpaw rolled her eyes. "but we have night training in the first moon of our apprenticeships, and then again in the last one as our final assessment, so it was exciting. I was the most important part of the whole thing…"

"But why are you telling me, if it's supposed to be a secret?" Breezepaw creased his brow in worry.

"I trust you." She confessed, staring at him.

"Oh." His glance darted away, and she was worried she'd said something wrong.

The WindClan leader and the RiverClan leader were snapping at each other again, and when Breezepaw's name was called out, he scampered away, throwing a quick 'bye!' over his shoulder.

 _And know I need to make friends with Lightningpaw. Just_ great. _This will be harder than the ambush practice today!_ She unsheathed her claws. _More pretending, I suppose._

With that thought, she straightened her shoulders and tried out a happy face. It felt forced and she was pretty sure she looked like a snake.

 _This is hopeless._ She thought. _How am I supposed to get Lightningpaw to like me when I can't even pretend to be happy. Think of something happy. Happy…_

But the only thing that Darkpaw could conjure up was the shrill screams of her mother as she died. She knew she shouldn't be able to remember something from when she was that young, but she couldn't help it.

"Happy." She murmured, imagining Breezepaw's sweet expression, or Primrosepaw's teasing face.

She tried smiling again. It worked better. _So what's different?_ She wondered. _My eyes… are squinting a little._

Darkpaw did it again, but without thinking of Primrosepaw and Breezepaw. It was easy to slip into a happy mask. _Okay, how about… teasing?_ Her first attempt felt like a wicked cat, but when she thought of Primrosepaw's antics about Ravenwing, half her mouth quirked up and one eyebrow raised slightly. _That's teasing then. Anything else I'll need?_

She practiced a few other faces, and finally felt at least a bit prepared to pretend.

 _Now where is she?_ Darkpaw scanned the faces of the cats, looking for the dark brown she-cat with jagged white stripes that she'd seen before. _Those eyes!_ Her own dark amber ones finally connected with the golden ones of the dark brown she-cat. _Golden. So there_ is _another cat that has the same eyes as Lionpaw. So Lionpaw has Lightningpaw's eyes and Breezepaw's pelt? She practically looks like their kit._ Her lip curled. _She'll be suspicious if I just run over and start takling to her, so I've got to plan… wait, is she coming over here?_

Darkpaw couldn't pull her gaze away as the dark brown she-cat strode towards her purposefully, a tinge of fear in her golden eyes. _What's she scared of?_ Darkpaw wondered.

Unfortunately, Lightningpaw was nearly upon her when she turned away and introduced herself to Olivepaw. _Seriously?_ Darkpaw hissed in annoyance. _StarClan, you have a cruel sense of humour._

The stars twinkled silently overhead. Darkpaw glared up at them for a moment, before returning her gaze to Lightningpaw.

"Darkpaw, is it?" Lightningpaw's mew came from right in front of her, and Darkpaw snapped her head up to look at the taller apprentice.

"Yes." She snapped. _How do you know my name?!_ "What do you want?"

 _Cats like her, they're stupidly friendly. Acting irritated should just make her want to come nearer. I hope._

"Just to talk." Lightningpaw said, shifting closer. _Ha. Fell right into the trap._ "That's what Gatherings are for, right?"

"The Gathering is for sharing important news, not gossiping." Darkpaw clenched her teeth, trying to appear unfriendly.

"You sound like Rosepaw!" Lightningpaw exclaimed.

 _She's the one who started puffing up like crazy when Thornstar announced her. But I can't say that. Or can I?_

"Really. Rosepaw, the one who puffed up so much when Thornstar called her name I thought she was going to explode?" Darkpaw inquired testily.

"That's the one." Lightningpaw purred loudly, and Darkpaw pretended to be pleased. "I'm Lightningpaw. Charmed."

"Sure." She said dismissively.

"Not going to introduce yourself?" Lightningpaw smiled invitingly at her.

 _One more grumpy thing should do it, then I'll pretend to thaw._

"You know my name." She shrugged. "Besides, I'm not here to make friends."

 _Ha, wouldn't you like to believe that._ Darkpaw didn't feel a shred of remorse for how she was playing Lightningpaw.

"I am!" Lightningpaw exclaimed.

 _Thaw in three, two, one._ She let a tiny smile dance across her muzzle, not forgetting to squint a little.

"I'm Darkpaw. Nice to meet you, Lightninglizard." _Will this even work?_

"Sorry?" Lightningpaw tilted her head, obviously confused.

 _Fox-dung; that's not the reaction I was looking for. Or maybe she's just too dumb to understand._

"I thought that's what you wanted to be called!" She exclaimed, trying to sound like some cat trying to not to purr, even if she felt empty inside.

Lightningpaw purred lightly. Darkpaw forced herself to as well, but it came out raspy and squeaky. _Frog-legs, I need to practice that._

But Lightningpaw seemed to think her purr was hilarious, and began to purr harder. Darkpaw made her expression into a face of a cat who wasn't able to stop purring and fell backwards onto the moss, soon joined by Lightningpaw. _Lightningpaw, you disgust me._ She thought, imagining standing up and clawing out her stomach, but she resisted.

"Well," She scrambled to her paws as though the very action was difficult. "Cats are staring."

"That's a real shame, Darklizard." Lightningpaw choked.

"Stop, stop!" Darkpaw pretended to be taken by laughter again and dropped back onto the moss.

Every time it looked like Lightningpaw was about to calm down, Darkpaw squealed out 'lizard!' with false hilarity. Eventually, Lightningpaw managed to calm down, and Darkpaw slowly let herself stop all the fake purring.

"Bye, Darklizard." Lightningpaw purred.

"Bye, Lightninglizard." _Keep the face for just one more heart-beat… and she's gone._ Darkpaw sighed in relief, finally letting the mask fall from her face.

 _Now I just need to tell Wavepaw his girl-friend makes me want to claw my own throat out. Uh, I mean…_ She snickered to herself.

She spotted a pouting Wavepaw from across the clearing, and beckoned him over.

"Wavepaw!" He turned around impossibly slowly, and Darkpaw had a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Great StarClan, why are you standing around? Get over here!"

He padded over, a down-trodden look in his eyes.

"So?" She gave him an expectant look.

"What?" _Fool. I could teach him a thing or two about acting._

" _So_ , how did it go?" She rolled her eyes.

"Well," he stalled, then burst out: "He hates me! We'll never be friends!"

 _Pathetic._ "You sound like a kit. You know I hate Lightningpaw, but I can still put on a mask."

"You're lying." His blue eyes stared straight into her. "You can act? I can tell when a cat lies."

 _What ever you want to believe, honey._ She rolled her eyes. "What?" _Fine, you can believe that._ "Okay, maybe I got a little too into it, but that's all for the better!"

 _That's load of fox-dung._ She thought, disgusted. "No cat can hate Lightningpaw." Wavepaw purred.

 _I want to rip out her throat._ She thought, but knew that he wouldn't react well to that, especially not after seeing how she had. Plus, he was much bigger than her and could probably beat her in a fight.

"That's not the point!" Darkpaw forced her thoughts away from murder. "You failed."

"I did not!" His eyes blazed, but Darkpaw wasn't scared. He looked like a petualnt kit. "I tried!"

"You should have tried harder." She said bitterly. "We're done here. Good-bye, Wavepaw."

She stormed away, not waiting for a reply.

 **Hey everybody!  
7 000. Words. In this flipping chapter. **

**Anyway. Please review, appreciate WHAT A BOSS DARKPAW IS. I mean, come on, she was playing Lightningpaw like a fiddle!  
Sucks for Wavepaw, but I don't like him much anyway.**

 **Have a great weekend!  
~Pondfrost**


	27. Lightning: Sinking Storms

**It's me! (Late again)**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Splash of Thunder in Mist: All you crazy shippers XD. Thanks for all those reviews, I'm grinning my face off right now.**

 **Fernmist: Because Darkpaw is SAVAGE that's why. Fallowspots needs to sort his life out. And I'm super happy to hear that! You guys are the best :3.**

 **Snowcrystal: You and Splash of Thunder in Mist can start a club together :P.**

 **KaiLover: We need to move stuff along. Or I can make this into a series. That can be the question of the day. I completely forgot to do one last week. Oops.**

 **Starrysong: Lolz. I love Darkpaw!**

 **Rainmist: Haha, she really is though.**

 **Alright! This chapter's going to be from Lightningpaw's perspective. It will be two nights after the Gathering. Do you remember what's going to happen? No? You'll see soon :).**

Chapter 25.

"Lightningpaw? Come down from StarClan." Her sister's teasing voice rang in her ear, making the dark brown she-cat jump.

"StarClan, Vixenpaw, don't sneak up on me like that!" Lightningpaw snapped. "Sorry. I'm just a little on edge."

"It's cool," Vixenpaw shrugged. "The way Rosefire's been acting is going to drive me up a tree. I'm not so sure about Oakpelt being Slatepaw's mate anymore. That would mean that Rosefire's… related to us?"

"I don't know," Lightningpaw shot a burning look at the aforementioned ginger and white warrior.

"How is such an annoying cat sister to a sweet and shy tom like Mallowdrop?" Vixenpaw commented. "Weird family."

"Sweet and shy?" Lightningpaw's bad moon lightened a little at the look in Vixenpaw's eye when she spoke of the gray and white tabby tom.

"He's alright," Vixenpaw said far too quickly.

"Vixenpaw and Mallowdrop. Has a nice ring to it," Lightningpaw let loose a loud purr of laughter.

Vixenpaw's eyes narrowed. "Say that again, mouse-fodder."

"I'm so sorry, your queenliness," Lightningpaw was still purring with laughter.

Vixenpaw made _hrmph_ noise, but subsided. Rosefire, Oakpelt, and Mallowdrop were supposed to be showing Lightningpaw, her sisters, Rainpaw, and Petalpaw some hunting techniques. Rosefire had been acting like deputy ever since she was made a warrior, but Oakpelt and Mallowdrop seemed alright.

"Wow, Oakpelt, you're so good at hunting!" Slatepaw's gray-blue eyes shone as she spoke to the older tom.

"Oh, uh, thanks!" Oakpelt licked his chest humbly, but there was an undeniable grin spread across his face. "I can show you, if you like."

"Mallowdrop!" Vixenpaw said sharply, making the young warrior jump. "Are you just going to stand there like a tree stump? Show me some hunting moves!"

"Oh, um, s-sorry." Mallowdrop stammered, quickly lowering himself in a bird stalking position. "The trick to hunting birds is to always have strength in your hindlegs so you can jump high if they try to fly away."

"Really?" Vixenpaw turned on the charm, and Lightningpaw rolled her golden eyes.

Lightningpaw clenched her teeth. _If Vixenpaw and Petalpaw train with Mallowdrop, and Slatepaw trains with Oakpelt, that means Rainpaw and I are training with…_

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" Rosefire called with mock brightness. "I'll show you how to hunt squirrels."

"I know how to hunt squirrels," Rainpaw retorted.

Unfazed, Rosefire replied: "They can get away quickly."

"Especially once they're supposed to be _dead_ ," Rainpaw hissed.

 _Oh no. He isn't going to tell Rosefire…_

"Well, then, you need more practice!" Rosefire exclaimed. "I'll show you. Once you're on the branch with the squirrel in front of you, flick up like this to stun it, then pin it and bite hard."

 _Blackpool already showed me this._ Lightningpaw thought resentfully, then remembered how she'd lost the squirrel. _Well, maybe a little extra training would help._

She forced herself to watch carefully as Rosefire stalked the imaginary squirrel. "The trick is to keep your movements small and controlled so you don't accidentally flick it too far," Rosefire declared.

 _Oh._ Lightningpaw snorted, remembering the huge movements of her squirrel-smacking technique. _Well, that's why._

"Now get out there and catch some squirrels!" Rosefire finished with enthusiasm. "But seriously, you both have to catch at least one squirrel before sun down."

Rainpaw glared straight at Lightningpaw. Shame washed through her fur. _I'm going to win fairly this time._ Lightningpaw vowed.

"Go!" Rosefire yowled, then looked annoyed when neither Rainpaw nor Lightningpaw actually began running. They just trotted off casually in different directions.

Lightningpaw veered onto a path that would lead her to a large beech tree. Leaf-fall was in full swing, and leaf-bare would be coming soon; squirrels were sure to be everywhere.

She paused for a moment, scenting the frosted air for the plump scent of a squirrel. The woody scent soon wreathed into her mouth, and a shot of triumph thrilled through her as she lowered herself into a hunting crouch.

The squirrel was so focused on its nut, it probably hadn't even known it was about to die. Lightningpaw resisted the urge to trap it between her paws and watch its terror. She instead used the same controlled flick that Rosefire had demonstrated and easily pinned it, breaking its spine with a swift crack.

The noise almost made her feel sick for a moment, but she imagined it being the first prey that Birchkit and Stormkit, Leaffur's kits, ate. After her stomach had settled, she scooped up her prize and scampered straight towards camp.

"Fox-dung!" A loud curse rang through the trees.

 _Squirrels too quick today, Rainpaw?_ Lightningpaw thought, snorting with laughter to herself. She knew that it would be awhile before Rainpaw could find another, so she took a break, slipping into the bushes to make dirt quickly.

She popped back out of the bushes, chortling to herself. _Sucks to be you, Rainpaw- wait, where's my squirrel?_

She frantically searched around the bushes for her squirrel, but it was gone, and only the faintest tinge of a certain gray tom's scent remained. _Rainpaw, you fox!_ Lightningpaw thought angrily. _He stole my squirrel! Why would he do that?!_ She already knew the answer, but pounded after his scent trail anyways, cutting him off before he could reach the camp.

"Why did you steal my squirrel?" Lightningpaw growled, dropping any pretense of sweetness.

"Why did you steal my squirrel?" Rainpaw mocked, but there was genuine anger in his eyes as the squirrel hung from his jaws. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about," Lightningpaw advanced on him.

"Do you know what I'm talking about when I say: _Gathering_. _Four pieces of prey. Squirrel._ " Rainpaw's eyes were chips of ice.

Lightningpaw stammered out a few indiscernible words, but turned on her heel and stormed away. _Vile fox-dung-muncher._ She cursed in her head. _How did he know it was me? That's not the point. I shouldn't have done it… he shouldn't have stolen my squirrel!... I shouldn't have stolen his._

Sighing, she resigned herself to catching another.

…

The sun was just touching the trees as Lightningpaw hurried back to camp with her second squirrel, and a vole that she'd come across by accident. _Squirrel-brained Rainpaw._ Lightningpaw felt a growl rising in her throat as she padded into the camp.

"What took you so long?" Rosefire demanded. "Rainpaw was back _ages_ ago."

"Well, we can't all be Rainpaw," Lightningpaw said through clenched teeth. _I can't call him out on it, he'll just tell every cat what_ I _did._

"Whatever," Rosefire rolled her eyes. "Take it to the queens."

 _Yes!_ Lightningpaw didn't bother gracing Rosefire with a response, she just trotted over to the nursery where Leaffur sat outside, sunning herself while the kits explored around the nursery.

"Oh, Lightningpaw, you're just in time," Leaffur purred to the apprentice. "These little adventurers were getting hungry."

Lightningpaw purred, and trotted over to Stormkit and Birchkit, who were trying to climb the nursery walls. "Stormkit, Birchkit, I know you're very busy, but would you stop for some squirrel?"

"Real prey?" Stormkit turned to look at the dark brown she-cat, and swayed precariously.

Heart skipping a beat, Lightningpaw swiftly leaned over and picked the tiny gray she-cat off the walls of the nursery and laid her down gently on grassy floor of the camp.

"Careful, there," Lightningpaw cautioned.

"I get down myself!" Birchkit insisted, placing his tiny brown and white paws on the ivy covered sides carefully.

Lightningpaw held her breath as the tiny tom made his way back down the sides, but he managed okay and landed safely on the ground.

"Here, I'll peel back the fur so you can have some of the meat," Lightningpaw bent over, gently stripping the gray pelt off the plump squirrel.

"Real prey!" Stormkit exclaimed, leaning over and taking a large mouthful, and chewing for a while, a thoughtful look on her tiny face. She swallowed with a sharp nod. "Is good! Have some, Birchy!"

Her brother blinked like an owl, before snapping up his own little mouthful of squirrel. He too rolled it around his mouth for a while. "I like it."

Lightningpaw purred at the little kits' reactions. _If I can complete my training in five moons, I could mentor one of them…_ Lightningpaw thought hopefully, studying the little kits as they ate.

"Hello, Lightningpaw," Fawnshade strolled out of the nursery, a peaceful look on her face.

"Mother!" Lightningpaw exclaimed. "Why are you in the nursery?"

"Lightningpaw, I need to tell you something," Fawnshade shot a nervous, questioning look at Leaffur, who shrugged and nodded.

"She's all yours," The brown she-cat mewed.

"Thank you," Fawnshade dipped her head to her sister, and beckoned to Lightningpaw. "Walk with me."

 _This isn't about Rainpaw again, is it?_ Lightningpaw thought, screwing up her face at the thought.

"Lightningpaw…" Her mother seemed unsure. "I know you love… your father very much, but…"

Lightningpaw swallowed uneasily, sensing Fawnshade's uncertainty. "What?"

"I'm having more kits," Fawnshade admitted. "But they aren't Owlclaw's."

Anger raced through Lightningpaw. Was her mother being unfaithful to Owlclaw? To the _Clan_?

"Whose are they?" Lightningpaw's voice quavered.

"Thornstar's," Fawnshade said simply. "Owlclaw and I… have our differences. We didn't want to tell you, Vixenpaw, and Slatepaw before you were apprenticed, and in the first moon… it seemed like things might be okay, but then Dawnsplash told me I was going to have kits, I knew they weren't Oakclaw's." Fawnshade shrugged helplessly.

"How long have you been keeping this from us?" Fury raced through Lightningpaw. "Are you even going to tell Vixenpaw and Slatepaw?"

"Of course!" Fawnshade defended herself, but ignored Lightningpaw's first question. "I just figured it would be easier to tell you separately…"

"You just want things to be easy, I understand," Lightningpaw hissed, pain wrenching her heart. _Owlclaw and Fawnshade don't love each other?_

"Listen, Lightningpaw. You are my daughter, and I value your opinion," Fawnshade began quietly, but her green eyes shimmered with irritation, "but my life choices are not your choices."

"I get it, I get it. You're telling me it's none of my business," Lightningpaw growled, turning to leave.

"I love Thornstar!" Fawnshade called fruitlessly after her. "Doesn't my happiness matter to you?"

"You're happy with Owlclaw," Lightningpaw growled under her breath, wishing she could force it to be true. "You don't need any other tom."

Her eyes pricked, but she forced her heart to ice. _I don't care. It's not my choice, it's hers. And Owlclaw's. Doesn't she care about Owlclaw?_

As Lightningpaw stormed through the forest, shade fell over the trees. Confused, Lightningpaw looked up. Dark storm clouds were gathering. _It's going to rain?_

She hurried back to camp as water began to pour down from the sky. She ducked through the thorn barrier as a loud crack of thunder sounded overhead. _A storm? In leaf-fall?_

"Lightningpaw!" Blackpool exclaimed, dashing towards her. "I don't know where all these dark clouds came from, but Dawnsplash wants every cat inside a den. She doesn't want to risk any cat catching a cold when herbs are scarce."

"Okay." Lightningpaw didn't bother asking him where he'd been all day, she just brushed by him.

"Wait, Lightningpaw, there isn't enough space in the warriors den, so the mentors are going to go with their apprentices, okay?" Blackpool asked, followed her across the sodden camp.

"Okay." Lightningpaw repeated, ducking into the apprentices' den.

Knowing there was no sense in getting her moss soaked before she could even dry off, she stood up, rapidly drawing her tongue across her soaked pelt. She momentarily wished for a longer pelt like Blackpool's to keep her warm, but she realized that it would probably also take longer to dry.

Once water no longer sluiced off her pelt every time she took a pawstep, she settled into her dry moss and bracken nest.

"Lightningpaw," Blackpool said gently. "I need to talk to you. I didn't want to talk about it before because it really wasn't any of your business…"

"Nothing is." Lightningpaw muttered under her breath, remembering Fawnshade's pleading words from before the storm.

"But it's rapidly becoming important that I tell you what's going on," Blackpool sighed heavily. "Shadefur's a… great deputy. But he's getting older, and soon he'll retire to the elder's den. Probably within the next six moons."

"So what?" Lightningpaw didn't know where he was going.

"So Thornstar needs another deputy," Blackpool answered. "And he wants me to. Be deputy, that is."

Lightningpaw's mind whirled. _It's great that Blackpool's getting this chance… but he's my mentor, and if he's deputy…_

"Which means, if Shadefur retires before your training is finished…" Blackpool tilted his head pleadingly. "Another cat might have to take over to finish your training."

"Couldn't Thornstar just pick another cat?" Lightningpaw knew she was being unreasonable and selfish, but she didn't care. "I don't want any other cat as my mentor!"

Blackpool's eyes flashed with uncertainty. It wasn't an answer he could answer honourably. He either valued her apprenticeship or his own ambition more, and he'd already made his choice.

"Thornstar's taking everything from me!" Lightningpaw cried out, thunder exploding outside. "My mother, my mentor, I'll have nothing left, at this rate! How about you, Vixenpaw, is he offering to be your new littermate so you don't need me anymore?"

Lightningpaw rounded on her sister, ignoring the stab of guilt of how shocked and more than a little scared Vixenpaw looked.

"Calm yourself, Lightningpaw," Daisytail snapped, drawing Slatepaw closer to her with her fluffy tail. "Don't let the storm get to you."

 _I think I'm getting to the storm._ Lightningpaw thought, glaring out at the storm raging outside that only seemed to get worse with every conversation with her Clanmates. _But that's ridiculous. Is it?_

"Sorry, Vixenpaw, Blackpool," Lightningpaw apologized, glancing out at the storm, monitoring its activity.

"It's okay," Vixenpaw looked uncomfortable, but she seemed as though she was being honest.

Lightningpaw breathed a genuine sigh of relief. Glancing outside, she noticed that the lightning flashes were becoming fewer and further apart.

 _Should I sort out the Fawnshade thing with Vixenpaw and Slatepaw?_ She wondered. _No. That will only make the storm worse. Wait, what am I talking about? I'm not causing this storm. But sorting out my problems will help me, even if it doesn't help the weather._

"Blackpool, is there a chance that Shadefur won't retire until I finish training?" Lightningpaw asked, trying to press down her inner turmoil and hide it deep inside her.

"A small one," Blackpool looked less than hopeful.

It didn't help. Rain pounded down from the sky, unrelentless as ever. _So either I'm not causing the storm, or it can see into my soul. Lightningpaw, can you even hear yourself? A storm that can see into your soul? Yeah, right._

She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

…

"Lightningpaw!" A slender gray paw poked her. "Wake up! The storm's over!"

 _The fox?_ Lightningpaw blinked blearily, looking up at the stone coloured form before her.

"It's me, Slatepaw," her sister poked her again. "Get out here, you need to see this."

Lightningpaw grudgingly heaved herself to her paws and dragged her way outside. Her plodding steps stumbled and then stopped completely when she saw what her sister was so insistent about. Her eyes widened to moons and her jaw hung slack.

A beautiful, shimmering arc of colour shot across the sky.

"Whooaa…" Lightningpaw breathed reverently. "What _is_ that?"

"It's a rainbow." Rowanwind, the oldest elder in the Clan. announced. "I knew a rogue that had all these crazy names for things. He called leaf-bare splinter, and leaf-fall was auburn, and green-leaf was swimmer, and new-leaf was sprung. He talked about 'rainbows', but I thought it was just a tale for kits until today…"

The whole Clan was silent, watching the sky, enraptured.

"I made a pretty raimbow!" Stormkit bounced out of the nursery.

"Rainbow." Rowanwind corrected, but no cat seemed to be paying the kit any attention except Rowanwind and Lightningpaw.

Her interest piqued, Lightningpaw made her way over to the enthusiastic dark gray she-cat. _She_ made _a rainbow?_

"I made a storm an' a raimbow!" The kit bounced over to Lightningpaw, and Leaffur hurried after her.

"Oh, is she bothering you? Don't worry about it," Leaffur purred nervously, eyeing Lightningpaw.

"What's she talking about?" Lightningpaw cocked her head at the kit.

"Well…" Leaffur bit her lip, then recounted the tale to Lightningpaw. "You remember the day they were born? You came to visit them, remember? It rained that day."

"Yeah…" Lightningpaw remembered the day clearly. She and Rainpaw had fought when they were supposed to have been hunting, and it had started raining. "I remember."

"Well, today, the kits were getting nervous being cooped up in the nursery with all the loud noises outside…" Leaffur shrugged. "So I told them that it had rained when they were born, and Stormkit decided that since her name was Stormkit, she was causing the bad weather… but she doesn't seem too upset about it."

"Really?" Now Lightningpaw was intrigued. It couldn't be a coincidence that the same storm that Lightningpaw thought _she_ had cause, a tiny kit thought that she had also caused it. _I suppose Rainpaw also caused it, right?_

"Rainbow…" Lightningpaw's attention was momentarily drawn away by her mother's dreamy mew coming from somewhere near her. "Such a beautiful name."

Then Thornstar's lower, smitten mew. "We should name one of our kits that."

"Rainbowkit," Fawnshade's mew was so joyful Lightningpaw wanted to throw up.

 _Well, that hurts. Name one kit after the worst aspect of a storm, and the other one after the most beautiful thing that comes after a storm._ Lightningpaw seethed. _I wonder which kit you love more? It doesn't matter though, because I'm not a kit anymore._

A little more of her heart turned to ice as Thornstar and Fawnshade fantasized over more kit names.

 _Love is a fox-hearted lie._ Lightningpaw wanted to wail like a lost kit, when a certain golden tom with black paws and tail-tip and soft green eyes came to mind. _Love? I don't love Breezepaw. Do I?_

The thought of Breezepaw made her light-headed, but she didn't know if that was what love was.

She looked up at the darkening sky. Catching the squirrel felt like it had been moons ago. She watched the stars twinkle into view, one by one. _Do I have any ancestors up there? Are they proud of me?_ She thought of Breezepaw. _What if they knew that I agreed to meet him… great StarClan, I agreed to meet him tonight! I have to go!_

Lightningpaw was frozen to the spot, unsure. _Do I go know, without telling any cat? Should I wait until every cat falls asleep? No… I'm already late. I'll just tell Vixenpaw and Slatepaw that I'm going out for a walk, and tell them not to stay awake for me._

"Vixenpaw!" Lightningpaw called her sleepy-looking sister over. "I'm going for a walk. Don't bother staying up until I get back. Tell Slatepaw too."

"Sure, sure," Vixenpaw's jaws split open in a giant yawn. "See you tomorrow, Lightingpaw…"

"Lightningpaw," Lightningpaw corrected with a huff of amusement.

"Yeah, yeah," Vixenpaw stumbled off towards the apprentices' den.

Rolling her eyes, Lightningpaw crept out of the camp, making sure no cats were watching her. The water from the storm coated everything, making it so that her scent was untraceable. _Perfect._ She thought, heading straight for the WindClan border.

 _Is that him?_ She felt a little shiver run down her spine at the unfamiliar shape standing at the edge of the water. _What if it's a rogue? What if I_ die _?_

"Lightningpaw? Is that you?" The form called out cautiously.

Letting out a whooshing breath of relief, Lightningpaw replied. "Hey, Breezepaw!"

He sighed as well, and she headed towards him.

"Made it here without any trouble?" He asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

 _He cares._ She felt an invisible smile spread across her face. "Yeah. My sister was so asleep, she could barely hold herself up."

"Oh?" Breezepaw purred softly. "Why is that?"

"I guess flirting is really tiring." Lightningpaw smirked coyly.

"Is that so," Breezepaw's laughter grew. "And why was she flirting? More importantly, with _who_?'

Lightningpaw giggled at his sudden interest in ThunderClan gossip. "Well, what you should know about my sister is that she is… fiery. If Slatepaw's a cool, peaceful pool, Vixenpaw's the most blazing of fires."

"And what are you?" Breezepaw inquired, stepping a little closer to her.

"I would suppose I'm… lightning, striking the earth." Lightningpaw realized there was an enormous grin plastered across her face. She couldn't help it, the tom made her smile.

"Lightning," his green, green eyes reflected the light of the moon, and they lit up, making the aforementioned element shiver down her back.

"Y- yeah," she swallowed hard.

"And what am I?" Breezepaw questioned, Vixenpaw forgotten.

"Uh… a tree?" Lightningpaw snickered.

"Ah! You offend me!" Breezepaw fell to the ground in mock agony. "A _tree_? How could you say such a thing?"

"Well, I don't know, you're dependable and trustworthy…" Lightningpaw completely forgot anything she was about to say from the glimmer in the depths of his eyes.

"But there aren't any trees on WindClan territory!" Breezepaw retorted playfully.

"Maybe you belong among the trees," Lightningpaw suggested quietly.

There was sudden silence between them. WindClan and ThunderClan may not have been direct enemies, but it was strictly forbidden to have relationships outside of Clans.

"I love my Clan," Breezepaw snapped back, the same playfulness in his voice, but a hint of edge as well.

 _Where did that come from? He's sweet and quiet._ Lightningpaw's picture of Breezepaw in her head clashed with the one in front of her.

"I'm just saying, squirrels aren't so bad, unless your fox-hearted Clanmates are stealing them out from under your nose," Lightningpaw shrugged, trying to ease the ice between them.

"Oh, that sounds like a story worth sharing," Breezepaw quirked an eyebrow, relaxing, and settled into a lying position with his paws tucked under him.

"Well, you see…" Lightningpaw recounted how Rainpaw stole her squirrel, but omitted how she had originally stolen his the day of the Gathering.

"I see," Breezepaw wrinkled his nose. "Sounds like a piece of work, that Rainypaw. Why would he do that, just out of the blue like that?"

"I- I don't know," she stumbled over the lie. _Because I started it? I stole_ all _of his prey._

He eyed her uncertainly, but said nothing. They sat in tense silence, which might have appeared calm to any uneducated onlooker, but was deafening with all the unsaid things between them.

…

Lightningpaw's paws slipped along the path as she padded back to the ThunderClan camp, the palest of creams just beginning to whisper across the sky. _Well, no cat should be worried about us falling in love when he acts like that. What about all those fluttery feelings from the Gathering?_ Her internal turmoil was so different from the calm, cool forest that they may as well have been different worlds.

 _He wasn't nice, or shy, or anything like before. What happened?_ Those thoughts made her heart hurt, but she knew there was more than a speckle of truth in them. _I thought I was the grumpy one. How did that happen? Why isn't he…_

She couldn't finish the thought. The idea that she wanted Breezepaw to be anything other than what he felt wrong. She still felt a pang when she thought of him, but she checked herself for everything she'd been feeling before, and she couldn't ignore the fact that was rapidly forming in her head.

 _Lightheadedness? My head feels like a rock. Breathlessness? Maybe because I skipped a night of sleep and walked from the camp to the WindClan border and back. Shiver up my back? Not even a quiver._

It made her want to throw her paws over her head and wail. Her mentor might not be her mentor anymore. Her mother didn't love her father, and was replacing her with more kits. The one cat that she thought would hold that little spot in her heart was gone, and had been replaced with a little glowing spot.

It was like being around him filled her with the most wonderful feeling, like fresh water on a hot day, or a plump mouse after a day of patrolling, or… a cool breeze on a hot pelt. But now, that feeling was draining away, and it was replaced with a meager spark that felt like it could go out at any moment. _I know that now I know more about him. He has no littermates. His best friends are Palepaw, Jaypaw, and Rabbitpaw. He doesn't know who his father is. His favourite colour is gold._ She thought. _But if he has no littermates, how can he understand how it feels to be replaced with more kits? If he's got three friends, why does he need me? If he doesn't know who his father is, then why would he care that my father doesn't love my mother? If his favourite colour is gold, he's got a whole pelt of it._

Each thought felt like a thorn piercing her heart. _Why did he even meet me? Was it because of the fluttering feeling? But if it's gone for me, is it gone for him?_ A tiny droplet of water dripped off a bush, and she jumped. _And what am I supposed to do with this tiny ember inside me telling me to go to him?_

Picturing his eyes made her feel a little calmer, but didn't fill her with the cloud-like feeling of before. It did make the ember glow brighter, though. _What in StarClan's name is wrong with me? I think I can control storms. I want clouds inside me. I have an ember that glows when I think about a WindClan tom. What's going on?_

 **Hey, pretty good ending, if I do say so myself. Which I do. Pretty good ending.**

 **Anyway. QOTC: What is the cloud-feeling? What is the ember?**

 **Probably obvious as all ****, but let's see if y'all can guess it.**

 **So, a whole whack-load of LightningxBreezy, but then not really, because Lightningpaw's starting to have second thoughts…**

 **Well, anyway, next chapter should be quite interesting, and it will be coming pretty soon, maybe Thursday. We'll see.**

 **Please leave a review to make me smile. Unless it's critical, in which case I will try to fix the problem, or ignore it if it isn't helpful in any way.**

 **~Pondfrost the murderous still-born.**


	28. Breeze: Who's Your Daddy?

**Hey hey hey!**

 **So I know I said that Thursday I would get a chapter up, but I compulsively bite my nails when I'm anxious, and I've been crazy stressed lately, and my nails are suffering. I injured my finger, so now hitting 'l' key is painful. And so is the backspace key, which God knows I over-use. Typing's hard.**

 **Anyway, whining time over, time for Review Replies!**

 **Rainmist: Nah, I ain't changing my username. And yeah, maybe not that easy…**

 **Starrysong('s two reviews): Fawnshade's just being cruel because of her ignorance. And you never know… :)**

 **KaiLover: This is warriors. 'Controlling storms' might be Lightningpaw overreacting or true. We'll see, and as for the cloud and ember predictions… well, we'll see :)**

 **Onwards! Enjoy :D.**

Chapter 26.

 _StarClan save me._ Breezepaw begged silently, absently marking the border as they walked.

"And see, this tree here was the first border I ever marked," Sunnyfur droned on.

 _Ugh._ Breezepaw nodded respectfully to the older warrior, inwardly rolling his eyes. _This is so stupid. Why did Spottedstar think that going on patrol without my mentor was a 'great opportunity'? Sunnyfur's the most boring cat I've ever met._

Ignoring Sunnyfur as the golden tom continued his diatribe about the dangers of two-legs, Breezepaw tried to come up with a reason for Sunnyfur's intense lack of interesting things to talk about. _He was mistreated as a kit? His training was bad? A boulder fell on his head when he was born?_ Breezepaw rolled his leaf-green eyes. _His family was much better than him? Ah, but that one's true…_ He thought of Honeythorn and Morningpoppy, _Must be hard with both siblings holding the most prestigious spots in the Clan, aside from leader, of course._

"... and that's why we always send three or more warriors when a badger set is discovered," Sunnyfur ended.

"Enlightening," Jaypaw said earnestly, but Breezepaw spotted the sarcastic glint of her frosty blue eyes.

"Thank you," Sunnyfur dipped his head benevolently.

Breezepaw held back an eye-roll and stoically moved along the border. _Please, let this end…_ He grumbled internally. _I can feel my brain rotting._

"What's the problem?" Jaypaw dropped back a couple steps to mutter under her breath to Breezepaw.

"Nothin'," Breezepaw replied, mew vacant of emotion.

"Come on, there's no point in lying to me," Jaypaw prodded. "I know you well enough to know when something's wrong."

"Yeah, right," Breezepaw agreed listlessly.

Jaypaw shot him a sharp side-eye. "Breezepaw."

He gritted his teeth. "Leave me alone."

Hurt flashed in her eyes, and Breezepaw wanted to snag the words out of the air and stuff them back down his throat, but it was too late. Jaypaw flounced away with her usual sass, but her tail drooped, and it prickled in Breezepaw's heart.

To tell the truth, he was simply bored. Prey, previously flavourful and delicious, tasted like dust, patrolling felt less like an adventure and more a chore, and training was simply rigorous repetition of things he already knew. Perfecting the rabbit-catching leap, replicating the leap-and-hold until it was perfect, racing around a large clearing until his legs felt like sticks.

He hadn't meant to hurt Jaypaw, she was just so _sensitive_ sometimes. Unlike Lightningpaw. Guilty claws immediately dug into his heart. _If she found out that I think that…_ He shuddered.

 _Lightningpaw._ Suddenly, he was thrown back into the memory of the Gathering, her mouth opening enough to ask if he wanted to meet. _Lightningpaw… I agreed to meet her._

For the first time in days, he felt excitement warm his fur. _Lightningpaw._

Glancing hopefully at Sunnyfur, Breezepaw prayed the patrol was almost over.

"Yes, we're done," Sunnyfur sighed, "but try to catch something for the fresh-kill pile on your way back."

 _Heck no._ Breezepaw thought mutinously. "Yes, Sunnyfur."

"Yes, Sunnyfur," Jaypaw echoed stiffly.

Without a glance at each other, Jaypaw and Breezepaw sprinted off towards camp.

Knowing it would take longer, but not caring, Breezepaw veered off the path and headed for a thick patch of heather.

As luck would have it, a well-sized vole stumbled upon him and he killed it swiftly with a bite to the neck. _Well, Sunnyfur can just pretend that I caught it for him._ Breezepaw thought viciously.

He picked up the furry creature and headed towards the camp.

…

"There you are, Breezepaw!" Honeythorn padded purposefully towards him. _Uh, what did I do?_ Breezepaw's brow creased. "Do you know what's become of Oatpad?'

"No idea." Breezepaw shrugged.

 _Probably sneaking off to meet with some kittypet._ The thought was so nasty he was surprised it had come from him.

"Thanks anyway." Honeythorn brushed by him to greet her apprentice.

Breezepaw shrugged again and drifted out of the camp, not caring if any cat tried to stop him. No one did.

 _But where is Oatpad? There's only one two-legs nest around here, and it's by the RiverClan border._ Breezepaw gritted his teeth. _I need to find her. If she's meeting up with some kittypet, some cat has to catch her._

Heart feeling like a stone, Breezepaw set off towards the RiverClan border. The memories of the night patrol all those moons ago came back to him, and he shivered at the thought of the ominous silver apprentice.

He was barely at the two-legs place when he heard a shriek. _That's Oatpad! What's going on?!_

Panic raced through his thoughts as he dashed towards the source of the sound, closer to the border and the two-legs place. Scenting the air quickly, he tried to pinpoint the exact spot where his mother was.

"Oatpad?" He called fearfully, hoping to infuse enough confidence into his voice to scare off whatever, or _whoever_ was attacking her.

"Breezepaw?" There was more worry than pain in her voice. "Breezepaw, no! This doesn't concern you!"

Then the lower hiss of another cat, growling something that Breezepaw couldn't quite make out. "Oatpad, I'm coming!" He charged towards the sound of the voice.

He nearly crashed into his mother as she swerved around the corner.

"Oatpad?" Confusion washed over him.

"Come on, Breezepaw, let's get back to camp," Oatpad's mew was relaxed, but her eyes were wide were fear.

"But Oatpad!" Breezepaw protested, trying to struggle out of his mother's tight grasp on his scruff. "Let go!"

He wriggled frantically trying to catch a glimpse of his mother's attacker, but the last thing he saw was a barest glance of fur. He couldn't even tell what colour it was because of how shady the two-legs place was.

"Oatpad!" He rounded on her, angry. "Who attacked you?"

"Nobody attacked me," his mother snapped back. "Calm down, there was just a misunderstanding."

"It didn't sound like a misunderstanding!" Breezepaw was genuinely worried now.

 _Why is she trying to protect them?_ Breezepaw couldn't understand.

"Breezepaw, we're going back to camp," Oatpad's mew was stony.

"Answer me one thing!" Breezepaw was trying to keep his temper under control. "I'll never talk about this again, you just need to tell me one thing! Please?"

Oatpad must have heard the raw emotion in his voice, for she replied: "Very well. _One_ thing."

Breezepaw took a deep breath. He knew that there was one thing that he needed to know. He didn't have much faith in his mother, but he trusted her enough to know that if she couldn't tell him who had caused her to yowl like that, then she had a reason.

There was really only one thing that he wanted to know.

"D- did it have to do with… my father?" His voice shook.

Oatpad's face was stoic, but a muscle in her jaw twitched as she answered simply.

"Yes."

…

The whole way back to camp, Oatpad was silent. Breezepaw couldn't begin to fathom what was going on in her mind. The wind had picked up since he'd left the camp, and it battered the two cats as they made their way towards camp. Dark clouds were beginning to gather overhead, promising a storm, but Breezepaw paid no notice.

 _My father._ His heart drummed out. _I'm half him. He's… part of me. Somewhere. But I don't even know who he is._

He burned to ask a million questions, but he had promised Oatpad, and he intended to keep his promise. That left him alone with his own thoughts as they walked.

Eventually, his mind landed on the thing that he hadn't wanted to think of. _Did my father attack Oatpad?_ The thought hurt his head. _If I'm half him… would I ever hurt my mate like that? Am I a danger to Lightningpaw?_

The idea sickened him. _I would never hurt her!_ He whispered inside.

"It's not worth it, Breezepaw," Oatpad's scratchy mew caught him by surprise. It had a note of bone-dry amusement in it. "Love. Not worth it in the least."

"W- what do you mean?" Breezepaw was afraid to speak.

"Living in fear like that," Oatpad purred bitterly. "Never going near there, always being terrified when you're alone."

"What are you talking about?" Breezepaw was scared. "Oatpad, snap out of it!"

"Nothing," Oatpad cut him off abruptly. "Forget I said anything."

 _Not so easy when you just upended my entire identity._ He scoffed internally.

…

He plodded slowly into the WindClan camp, feeling out of place and unsure of himself as he stared at his paws. Hunger stung in his stomach, so he directed his heavy steps to the fresh-kill pile.

Hooking out the vole that he'd caught earlier, he settled down to eat. He was hardly half-way through the vole when it started to taste like sand.

"You gonna finish that?" Breezepaw tilted his head up to look at the cat who was blocking his sunlight.

Copperpaw. He felt a stab of wariness, remembering how she had fought a couple nights ago.

"No." He pushed it away and stood up to leave, ignoring the stab of protest of his still-empty stomach.

"No, stay," Copperpaw indicated a spot next to her, and Breezepaw reluctantly sat down. "Breezepaw… I wanted to apologize for how I… _acted_ during the fight."

"Oh, uh, no, it's fine…" Breezepaw sank down slowly onto the pressed down grass. "I wasn't hurt."

"That's hardly the point," Copperpaw shook her head, but then backtracked quickly. "Oh, I mean, I'm glad you're okay, I just mean… I shouldn't have lost control like that. I don't deserve to be made a warrior."

"That's not true!" Breezepaw objected. "You're a brilliant fighter, even if you always have burrs in your fur."

The heavy-set tortoiseshell wrinkled her nose at him, before picking a fuzzy green burr off her flank.

Wordlessly, she dug into the forgotten vole, making quick work of what Breezepaw had left. He ignored his stomach's protests as the succulent prey disappeared into Copperpaw's bloodied maw.

"So," she began, still chewing, "this is pretty good vole. You sure you don't want any?"

"Uh, I'm still hungry…" he admitted, but brushed her off as she tried to offer him some of the vole. "No, no, you keep it. I'll go get a shrew or something."

Copperpaw shrugged and went back to peeling strips off the vole.

Breezepaw scampered over to the full fresh-kill pile and snagged a shrew out of middle. The pile was remarkably full for leaf-fall, approaching leaf-bare. He wasn't complaining, though.

He padded over to Copperpaw and settled back down next to her. She had finished the vole and was eyeing his shrew.

"Not a chance." Breezepaw was only half-joking as he used his tail to create a wall between them. "My shrew."

"Fine," Copperpaw drew out the word, but her pale green eyes glimmered with amusement. "I wanted a squirrel anyways."

"A _squirrel_?" Breezepaw eyed her. "Where have you ever tasted squirrel?"

"Oh, let me tell you," Copperpaw tucked her paws under her, green eyes glinting with anticipation. "It was something else. So I was just hunting along the ThunderClan border, when suddenly,"

 _This cat is going to make a great elder._ Breezepaw thought as the first raindrop plopped onto his nose.

"-and so I _leapt_ onto the squirrel, the blood of LionClan roaring through my veins," Copperpaw continued theatrically, "and killed it with a swift bite."

"A squirrel, huh?" Breezepaw was skeptical, but the tale was amusing and just what he needed to get his mind off of the darkening sky.

"A squirrel indeed," Copperpaw confirmed. "Tastes like the juiciest rabbit of green-leaf. Enough to make a cat want to join ThunderClan and eat them all day long."

 _ThunderClan._ The mention of the Clan made him think of a certain dark-pelted she-cat. _I can't forget to meet her. What if she forgets to meet me? What if she stands in the rain all night long, waiting for me?_

The rain began to pick up, thundering down onto their heads, swiftly soaking some cats, slowly soddening others. Breezepaw ducked beneath a thistle bush, but knew it wouldn't be long before the bush was thoroughly soaked and wouldn't help in the least.

"Copperpaw!" He shouted over the loud _pit-pat_ of the rain drops. "I'm going inside one of the old badger sets!"

"Okay!" She called back, already heading towards the sheltered elder's den.

Honeythorn was already herding cats into the abandoned dens as more patrols returned from the quickly soaked territory.

"Where did this storm come from?" Tumblestep demanded, her voice fighting to be heard over the rapidly loudening thunder.

"Who cares where it came from, everyone get out of the cold right now!" Morningpoppy's uncharacteristically hostile mew rang over the camp. "I don't have enough herbs to treat fifteen colds!"

The idea that even the medicine cat was worried about the storm tilted the whole camp towards the verge of outright panic. WindClan territory was open and unforgiving when it came to protection against storms, so it wasn't easy for every cat to fit into the limited shelter.

Breezepaw ended up squeezed into one of the smaller sets alongside Rabbitpaw, Leopardpaw, Palepaw, and Jaypaw. Copperpaw and Buzzardpaw were sheltering in the elders' den.

"Well, this is cozy!" Leopardpaw mewed sarcastically, but there was no edge behind her mew.

"It could be worse, we could be stuck with Sunnyfur pretending to be leader." It was dark, but Breezepaw was fairly sure that Jaypaw was rolling her eyes.

"That tom could talk a badger to sleep." Breezepaw joined in tentatively.

Jaypaw didn't say anything else, but she didn't give off the same frosty air as before, and Breezepaw was relieved.

His life was difficult enough without Jaypaw clawing off his ears at every moment, he reflected. He liked the spunky gray she-cat, and didn't want them to fight.

After the storm, he would apologize.

…

It was nearly dusk when the sky cleared and it was safe to be outside. The cats filtered out of the sets one by one, each slowing, then stopping when they saw the sky.

"What… is that?" Littlepaw breathed.

"I don't know!" Morningpoppy's eyes were sparkling like StarClan had just told her the secrets of the universe. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"

"Wow." Leopardpaw whispered to Breezepaw. "Do you think it's a sign from StarClan?"

Breezepaw was speechless as he stared at the perfect arc that the misty colours formed in the sky. "I'm not sure I care."

"But if it is a sign, that would mean good things for the Clans," Littlepaw pointed out, joining them. The ginger and brown tom tried and failed not to look at Breezepaw.

 _What's his problem?_ Breezepaw wrinkled his nose at the uptight apprentice. _He couldn't possibly know that I'm meeting Lightningpaw tonight. Besides, if that… thing in the sky is really a good sign from StarClan, then that must mean that StarClan approves of Lightningpaw and I!_

The thought warmed his fur, and he felt a smile spread across his face as he looked up at the colours across the sky. _Can it be wrong? It's not like we're in_ love _or something. Friendships are allowed between Clans. Besides, WindClan and ThunderClan have always been close._

The scent of the storm still hung thick in the air, but nearly every cat in the Clan had forgotten about it. Morningpoppy was weaving between the cats, offering a comforting word here, listening for a cough there.

Breezepaw realized that for however kit-like and naive Morningpoppy acted, she was a strong medicine cat. Littlepaw was also clearly a talented medicine cat, but Morningpoppy's kind nature and enthusiastic disposition added to her overall trustworthy appearance.

 _It's nearly nighttime._ Breezepaw realized, not really participating in conversation between Leopardpaw and Littlepaw. He noticed that they seemed strangely relaxed and close, but remembered how Leopardpaw had been attacked by the dog and had spent nearly three moons in the medicine den. They must have become close friends during that.

 _I should leave soon._ He thought, stepping silently away from Leopardpaw and Littlepaw. _I don't think any cat will notice if I leave… Oatpad might have, another time, another world, but not anymore._

The thought made him feel more alone than he'd ever felt.

And only then did he remember, he'd forgotten to apologize to Jaypaw.

…

As he'd predicted, he reached the border easily and without being challenged. The Clans had so few warriors, these days, it was easy sneak out of camp without any cat noticing.

The stream ran silver in the moonlight, and Breezepaw was hypnotized by the way the water shifted and changed. _Water is beautiful._ He thought.

He was dipping one paw towards it when a rustling caught his attention. He peered through the darkness, across the stream, and spotted a dark shape only marred by bright white stripes.

His heart leapt and his head felt full of fluff as he called out: "Lightningpaw? Is that you?"

"Hey, Breezepaw!" She sounded so excited to see him he felt like he could run across the whole world for her.

He let all the breath come out of him. "Made it here without any trouble?"

"Yeah," he could hear the smile in her words. "My sister was so asleep, she could barely hold herself up."

"Oh?" He purred softly. "Why is that?"  
 _Let's talk about_ you _, not your sister._ He thought.

"I guess flirting is really tiring." Her mew was coy.

"Is that so," his fur felt too hot. "And why was she flirting? More importantly, with _who_?"

Lightningpaw giggled and Breezepaw was helpless.

"Well, what you should know about my sister is that she's… fiery. If Slatepaw's a cool, peaceful pool, Vixenpaw's the most blazing of fires."

"And what are you?" Breezepaw questioned, stepping closer to Lightningpaw and further from Vixenpaw.

"I would suppose I'm… lightning, striking the earth." Lightningpaw's mew was so dizzy with happiness that Breezepaw's head felt light-headed.

"Lightning," he whispered reverently.

"Y- yeah," even when she was uncertain, her voice was the most beautiful sound.

"And what am I?" He was genuinely curious, but he also just wanted to keep her talking.

"Uh… a tree?" She snickered.

"Ah! You offend me!" He gasped theatrically, collapsing to the ground. "A _tree_? How could you say such a thing?"

"Well, I don't know… you're dependable and trustworthy." She trailed off, her glinting golden eyes making him lose himself.

"But there aren't any trees on WindClan territory!" He retorted playfully, trying to stay upright.

"Maybe you belong among the trees." The words pierced his heart. No matter how pretty the water was, no matter how delicious squirrels were rumoured to be, Breezepaw was a loyal WindClan cat and he would stay that way.

"I love my Clan," he snapped back, unable to hide the hard edge.

She blinked, and he felt bad, but she wouldn't sway him away from his absolute loyalty.

"I'm just saying, squirrels aren't so bad, unless your fox-hearted Clanmates are stealing them out from under your nose," Lightningpaw shrugged, and Breezepaw melted.

 _She's like a cute- no,_ beautiful _\- Copperpaw. Stories, squirrels, what else do you need?_ He thought with amusement.

"Oh, that sounds like a story worth sharing," he laid down, tucking his black paws under his golden belly.

He listened, relaxing, as she told him a funny anecdote about a squirrel hunting quest that she'd gone on, only to find that her Clanmate, Rainpaw, stole her squirrel.

"I see. Sounds like a piece of work, that Rainypaw. Why would he do that, just out of the blue like that?" Breezepaw asked, wrinkling his nose.

"I- I don't know," her mew stumbled.

 _She's lying._ His mind whispered. _She doesn't trust me, does she? Darkpaw trusts me._

But Darkpaw didn't fill him with airy breathlessness and heart-pounding excitement, did she? But now, it was beginning to seem, neither did Lightningpaw. Any feelings he had before were gone and replaced with a little scar over his heart that would be obvious to anybody. And that scar was telling him to go to Lightningpaw, and never leave her.

Silence reigned and they wouldn't meet each others' eyes. _Is everything I touch doomed to turn to mud?_ He thought hopelessly. _I really am alone. No father, a mother that doesn't care, the cat that I care most about not who I thought they were, trusted only by a tiny tortoiseshell from my Clan's enemy Clan, and friends that I can't even be bothered to apologize to._

He wanted to wail like a lost kit at the quiet loneliness and despair in his heart.

 **Poor Breezy, going through tough times. Then again, probably not exactly as tough as Wavepaw's current sitch…**

 **Don't forget to leave a review!**

 **AND THE QOTC IS: Who do you think attacked Oatpad? A Clan cat, a rogue, or a kitty-pet? Was it Breezepaw's daddy?**

 **Anyway.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	29. Wave: Don't Go Around

**Well, I'm sick. Apparently that means a surprise chapter on Monday...**

 **Anyway, Review Replies!**

 **Birch Guest: :D This review made me so happy! I'm really glad to hear that you don't find any of the characters to be Mary-Sues. I'm always scared that I'll have one like that. And Darkpaw seems to be a real fan-favourite, good thing I'm not going to be Erin Hunter and pull a Cinderpelt…**

 **Stormbreeze: Good suggestions :). And thanky you :P. I'm grinning like an idiot.**

 **Rainmist: Yep, another Clan's cat seems to be winning.**

 **Starrysong: You shall see!**

 **Books: Popular opinion, but let's see what you think after this chapter :)**

 **Kai Lover: A rogue? Perhaps. Family problems are the name of the game when it comes to warriors. Now that I think about it, Darkpaw's the only one of the four that doesn't have parental issues… wait, both her parents are MIA. Mmkay…**

 **Alrighty! Wavey's turn!**

 **Again: This chapter has dark themes. Consider yourself warned.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own warriors! Yet.**

Chapter 27.

"Wavepaw? Wavepaw? Are you alright?" Fallowspots's concerned mew brought him back to reality.

The silver-furred tom tried to answer, but the water in his mouth prevented him from forming intelligible replies. Liquid dripped off his whiskers and dribbled out of his nose as he coughed up the water in his lungs.

"I- I'm fine…" Wavepaw hacked up another few droplets. "I just… lost my balance on… the stones… what's your problem?"

Wavepaw wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a gleam of worry in his father's green eyes. _He cares? Since when?_ Wavepaw hissed internally, but it was nice to know that his father's animosity to him, whatever the reason, had begun to fade.

"Nothing," Fallowspots curled his lip, and Wavepaw rethought his original assumption. "I just don't want any herbs wasted on a cat that shouldn't even be acting like this."  
"What are you talking about?" Wavepaw didn't want to provoke his mentor and father, but he couldn't let it slide without going unchallenged.

"You've been training for a moon," Fallowspots narrowed his eyes at his son. "You should be able to swim."

"I _can_ swim!" Wavepaw retorted. "I just _slipped_!"

His father said nothing, just turned away and padded back towards camp. Wavepaw's temper flared. They were supposed to be practicing hunting, but Fallowspots was just having him stand in the water, waiting for his paws to adjust. He claimed it was because Wavepaw shivered every time his paw touched the water, which was 'preventing him from getting a grip on fish', but Wavepaw was pretty sure his father was just too lazy to teach him.

"We're supposed to be hunting!" Wavepaw growled at him. "Hey! Get back over here!"

"Come see me when you're ready to learn," Fallowspots sniffed, his steps unfaltering. "I'm not teaching a foolish apprentice that can't even keep his own balance."

"Then show me!" Wavepaw's temper spilled over into his words. "Just show me! If I don't know what I'm doing wrong, I can't fix it!"

"Then keep your weight on your back legs and keep your claws in," Fallowspots whirled around, his green eyes on fire. "And stop curling your toes like that!"

Blinking in surprise, Wavepaw tried it. He was solid as a tree as the water washed over him. Swallowing his pride, he said: "Fine. Thank you."

Fallowspots relaxed a little, his ego visibly swelling. "It's not that hard."

Wavepaw wanted to rake his claws over his father's smug face, but he resisted and sat down. "Then show me more!"

"Fine," Fallowspots rolled his eyes, but he was obviously more at ease. "Crouch atop the riverbank, but don't let your shadow fall over it."

Wavepaw nodded obediently and crouched, one paw slightly in the air.

"Good, but don't forget to keep your weight back," Fallowspots circled him with a critiquing eye. "And watch for a flash- now!"

Wavepaw slashed his paw through the water without hesitation, pleased with his lightning-reflexes. A wriggling silver shape smacked onto the bank, and Wavepaw killed it quickly.

"Good," Fallowspots nodded approvingly. "Again."

Nostrils flaring, Wavepaw crouched again to catch another fish.

…

"Good job today," Fallowspots laid his tail across his son's shoulders, a rare gesture of affection.

"Thanks," Wavepaw said stiffly, not brushing the tail off. Just because they had been able to spend the entire day together without trying to kill each other didn't mean they were anything other than father and son.

"I just wanted to say-" Fallowspots was cut off by a loud shriek.

"What in StarClan's name was that?" Wavepaw jumped, his heart racing. "I recognize that voice!"

Fallowspots stiffened, but it was gone so fast Wavepaw thought he might have imagined it.

"Should we help them?" Wavepaw demanded.

"No!" Fallowspots rounded on his son. "There's- I don't- we can't-"

"What are you saying?" Wavepaw demanded.

"We're going back to camp," Fallowspots half-guided half-dragged him back towards the sheltered camp.

 _There's something fishy here._ Wavepaw's frown deepened. _Fallowspots is hiding something. But what?_

"We aren't talking about this," Fallowspots snapped abruptly.

Wavepaw shrugged. He hadn't even said anything. He'd never seen Fallowspots this defensive, however the gray-and-white tabby tom's hostility only hardened Wavepaw's resolve to get to the bottom of the mystery. _First arguing with Cloudfall for reasons that don't even make sense, then looking for a_ random _ShadowClan apprentice at a Gathering, and now_ completely _ignoring the screams of a cat! What in StarClan's name is going on here?!_ He darted a glance at his stone-faced father. _He isn't taking his secrets to the grave, if it means I have to dig him up!_

He opened his jaws to speak, but figured he wouldn't get anything out of Fallowspots when his father was on the defense. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he lashed his tail. _How in StarClan am I going to get him to fess up?!_

The walk back to camp was only interrupted by a crack of thunder as the sky split open and water began to pour down. _A storm?_

"A storm?" Fallowspots echoed his thoughts. "In leaf-fall?"

Wavepaw felt a tinge of fear more thunder exploded overhead. Looking up, he spotted a purplish flash of a fork of lightning. _Lightning._

A head-ache exploded between his ears.

"Argh!" He yelped in pain, brought to his knees by the pain.

"What's wrong?" Fallowspots demanded, crouching in front of his son.

Agony ripped through his head again as the lightning flashed again. _No! Please!_ He wanted to screech his pain to the sky, but knew it wouldn't help. _Stop! Help!_

The suffering swept away as soon it had come as the rain evened but didn't lessen. The crash of rain against the ground slowly faded into background noise as Wavepaw got a grip on himself. Suddenly, another explosion of blinding lightning lit the sky. This time, he shrieked in pain.

"Wavepaw!" His father bellowed, the rain lashing down around them. "Wavepaw!"

He wanted to reassure his father as the throb lessened, but as he looked up, another couple forks of lightning cracked the sky open.

"No!" His howl of torment echoed alongside the thunder.

 _Stop looking at the lightning._ A cool voice washed into his head like a cool breeze on a hot day. _Are you that mouse-brained that you can't tell that it's the lightning causing your pain?_

 _Pondfrost?_ He whispered into his head, closing his eyes. _I'm okay! Thank you._

He heard thunder again, but didn't look at the lightning. No blinding pain. No screams of agony. He was truly fine. _Thank you, Pondfrost._ He repeated.

 _Fish for brains._

The voice vanished as quickly as it had come.

Wavepaw breathed a sigh of relief as Fallowspots spat angry words in his face.

"What is wrong with you?" The fear in his father's eyes was so real it took his breath away. "Don't scare me like that!"

 _What's wrong with me?_ Wavepaw demanded internally. _What's wrong with_ you _! Why are you so freaked out?_

"Why are you so… agitated?" Wavepaw questioned, for lack of a better word. "I'm alright!"

His father stood up, his green eyes flashing in the semi-darkness. "I'll tell you when we get back to camp."

Narrowing his blue eyes at his father, he stumbled to his paws as well, and they finished the journey to camp with Wavepaw leaning heavily on Fallowspots's shoulder.

As they staggered into the camp together, Wavepaw turned and stared his father straight in the eye. "You said you'd talk, so talk."

His father looked like a rabbit in the middle of a thunder-path for a moment, but quickly gathered himself. "Let's talk in a den, it's far too wet and cold out here."

Shrugging, Wavepaw followed his father into the apprentices' den. They settled down into the stiff reed nests, Fallowspots looking uncomfortable in one of the unused nests, Wavepaw sliding into his vole fur-lined nest like a second pelt.

"So…" Fallowspots stalled, looked rapt by the colourful feathers and shimmering pebbles that Briarpaw had artfully arranged in her nest.

"So," Wavepaw eyed his father.

Fallowspots let out a breathy sigh, then began. "The reason I… behaved in that manner was because… did you know today was the day you were born? Today will be exactly your seventh moon."

"How do you-" Wavepaw interrupted himself. "That's beside the point. Why were you freaking out?"

"I'm sure my- Cloudfa- _your mother_ , has told you of… Pondkit," Fallowspots looked a tiny bit uncomfortable, but continued.

Wavepaw was tempted to correct him and say 'Pondfrost', but he resisted.

"So," Fallowspots said again. "My- our- her- your still-born littermate. It's just… the night you were born, there was a storm, just like this one, lightning, waves, darkness, breeze, everything."

The fur along Wavepaw's spine rose, but he simply nodded.

"And… when Pondkit was born, as you know-" he gulped, but continued, "she was dead. When _you_ were born… a wave came up the shore and… took her from us. And then I named you Wavekit."  
Wavepaw's eyes were round, but he simply nodded again. _He named me for the thing that took my sister. She was already dead, but my namesake stole her chance at a proper vigil and burial._

"And-" Fallowspots eyes shimmered, full of tears, but he continued. "And every time I saw you, I was just reminded, that I- I wasn't good enough. I failed Pondkit before she was even born, named you for something terrible, and I haven't been a good father."

Wavepaw was torn. Fallowspots was finally owning up to everything that Wavepaw had imagined clawing out of him and more, but he only felt sympathy for the sniveling wretch that he'd once thought of as his enemy.

"You didn't fail any cat," Wavepaw comforted awkwardly. "I'll be the first to admit you weren't a good father, but-"

Fallowspots swallowed hard, blinking back the tears, but Wavepaw continued.

"But you can start now, and be a better father." Wavepaw declared.

Fallowspots nodded weakly. "But how do I start?"

Wavepaw wanted to box his father's ears, but he resisted. _What do I know about fathering? I'm barely seven moons old!_

"You might want to start by apologizing to Cloudfall," Wavepaw suggested, then recoiled as his father swelled up in front of him.

"No!" His father spat, rage like nothing Wavepaw had ever seen in his life blazing through his green eyes. "I can't! You don't understand what it's like! You're hardly a kit, what do you know?"

 _What?_ Wavepaw was bewildered and terrified as his father stormed out of the den into the gale. _What did I say? It's true! Cloudfall doesn't deserve to just be left like that…_

He stared out in vain at the storm, his father's white and gray tabby tail disappearing into the warriors' den, where Briarpaw and Ripplepaw were no doubt sheltering.

Completely alone in the apprentices' den, Wavepaw curled up in his nest, a single salty drop sliding down his muzzle.

…

"Wavepaw," a faintly amused voice greeted him as he blinked blearily.

"Wh- where am I?" Wavepaw scanned his surroundings. "StarClan?"  
"I wish," what he now recognized as Pondfrost's voice sounded almost longing. "No. Just the forgotten place."

"Is that what this place is called?" Wavepaw darted another glance at the foggy, blurry features of the desolate land.

"It's what I named it," Pondfrost answered simply. "No one to disagree with me, is there?"

She motioned to the abandoned grayish landscape, her feathery gray and silver tail flicking softly and longingly. "I wish."

"I'm sorry," he felt despondent for her.

"For what?" The faintly amused tone was back. "There's nothing you can do about it."

"Why am I here?" He cut to the chase.

"I want to talk, _brother dearest_ ," a hint of danger was present in Pondfrost's voice, but she swept on. "About our _sweet_ and _loving_ father."

 _Fallowspots._ Wavepaw thought, disgusted.

"That's right." Pondfrost nodded, satisfaction flashing in her green gaze as he jumped in surprise.

"You can hear my thoughts?" Against his will, a twinge of fear snuck into his voice.

"I control everything here," Pondfrost shrugged, twitching an ear as though she didn't care. "No one else to."

Her mew was so lonely that he wanted to bring her back to the world of living with him. He knew it was impossible, he wasn't even truly there.

"Wavepaw, listen," Pondfrost's eyes blazed with intensity. "Do. Not. Trust. Fallowspots."

He gulped. "What do you mean? He's my father! A shabby one, but he still matters to me-"

" _No_!" Pondfrost hissed, leaning closer. "You can't trust him."

"Prove it," Wavepaw scoffed contemptuously.

Pondfrost hesitated, and Wavepaw felt a flash of triumph, but there was real urgency in her eyes, and Wavepaw wasn't certain that all she said was untrue.

"Listen," Pondfrost sat down with a defeated sigh. "This may not be StarClan, but I can… hear them sometimes. They can't hear me, but they know that you've visited me. Since you left, they've been talking to me non-stop."

Her voice broke a little on the last word.

"What you don't know is that when you were born, there was… a prophecy," Pondfrost looked almost defiant.

"Are you serious?" Disbelief echoed in Wavepaw's voice. "And I have _magical_ powers, and I'm _destined_ to _save_ the whole _world_ from _evil_."

"No. Well, sort of. But not really," Pondfrost looked like she was balancing on ice. "Before I tell you anything else, you need to know, I need to be careful about how much I tell you."

"Why?" Wavepaw demanded, leaning closer to her. "Why can't you just tell me everything you know?!"

"Because I know _everything_ , and if I tell you, the prophecy will rocket onto a path that _no_ cat can steer it off of!" Pondfrost hissed furiously.

"What do you mean, a _path_?" Wavepaw was taken aback. "It will just come true!"

"No!" Pondfrost shrieked like he'd clawed her. "No! We _cannot_ , _must not_ believe that! If we do, all hope is lost."

"What do you mean 'we'? I thought you were alone!" Wavepaw hissed.

"Me, and…" Pondfrost swallowed. "StarClan. They're talking to me, and I must answer. Maybe it's because of this land, maybe it's because I would have been a medicine cat, had I lived, but either way, the words they speak are true ones."  
"So what?" Wavepaw shook his head angrily. "The prophecy has to come true, no matter what any dead cat says!"

"Wavepaw." Her mew was infuriatingly patient. "The prophecy has foretold that the Clans will _tear each other apart._ Do you understand?"

"Not in the least." Wavepaw matched her patient and patronizing tone.

"The Clans will die!" Pondfrost screeched. "They will fade from every cat's memory! They will disappear!"

"What? No!" Wavepaw shook his head furiously. "That can't be true!"

The thought was so horrible that he leapt at his dead sister, claws outstretched. To his shock, she disappeared.

"Watch it, Wavepaw," Pondfrost's voice echoed overhead, faintly amused once again, but smudged with sorrow. "That temper will be the death of you."

"I suppose the _great_ prophecy has foretold that as well," Wavepaw snorted, digging his claws into the fog.

"You'd be surprised," there was no amusement in her voice, it was simply sorrow and anguish. "If you don't get control of yourself before your emotions manifest in… _other_ ways… bad things will happen. Namely, the prophecy."

"Why are you doing this?" Wavepaw demanded. "What good does feeding me little snippets of a dark future do?!"  
"I have to scare you!" Pondfrost's voice was like thunder in his ears.

 _Mission accomplished._ He thought sarcastically, not caring if she could hear him.

"Why?" He screamed desperately into fog.

"So the prophecy doesn't come true!" Pondfrost hissed, slowly fading back into view. "Wavepaw, I don't want it to come true. It can't come true. You need to win Lightningpaw."

"What does _she_ have to do about?" Desperation rang in his voice.

"It… doesn't matter," Pondfrost stepped towards him, but it wasn't threatening, simply a plea. "You need to go to her."

"Again!" He threw his paws into the air in exasperation and annoyance. "I _can't_! Last time, WindClan caught me, and I _highly_ doubt that ShadowClan is going to welcome me into their camp and offer me my pick of the fresh-kill pile."

"Obviously!" Pondfrost growled at him. "You're just finding ways around the problem! You have to face it head on! It's the only way. Trust your instincts, Wavepaw."

"What are you talking about?" He yowled into the wind, but she was already fading, and so was the dream world.

And just like that, he was back in his nest.

Peering out into the storm, he spotted the tip of a gray-and-white tabby tail disappearing into the warriors' den.

 _Huh?_ He recognized it as Fallowspots's tail. _Either he walks_ really _slowly… or no time has passed? Is that even possible? Did I dream… for a split-second? Wouldn't be the strangest thing that's happened today._

He remembered Fallowspots's strange behaviour all day, and snorted. He smothered his sadness with sarcasm as he padded cautiously out of the den. The camp was completely deserted and silent, save for the steady pattering of the rain, and the occasional crack of thunder.

Wavepaw kept his eyes on his paws, not wanting to see the lightning and have another attack like before.

He bumped into a couple bushes, but he made it out of the camp alright and headed towards the lake. _You have to face the problem head-on._

He stared out across the shivering surface of the lake as the rain disrupted the smooth, shiny surface that it usually had. _You're just finding ways around the problem._

He stepped into the water, as though in a trance. _Find a solution, or the Clans will die._

Pondfrost's desperate voice echoed in his ears.

 _Trust your instincts. The Clans will die._

Bracing himself against the chill, the rain battering his fur, he pushed his way into the water.

 _Don't go around the lake. Face it head on. If your instincts are telling you to swim across the lake, then_ do _it. Save the Clans. Win Lightningpaw._

The words drowning out the crashes of thunder, his eyes screwed up against the rain to the point at which he couldn't a whisker in front of his face, he continued into the water.

His foot flailed for solid ground and his muzzle dipped under the water.

 _You can't touch the bottom? So swim! Call yourself a RiverClan cat?_ Pondfrost's contemptuous snort hardened his resolve, and he shouldered through the waves.

His paws churned at the water skillfully, and he pushed through the first several fox-lengths of the water easily as wind cutting through still air. He knew his strength would wane eventually, but he pressed onwards.

 _Wavepaw_. Pondfrost's quiet mew nearly made him lose his rhythmic pace through the water, but he quickly recovered. _Can't you see I'm busy?_ Wavepaw snarled silently, irritated.

 _I'm going to lend you my strength. But it comes with a price._ Pondfrost whispered.

 _What?_ He felt worried, but concentrated on cutting his paws through the water as rain lashed his head.

 _You've done well avoiding the lightning, and I can help you with that, but-_ Pondfrost's voice wavered. _It comes at a cost._

 _Stop beating around the bush!_ Wavepaw hissed silently. _Just tell me!_

 _You'll… feel my urgency… and that means…_ Pondfrost huffed out a breath. _You'll have more… dark visions… of Lightningpaw._

 _What?_ Why _?_ He demanded. A wave sloshed into his mouth, and he coughed up the water, breathing out through his nose, trying to clear his body of the lake water.

 _Because that's going to be her if you don't succeed in winning her over!_ Pondfrost snapped. _First of all, you need to get a hold of yourself when you see her. You'll never show her the real you if you can't control yourself around her. You weird her out, admit it._

He growled out loud, gasping in a breath as he realized his strokes were getting weaker. The rain made it impossible to see where he was in the lake, but he knew he was probably a good distance across it.

 _I'm going to give you my strength now._ Pondfrost whispered as he fought harder against the water. _But listen. If I do this, I'll stop being able to bring you into the forgotten land during your dreams for a while. I might be able to talk to you in your head once in awhile, but there's no way I can appear solidly to you._

 _Okay_. He muttered back, his chest heaving against the water as he fought for breath. _Do it now!_

Pondfrost sighed loudly into his head, and it echoed in his skull, filling his entire being. At first, it was icy cold like the water around him and the rain pounding into his head, but then it burned like fire. A howling like nothing he'd ever heard before rang in his ears, and his blood felt like it was boiling.

And then, all of a sudden, it was gone. The exhaustion, desperation, and burning in his aching paws disappeared. His insides felt full of wind.

 _I can do this._ He pushed one paw through the water easily, then another. Faster and faster until he was cutting across the water easily. _Surely I'm almost there?_

He continued across, Pondfrost silent, the rain painfully loud. His eyes were wide open as he fought to keep his balance in the water. Suddenly, the sky lit with bright light.

It was gone as quickly as it had come, but the lightning made an image sear behind his eyes. _Lightningpaw!_ His mind cried out, but he continued through the water. Her golden eyes were wide with pain and fear as a pair of silver claws tore across her sides again and again. _No!_

Gritting his teeth, he ignored the picture and continued across the agitated water. Little crests were rising out of the water, and slapped him as he crossed.

 _Waves stole my sister._

He fought against them, but they only grew larger.

 _Waves turned my father against me._

A big one slapped him in the face, and he sputtered water.

 _Waves are stopping me from saving the Clans._

"No!" A shriek ripped out of his throat as another flash of lightning illuminated the dark clouds.

 _Waves. Waves. Everywhere. I'm sorry, Pondfrost._

As the newest image of a dying Lightningpaw branded itself on Wavepaw's heart, a wave crashed over his head.

 _Good-bye_.

He didn't bother trying to fight his way back to the surface.

…

 _Wavepaw! Wavepaw!_ Pondfrost's voice brought him back to the present. _Fish-brain. Why did you fight it?_

 _What do you mean?_ He gasped a breath, glancing up at the still-dark sky that poured rain down.

 _The waves carried you to shore._ Pondfrost whispered. _I can't keep this up. Go to her! Go back by WindClan territory. No cat will be out in this kind of storm._

Wavepaw nodded and staggered into the territory. _ThunderClan._ The sweet scent of ThunderClan wrapped around him, and he breathed it in deeply.

Sighing, he crept into the heart of the woods. Even in the storm, every scent trail led straight towards one point, which he guessed was the camp. As Pondfrost had predicted, there wasn't a single cat out.

He found the camp easily, but almost fell off a high precipice into it. Luckily, he was being cautious and managed to pick his way down around it. Eventually, he came to a prickly thorn-bush with a tunnel through it.

He guessed that it was the entrance and crept in. There wasn't a single cat in the whole camp. It was relatively sheltered, but rain still showered off the trees onto the camp.

Scenting the air, his heart jumped when he recognized the scent of Lightningpaw. He followed it into a sheltered den around the leftmost part of the camp. Creeping in, he spotted her dark pelt in the shadows of the den.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw her, and he raced over to her. After only a couple stumbling steps, he managed to stop himself. _Pondfrost's right, I can't control myself around her._ He sighed.

He backed out of the den, into the main camp, and tried again. This time, when he saw her, his thoughts still faltered, but he only took a single step towards her.

 _Get a hold of yourself._ He rebuked himself.

He tried over and over again until he had no reaction to her at all. _Better._ He sighed, looking up as the clouds began to lighten. _Time to go back._

His paws felt like stone, but he forced them to carry him back around the lake, through WindClan territory, and into the RiverClan camp.

 _I swam around the lake._ The realization hit him like a ton of stones. _I. Swam. Around. THE LAKE._

 _Breezepaw might cross a border for you._ Wavepaw thought, collapsing into his nest. _But would he swim across the lake?_

 **WHOA okay. Before you all hate me, squealing about how an apprentice of seven moons can't swim around the lake, TO BE FAIR, he also had Pondfrost's strength, and some other,** _ **factors**_ **.**

 **BTW, it's weird as heck to write interactions between one of your characters and yourself.**

 **Okay, quizzy of the chappie: Do you guys like Wavepaw** _ **at all**_ **? I mean, he swam across the** _ **lake**_ **for Lightningpaw. GIVE THE MAN SOME CREDIT. That's freaking dedication right there.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to leave a review on your way out!  
~Pondfrost**


	30. Dark: The Ground is Hollow with Ice

**Guess whose story is nearly at 100-frickin-000 words?!**

 **MINE!  
And damn, you guys really put a lot of reviews on the last chapter :D THANKS! (Unfortunately, to spare everyone from a crazy long A/N, I'm only responding to ones that need responding… but really, from the bottom of my icy heart, thanks)**

 **Lightningstrike: Hmm. Powers? We shall see.**

 **MysticWolf: Like I said, Darkpaw's a tortoiseshell, but Mudpaw isn't, and the prophecy featured a tortoiseshell… so… but I really like that theory!**

 **Stormbreeze: Understand that I feel like profanity for saying this, but I've already got names for the main four cats. But literally every other cat's name is subject to change from the one I've chosen. And man, I am Flattered with a capital f.**

 **And WE'RE AT 150 REVIEWS WOW. Just… wow. I thought I've never make it this far. ANyway, before I get emotional and teary,**

 **CHAPTER 28!**

 **P.S. Sorry in advance.**

Chapter 28.

"Apprentices, Ivystar wants us to try something new today," Silverpuddle announced. "You'll be paired up with an older or younger apprentice, and you'll be working together to try to catch as much prey as possible."

"Ivystar and her 'new techniques'," Primrosepaw muttered caustically. "What is it this time, catching blue squirrels?"

Darkpaw snorted at her friend and waited as Silverpuddle instructed them.

"You're going to be hunting alongside an apprentice that you might like, or you might not like," Silverpuddle continued. "Please refrain from demonstrating which."

"Huh?" Primrosepaw cocked her head.

"She means, don't tell everybody that you hate Pinepaw," Darkpaw clarified.

"Oh," Primrosepaw looked bemused.

"The pairs will be as follows: Pinepaw and Primrosepaw," Silverpuddle began, and Darkpaw collapsed in a fit of laughter as Primrosepaw's eyes took on a look that could melt the great rock, "Poolpaw and Lionpaw, Ratpaw and Robinpaw, and Mudpaw and Darkpaw."

A certain gray tom's eyes widened and a growl rumbled in his throat.

"What about me?!" Olivepaw demanded.

"Oh, um, you?" Silverpuddle looked caught off guard. "You can hunt with Lionpaw and Poolpaw, I guess."

He nodded. _I wouldn't want to be stuck onto another group carelessly like that._ Darkpaw wrinkled her nose, then remembered. _Oh wait, he's got a crush on Lionpaw, doesn't he?_ She snorted in laughter. _This should be funny._

"Alright apprentices, find your partners and begin hunting at my signal," Silverpuddle declared.

 _Duskpaw's my partner!_ Darkpaw felt a little thrill. _Good!_

The brown tabby bounced over to her, excitement reflected in her deep green eyes. A sunny smile was spread over her face, and Darkpaw couldn't resist mirroring it.

"We get to hunt together! This is great!" Mudpaw exclaimed. "It's like you're my mentor, instead of boring old Feathermist."

"Feathermist is a strong warrior!" Darkpaw chastised the little brown tabby, but there was no edge behind it, only warmth. "But I'm sure we'll have lots of fun together!"

"And… go!" Silverpuddle's voice rang through the pine trees, probably scaring everything off from there to the island, but Darkpaw and Mudpaw charged off into the trees together, unfazed.

"Ah!" Mudpaw sucked in a breath in pain.

"What's wrong?" Alarm coated Darkpaw's worried mew. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," it was obviously a lie.

Mudpaw scowled at Darkpaw, then relented at her insistent look and held out her paw gingerly. "I stepped on something sharp."

"A thorn," Darkpaw confirmed, bending over her friend, closing her teeth carefully around the thorn.

Early in their apprenticeships, they had a day where Ashmask and Lostpaw had showed them basic remedies and how to cure the most simple of afflictions.

"What are you doing?" Mudpaw's voice shook, and Darkpaw remembered that she had still been a kit when the medicine cats had taught them the basic information.

"Getting it out," Darkpaw muttered around the thorn, then sharply jerked her head upwards, yanking out the thorn.

"Argh!" Mudpaw let out a yelp of pain, then looked at her paw in wonder. "Oh. It doesn't hurt!"

Purring at the wonder in her friend's voice, Darkpaw replied:

"Yeah, and now give it a good lick."

Mudpaw nodded vehemently and busily lapped at her stinging pad. Darkpaw purred.

"Alright, better?" When Mudpaw nodded, Darkpaw said. "Then let's get hunting!"

They had only made it a few fox-lengths into the pines when a thick stench wafted over to the two cats. Darkpaw's hackles immediately raised, but Mudpaw just continued walking. A shiver ran down the tortoise-shell's spine. Something was wrong.

The pine forest suddenly didn't feel safe.

"Duskpaw-" Darkpaw's voice was steady, but panic raced through her.

The last thing she saw was Mudpaw's trusting brown face turning towards her, green eyes shining with happiness.

Then a giant red shape appeared behind her.

 _Sweet StarClan._ Darkpaw couldn't breathe, her eyes fixed on the huge fox hovering over her tiny tabby friend. _Duskpaw!_

She couldn't say anything. If she somehow caused the fox to attack Mudpaw…

"Duskpaw," she kept her mew even and quiet. "Run back to camp as fast as you can. Do not look back."

"What?" Mudpaw cocked her head in confusion, and the fox hesitated.

" _Run_ back to camp, _now_ ," Darkpaw tried to keep the urgency and fear out of her voice.

Mudpaw nodded slowly. The fox loomed closer. Darkpaw felt like she was choking on the air as Mudpaw looked questioningly at her.

Then the fox pounced.

" _Duskpaw_!" Darkpaw cried out in terror.

She charged the fox, head-butting its shoulder hard enough to make it let go of Mudpaw's neck, which it had seized in its jaws.

Mudpaw screamed in agony as her skin ripped. Darkpaw winced, but knew hesitating could mean the end of little Mudpaw. Darkpaw sank her claws into the fox's coarse fur and tore out huge clumps.

"Run!" Darkpaw shrieked.

She couldn't see Mudpaw's response, but she prayed to StarClan that she was still in a good enough condition to make it back to camp.

The fox raised a huge paw with fearsome claws and slashed through the air. Darkpaw barely managed to dodge the brunt of the swipe, one of its claws catching her in the side.

She cried out in pain. Grimacing, she attacked fiercely. Leaping onto the fox's back, she sank her claws into its back and slashed deep into its back. The fox arched its back, and Darkpaw flew off, taking a large amount of fur and flesh with her. Her spine smashed again the smooth trunk of a pine, and she heard a 'crack'.

The pure hopelessness she felt in that moment was almost enough for her to give up and let the fox kill her, but she knew that if she died, the fox would be after Mudpaw before Darkpaw's spirit even made it to StarClan.

"No!" She screeched, flinging herself at the fox again, but stumbling as the exhaustion of the fight and her numerous injuries began to catch up to her.

"Darkpaw?" She had never been gladder to hear Primrosepaw's mew.

"Primrosepaw?" She rasped weakly as the fox stalked towards her.

"StarClan!" The hazy form of her ginger and white friend was joined by a black tabby. "What's going on?"

"A fox," Darkpaw rasped, her eyelids fluttering shut.

"Silverpuddle! Foxwhisker!" Primrosepaw yowled as she charged the fox alongside Pinepaw.

 _They're going to save me._ Darkpaw thought, breathing a sigh of relief and exhaustion. _But what about Duskpaw?_

…

"Darkpaw?" Primrosepaw's urgent mew broke into her consciousness. "Wake up! Please!"

"Hmm?" Darkpaw blinked blearily, a pounding pain in her head. "Where am I?"

"In the forest," Primrosepaw's mew was worried. "We need to get back to camp. Foxwhisker and Silverpuddle will help you."

She nodded weakly and the two warriors helped her to herong paws. Every instinct was shrieking at her not to accept the help of the she-cats, but she knew there was no way to make it to camp by herself. Make it to camp. _Did Duskpaw make it to camp?_

Fear flooded her senses and she jerked away from the cats supporting her. "Duskpaw! What happened to Duskpaw?!"

"Who?" Primrosepaw's brow creased in worry. "Are you okay? Did you hit your head?"

"No. Yeah. But-" Darkpaw was confused at their lack of response, then remembered that the her Clanmates referred to her as Mudpaw. "Mudpaw, I mean."

The name tasted as gritty and dirty as what it meant, but Darkpaw needed to know what had happened to her friend.

They just looked at her. _What's wrong?_ A chill washed over Darkpaw. _What happened to her?_ Primrosepaw opened her jaws hesitantly, then closed them again. Finally, Silverpuddle broke the silence.

"We should get back to camp," and then, at Darkpaw's defiant look, she added: "So you can see for yourself."

Darkpaw swallowed and leaned on Foxwhisker and Silverpuddle's shoulders.

The walk back to camp was long, arduous, and full of fear for Darkpaw.

Eventually, the bushes surrounding the ShadowClan camp came into view, and Darkpaw broke into a shuddering run, trying to make it into camp as fast as possible.

"Duskpaw?" Darkpaw called out, not caring if any other cats heard the brown tabby's other name. "Duskpaw?! Are you okay?"

She hauled herself through the entrance, using the last of her waning strength, and collapsed in the centre of the camp. "Duskpaw!"

"Darkpaw?" A ginger and white head poked out the entrance of the medicine den. "Thank StarClan you're here! Get inside, _now_!"

Gasping in a breath, Darkpaw staggered into the medicine den. "Where is she?"

"Darkpaw, you…" Lostpaw looked down, her bright blue eyes full of anguish. "You need to say good-bye."

"Good-bye to who? What?" Her heart pounded.

"Mudpaw… her condition is getting worse," Ashmask answered somberly. "She may not make it through the night. You need to say good-bye to her before she joins StarClan."  
Her eyes widened.

The noise around her faded.

 _She… might not make it through the night?_

 _My deputy… is going to die?_

Her heart felt like it had been torn apart by ten foxes.

 _Duskpaw… is dying?_

She raced over to the slumped form of the tiny brown tabby, ignoring the burning agony of her wounds.

"Duskpaw," she breathed. "Duskpaw, can you hear me?"

The tiny she-cat was unresponsive.

"Duskpaw. You understood me better than anyone," Darkpaw whispered, her voice raw. "You always got it when Lionpaw outshone me in training. You deserved to be a warrior. You have the heart of tiger and you would have made the best deputy ShadowClan - no, the Clans - have ever seen. Duskpaw, my friend, my side-kick, my deputy… good-bye."

Darkpaw swallowed down a wail and touched her nose softly to the soft brown, barely-rising flank of her tiny tabby friend. "I'll never forget you."

Mudpaw gave a shuddering sigh, and lay still.

"Is she… gone?" Pain drowned Darkpaw's mew.

"No," Lostpaw breathed a heavy sigh of relief, touching Mudpaw's chest, carefully avoiding the meticulous wrapping on her neck. "Her breathing is even. There may be hope yet."

"Really?" A tiny flame of hope lit in the dark despair of Darkpaw's thoughts. "So she might survive?"

"There's… a chance," Ashmask admitted, but he didn't look hopeful. "If not… we might want to consider sending her to StarClan as a warrior."

"Is that even possible?" Lostpaw shot a questioning look at her black and gray mentor.

"Yes," Ashmask nodded. "And I think, if Ivystar agrees… Darkpaw should be the one to give her a name."

Darkpaw didn't respond. Giving her a name would mean accepting that she was dead. And she couldn't believe that, she just couldn't. But should Mudpaw die, and Ivystar say that it was alright for Darkpaw to perform the ceremony, then she could give Mudpaw the name she deserved; Duskpaw.

"Very well," she murmured, sinking to the ground next to Mudpaw.

"We should get Quailwing, Vinestem, and Poolpaw in here," Ashmask murmured to his apprentice. "They'll want to say good-bye."

If any other event had transpired that day, Darkpaw might have made a snide remark about how Quailwing couldn't give a single rat tail about her green-eyed daughter, but since that green-eyed she-cat had been seriously injured, she couldn't even muster the energy or will to snort.

Lostpaw nodded grimly and left the den with her tail dragging behind her in despair. _You'll be wasting your breath._ Darkpaw thought, no emotion touching her.

"Darkpaw?" Ashmask moved nearer to her. "I'll go ask Ivystar about Mudpaw's warrior name… should the worst happen. If her breathing changes at all, or anything seems to be getting worse, call for me immediately. Do you understand."

Darkpaw nodded mutely.

"Alright. I'll be back in a moment," Ashmask touched her flank gently with his tail, and left the den.

The weak leaf-bare light that filtered into the den was strongly contrasting Darkpaw's mood. She couldn't feel any hope when her friend was slumped in front of her, pale green herb-mush and gauzy white-gray cobwebs wrapped around her neck, deep red and soaked with blood.

The sharp tang of the medicine den barely even touched Darkpaw's nose, she was so enveloped in anguish.

"Darkpaw?" Lostpaw looked into the den, her blue eyes barely reaching Darkpaw, who was shrouded in shadows. "Poolpaw is here to see Mudpaw."

 _But not her parents._ Darkpaw couldn't even bring herself to care.

"Darkpaw? Mudpaw?" Poolpaw's mew was sad, but not broken. "Is she dead?"

Darkpaw shook her head, not particularly caring if Poolpaw could see her or not. Poolpaw's bright blue eyes shone with grief, but not enough to make Darkpaw feel any sympathy for her.

"Can I talk to her for a heartbeat?" Poolpaw asked tentatively.

Darkpaw nodded, not in the mood to argue.

She stood outside the entrance of the medicine den as Poolpaw whispered to her sister. She was too far to hear everything, but she caught: 'I'm sorry', 'Not my fault', and 'I tried as hard as I could'.

And then 'Good-bye, Mudpaw'. Mudpaw's name made Darkpaw sink her claws into the earth silently. Her own sister didn't even know her real name.

As Poolpaw brushed by her, Darkpaw was tempted to tell Poolpaw Mudpaw's true name. She resisted, though, and the brown tabby littermate of Mudpaw's went back to the apprentices' den.

Ashmask came up behind her, and they went back inside the den together.

"Ivystar agreed, so if Mudpaw should… pass, you can give her a warrior name before she goes to StarClan," Ashmask informed her somberly.

Darkpaw nodded monotonously, sitting back down next to the ever-still form of Mudpaw.

…

Night had fallen with several crashes of thunder, but nothing about Mudpaw's condition had changed. Ivystar had instructed every cat to continue as normal, but Ashmask and Lostpaw both decided that Mudpaw had been close enough to Darkpaw that Darkpaw should be excused from training for a few days.

Darkpaw didn't know what she would do when she had to return to training, but until then, she was capable of sleeping in the medicine den, eating the frog that Lostpaw brought her, and sitting next to the unconscious Mudpaw.

Her nest had been hastily made by Ashmask and Lostpaw and it was uncomfortable.

Darkpaw could hardly feel the pines digging into her sides as she tried to sleep.

Mudpaw's flank was rising steadily and falling just as. Everytime her breathing paused, it felt like a claw had dug into Darkpaw's heart and twisted. It was the only thing she had felt all day, but she needed to get away from it.

 _Duskpaw won't die._ She promised herself. The lack of control she had over Mudpaw's precarious situation drove her crazy.

Silently, she crept out of the still medicine den where Lostpaw and Ashmask slumbered peacefully.

 _I can't stay in this camp._

As though her paws were leading her, she walked down to the lake in a trance.

As the great body of water yawned before her, rain still slicing through the treetops, like a sheet of stone, she breathed out softly.

 _Duskpaw will be okay._ She told herself, and pretended she believed it.

She watched silently as the rainwater battered the surface of the lake. There was a slight silver shape bobbing up and down between strong waves, but she paid no notice.

 _Breezepaw, are you over there?_ A yearning tugged at her paws, but she knew it was madness to try to swim across the lake. She would never make it. It was impossible. _Breezepaw can go to the dark forest if it means Duskpaw will be okay._

It was the first time she'd lied to herself, but it wasn't going to be the last.

The rain picked up, flashes of lightning tearing across the sky. Each one sent a little spike of energy through, like they had struck her. She knew it was ridiculous to think the lightning had come from anywhere other than fate's jaws, but she couldn't deny the thunder felt too important to warrant a simple explanation like that.

The wind picked up as though in response to her thoughts. The sound of the water rushing seemed louder, but it might have been her imagination.

 _Thunder._ The lightning flashed again, accompanied by a boom of thunder. _Thunder and lightning._ Darkpaw's thoughts had a purpose, but she had no idea what it might be. Perhaps she was delirious from sadness and shock? _Wind._ The wind scraped across the lake, ruffling her fur, but it was followed swiftly with a gentler breeze that barely kissed her whiskers. _Wind and breeze._

 _Breeze? Lightning?_ Darkpaw bit her lip. _Does this mean- River._ The water became louder, the even rushing of the river punctuated with sharp and loud slaps of the waves against the shore. _River and wave. What could this mean? Thunder, wind, and river must mean the Clans, but breeze, lightning, wave… wait. That's familiar… I'm sure that… somehow, Breezepaw, Lightningpaw, and Wavepaw are involved in this. I don't know how or why. But they_ are _I can feel it._

 _If Lightningpaw represents thunder… what does that even mean?_ She perplexed by the strange thoughts that had marched into her head one by one. _Oh. StarClan, Darkpaw, don't be more of a frog-brain than you can manage. Lightningpaw represents ThunderClan. I don't know how… doesn't Thornstar represent ThunderClan? And that would mean… Breezepaw represents wind, or WindClan. Then… Wavepaw represents river? RiverClan, I mean. But then ShadowClan… there isn't a representative from ShadowClan? Why not?!_

She immediately felt defensive of her Clan, even though she didn't know exactly who she was defending her Clan to.

Anger burned through her. There was no reason for ShadowClan to be overlooked like this. If her guesses were correct, and Lightningpaw, Breezepaw, and Wavepaw were responsible for the storm and strange water activity, then why wasn't the ShadowClan representative doing something? Furious, she slammed a paw into the ground.

 _Some StarClan fool probably figured that since ShadowClan are so 'evil' we don't get a special cat._ Darkpaw's anger spilled over and she dug her claws into the sandy ground. She twisted her paws so they were facing away from each other and pushed as hard it as she could.

"Aaaargh!" A furious cry escaped her mouth. It felt like she was trying to pull the earth apart, but she knew that was impossible.

As quickly as the fury had come, it was gone again. She sighed, looking down, sadness cloaking her senses.

 _Wait,_

 _what?_

She stared into the crack in the ground. The whole terrain was dark, but the slight split in the ground seemed to shine darkness the same way the sun shone light. It _projected_ the shadows.

Darkpaw stared at it, hypnotized by it for a few heartbeats.

Then the headache began.

It wasn't the kind of headache she'd had so many times in her kithood because of her tiny size and weak nature. It was the kind of headache the felt like it was tearing your brain out through your forehead.

A high-pitched keening noise emerged from her mouth as she she sank slowly to the ground, in intense agony. "Aaaa _aaaah_!" She screeched in pain.

It blazed through her entire being, but she couldn't stop looking at the crack in the earth. She watched, the pain slowly draining out of her body, as a curious squirrel scampered over to investigate. She resisted the urge to kill it with a swift blow and watched as it slipped and fell into the split.

"Huh?" She peered into the darkness, trying to see the squirrel.

She heard its terrified squeak abruptly cut off as a quiet hissing began, then the whole forest was as silent as the dead. Shivering, Darkpaw fished a paw into the fissure, not sure what to expect. She hooked onto something and tugged it out.

"Ah!" She jumped back like it had burned her when she realized what it was; the squirrel's skeleton, no flesh or blood on it. "What- how- huh?"

She watched, her voice caught in her throat, as blackness that had the consistency of cobwebs drained off her paws and dropped back into the crack. It disgusted and fascinated her.

 _Shadow._ The thought snapped into her mind. _Shadow and dark._

 _Not darkness, random thought?_ Darkpaw was confused. _If 'thunder and lightning' means_ Lightning _paw of_ Thunder _Clan, and 'wind and breeze' means_ Breeze _paw of_ Wind _Clan, and 'river and wave' means_ Wave _paw of_ River _Clan, then 'shadow and dark' means…_ Dark _paw of_ Shadow _Clan._

She swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling dry. _I'm the representative? But why? What's so special about me?_

A cold shiver ran across her bristling fur. _I can… split the ground? But why? The ground hardly has anything to do with shadows._

She backed up, needing to put distance between herself and the crack in the ground.

 _Get it away._ She turned and ran, going straight back to the camp. _What did I do?_

It wasn't hard for her overactive imagination to put a cat's bones in the place of the squirrel. _I could_ kill _cats. What is wrong with me?!_

She was terrified by the strange new ability, and she didn't want to hurt anything. Or, StarClan forbid, any _cat_.

"Darkpaw! Thank StarClan, I was worried!" Lostpaw's bright blue eyes were sincere with worry. "Mudpaw's made it through the night. Ashmask thinks she might pull through. But… you should still be prepared for the worst."

Darkpaw nodded, unable to chase all the worry of Mudpaw's death out of her mind.

"And the storm looks like it's easing up, too," Lostpaw commented, looking pleased. "At this rate, StarClan will start flinging fresh-kill down from the sky."

Darkpaw purred in agreement.

The purr sounded so real she almost fooled herself.

 _I knew about how I could pretend before… but…_ She hesitated, the thought unpleasant but undeniable. _Is there anything behind my mask anymore?_

It certainly didn't feel like it.

She felt hollow and empty.

 _I can kill cats._ The thought was deafening, and it rang so loudly in Darkpaw's ears, she almost missed Lostpaw's next words.

"Ashmask told me that if I can keep Mudpaw alive… I might get my full medicine name," Lostpaw sounded hopeful and happy, but her words made Darkpaw want to claw her until she begged for mercy.

 _You don't care about your patient, you just want a fancy name._ Darkpaw hissed internally, no real anger behind her thought. Just hollowness.

"Well, either way, I'd better get back to camp," Lostpaw gave her a sharp nod. "See you around, Darkpaw."

"Not if I see you," Darkpaw muttered inaudibly, still lacking any edge behind her words.

Sighing, she walked the rest of the way back to camp.

 _What if I told some cat? It would be better if I didn't have to handle this alone._ Darkpaw thought, searching for an answer. _No. I've never needed any cat's help, and I don't need any cat's help now. Besides, I would be exiled if they knew I was capable of murder._

She felt a little ice freeze inside.

She welcomed it.

 _Duskpaw is going to be fine._ She repeated it over and over again and she walked into camp, ignoring the greetings of her Clanmates.

 _Fine._

She trailed silently through camp, hoping to avoid Wildwind and not have to talk about training, but no such luck.

"Darkpaw!" Wildwind called, catching up to her easily. "I know you're worried about Mudpaw, but I think some training might be the right thing to help you."

"No, I think I should wait to go back for a few days," Darkpaw said bluntly.

"Really?" Wildwind looked taken aback, but he nodded. "If that's what you really want. Remember though, I'm here if you want to talk about anything."

It was _oh so tempting_ to dump everything of the last night on him, but Darkpaw resisted the urge. He wouldn't react favourably.

She knew it was only a matter of time before her pool of excuses ran dry and she would have to train again, but she took her freedom for granted and wallowed in it.

"Duskpaw?" Darkpaw whispered quietly into the dark medicine den.

No response.

It was what she had been expecting, but the blank truth staring her in the face _hurt_ , and she broke down, wailing out her pain in the middle of camp. She was a blubbering mess, but she didn't care who saw.

And just as quickly as the anguish had come, it was gone.

She straightened herself, easily sliding into the posture of slightly over-extended shoulders, partially raised fur, and higher pawsteps to give the illusion of normal size.

A vacant but emotional expression slammed over her normal, stony features.

It worked, and no cat was the wiser.

But on the inside, the hollowness was being rapidly filled with ice.

 **Urgh, I know this chapter isn't as long as some of the others, but that is just a DAMN good way of ending it, and so whatever, who gives a mousetail.**

 **Anyway, QOTC: How right is Darkpaw? (About the whole 'representatives lightning and thunder breeze and wind blahblah yada-yada) Obviously she isn't COMPLETELY right, but she might be close. Or she might be completely missing the boat on this one, and doesn't know what the fox-dung she's talking about.**

 **Who knows?**

 **Well, I do, actually.**

 **Anyway, leave a review, pray that tomorrow there's a cosmic accident and procrastination-is-my-middle-name-Pondfrost gets two chapters out in one weekend.**

 **~Pondfrost Procrastination Castella**

 **Pee-dot-Ess-dot: I've got a poll on my profile about whether or not I should turn this darn thing into a six-book arc like the traditional warriors stories. Go vote! You get to stick a paw in the future of this fanfiction and swirl the soup around a little!**

 **What am I even talking about?**


	31. Lightning: Misjudgement

**Hey! :D**

 **Me again! (THIS CHAPTER IS GOING TO GET US OVER 100 000 WORDS AND I'M HYPED, FOLKS!)**

 **Anyways, enough of that, Review Replies!**

 **KaiLover: Because Mudpaw is a writer's pet, okay? No XD it's because she was too young, blahblahblah.**

 **Birch: She is angsty, isn't she? I love her for it, though… and that's a cool idea, maybe you're right. WE SHALL SEE MWAHAHAHA**

 **Anyways, thanks for all the support on this story :3 I love you all.**

Chapter 29.

"I can't wait to be a warrior!" Slatepaw groaned, flexing her paws.

Lightningpaw shot her sister a half-amused look. "Daisytail working you to death again?"  
"Death?" Slatepaw snorted. "I _prayed_ for the merciful release of death! She worked me to StarClan and back! I can't even sit down, my paws are so stiff!"

"I could go ask Dawnsplash if she's got any herbs for stiff paws," Lightningpaw shrugged.

"I doubt anything but _deathberries_ could heal my pain!" Slatepaw collapsed dramatically.

"And I thought Vixenpaw was the overdramatic one," Lightningpaw muttered under her breath, and then louder, said: "I'll go ask."

She rolled her golden eyes as her gray sister continued to mumble about 'pounces onto thorns'. Making her way towards the medicine den, she quickly greeted Blackpool and Redflower who were sharing tongues and a piece of squirrel.

"Dawnsplash?" She called quietly, hoping she wouldn't be disturbing the medicine cat.

"What?" Dawnsplash demanded, sounding worried and harried. "Is it an emergency?"

"No, but-" Lightningpaw wasn't sure why the normally bubbly and kind medicine cat was so agitated.

"Then wait a moment," her ginger and cream head disappeared back into her den.

Lightningpaw was perplexed at her strange behaviour. Her confusion only worsened when she heard a squeal of pain. _What's going on in there?_ She poked her head in, confused, and only caught a glimpse of reflected light green eyes.

She drew back with a gasp of surprise as Dawnsplash poked her head back out.

"Oops, sorry, didn't mean to scare you," the medicine cat apologized quickly. "You can come in now, I was just taking care of Birchkit."

Lightningpaw stepped cautiously into the den, looking curiously at Birchkit, who was holding his pad and looking at it fixedly.

"What's wrong, Birchkit?" She asked, tilting her head.

"I got sharp thor in my paw!" He squeaked.

"Thorn," Dawnsplash correctly gently, shooing him out the entrance. "Go see your mommy. What can I do for you, Lightningpaw?"

"Uh, well, my sister has stiff paws after training today," Lightningpaw explained. "So I was wondering if there's an herb to cure stiff joints?"

"Swelling in the muscles?" Dawnsplash guessed, tilting her head in thought. "Well, that would be… let's see… stinging nettle."

"Okay! Do you have any?" Lightningpaw asked hopefully.

"Yes, it's not something I have to use often," Dawnsplash nodded. "But if she continues to get stiff muscles, send her to see me, there might be something else wrong."

Lightningpaw nodded, and took the spiky green plant from the medicine cat, who warned her:

"Careful, don't eat any of it."

Lightningpaw nodded again, unable to give verbal replies with the mouthful of tangy herbs. As she made to leave, Dawnsplash added:

"Could you make sure Birchkit makes it too the nursery?" Dawnsplash looked a touch embarrassed, but she quickly continued: "I just want him to be safe!"

"Sure thing," Lightningpaw mumbled, heading out of the den and headed towards the milky scent of the nursery. "Ah."

A little noise slipped out of her mouth as she recognized a particular scent. Or, more specifically, _two_ familiar scents. Lightningpaw was nearly next to Birchkit, and he was almost to the entrance of the nursery.

Lightningpaw hesitated, weighing each option. _I_ should _make sure Birchkit gets to the nursery safely… but Fawnshade and Thornstar are in there. On the other paw, I could just let Birchkit go in alone… he'll be fine._

With a snort of amusement, Lightningpaw realized she'd been pondering her options for so long Birchkit had already made it into the nursery. Her face twisted into a scowl at the thought of Fawnshade's swelling belly and Thornstar's reverent devotion, and their ecstatic kitten-naming conversations.

Disgusted, Lightningpaw thought of their current favourite choices. _Rainbowkit, Hopekit, Dreamkit, Sunkit, and Goldenkit?_ Her scowl deepened. _What kit in their right mind would want to be named_ Hopekit _? I hope she miscarries._ The thought stopped her in her tracks. _No! I take that back. They're inoccent kits and I have nothing against cats I don't even know yet. Maybe they'll be nice kits._

She knew she was just trying to appease herself, but she didn't care. It hurt less when she pretended that there wasn't anything wrong with the situation.

"Oh, hey Lightningpaw!" Vixenpaw's shimmering laughter rang over the camp to her. "I didn't see you! Blackpool's taking you on hunting patrol with Hollybird, Owlclaw, Mallowdrop, and Rainpaw."

"Rainpaw," Lightningpaw hissed inaudibly.

"Sorry?" Vixenpaw closed the distance between them. "Didn't catch that."

"Nothing. I'll see you around, Vixenpaw," Lightningpaw sighed, slinking over to where Owlclaw and Blackpool were already standing.

"Ah, there you are Lightningpaw," Blackpool nodded smartly to her, and she dipped her head in return.

She turned to greet her father, but he averted his yellow gaze and inspected the clouds intently for a moment. _What? What did I do?_ The rejection stung.

"Ready to go?" Mallowdrop asked, coming up behind them.

"Just waiting on Hollybird and her son," Blackpool told the gray and white tabby tom. "Oh, there they are. Let's get going, then."

Dread weighed heavily in Lighningpaw's stomach. She didn't want to go hunting with Rainpaw, especially not after the way the last hunting ventures with the gray tom had ended. Why couldn't she ever go hunting with Petalpaw? The white and dark gray patched she-cat see to grow closer to Slatepaw every day.

Lightningpaw swallowed, her resolve hardening. Rainpaw was her Clanmate, and she wasn't going to let a little animosity between them stop her from being the best warrior she could be. _Besides, no warrior would respect a cat that can't even cooperate with her Clanmates. I'll never be deputy if no warrior respects me._ Lightningpaw thought.

"Wait a minute," Mallowdrop interrupted them nervously. "I smell RiverClan."

Blackpool turned to him with a surprised look, and scented the air quickly. "This close to our camp? The border patrol probably just picked it up. There wouldn't be any RiverClan scent this deep in our territory."

"But we don't share a border with RiverClan!" Rainpaw exclaimed. "Where could that scent have come from?"  
"Perhaps some cat was by the lake and they picked up a fish scent that's tricking out noses," Hollybird suggested. "In any case, I'd like to alert Thornstar. I'll be back before you can say 'mouse'."

Blackpool nodded, and Hollybird crossed the clearing towards Shadefur.

"Alright, Lightningpaw, Owlclaw, and Mallowdrop hunt alone," Blackpool directed. "Just find small pieces of prey, voles and mice and such. Rainpaw, Hollybird, and I will try for something bigger. Pheasant, squirrel, rabbit, something along those lines."  
Owlclaw nodded, flicking his tail to Mallowdrop and Lightningpaw, without looking at his daughter. Gritting her teeth, Lightningpaw followed his lead.

Mallowdrop gave her an embarrassed nod and split off into the bramble bushes.

Lightningpaw shrugged to herself. She was under no orders to stay with Owlclaw; she was free to hunt wherever she liked. _By the lake, maybe? Or the WindClan border?_ She nodded to no one in particular. _Maybe in the little copse of trees by the pebbles… yeah._

Her mind made up, she headed into the forest, making a beeline for her chosen spots.

"Lightningpaw!" A sharp cry from somewhere in the forest made her whip around, claws unsheathed and poised to strike.

A grayish-white flash speeded right towards her and her reflexes took over, swiping her clawed paw through the air. It connected forcefully and the fluffy shape flew across the clearing, landing right in Rainpaw's paws.

For a moment, Lightningpaw panicked, thinking she had hit a cat by accident, but then realized that it was a well-sized rabbit. Her stab of triumph dried up like dew in the green-leaf sun when she saw the look on Rainpaw's face.

"I could have caught that!" His fury was almost tangible, hanging in the air like a spiderweb. "Why do you have to ruin my life?"

"Uh… what?" Lightningpaw was completely caught off guard by his rage.

 _He went from jumping to the conclusion I stole his catch on purpose to deciding that I'm ruining his life._ Lightningpaw seethed. _Because_ that _makes sense._

"Rainpaw, there's no need for that," Hollybird slid out of the undergrowth, not a single perfectly groomed hair out of place, even after a wild rabbit-chase through bushes. "You still did most of the work."

Lightningpaw wasn't at all annoyed at the remark; she just wanted Rainpaw to realize it wasn't her fault he'd chased the rabbit right into her.

"Good reflexes, Lightningpaw," Blackpool praised her, coming out of the underbrush behind Hollybird. "If the fishy scent by the camp wasn't just a stray smell and it was… a spy, a battle may be in our future. We should prepare."

"Thornstar doesn't want to risk a battle," Owlclaw remarked, and Lightningpaw jumped a little, not realizing he had joined them. "Doesn't want to risk his mate's life when she's expecting his kits."

 _His mate?_ A little more of Lightningpaw's heart splintered. _She doesn't even have a name anymore? They really aren't together anymore._ It was hard to breath for a heartbeat.

"Shadefur told me that ThunderClan will defend its territory no matter the threat," Hollybird declared with an almost defensive glance at the others.

"You didn't need Shadefur to tell you _that_ ," Owlclaw snorted. "Besides, Shadefur isn't leader. Thornstar is."

"Not for much longer, if the rumour is correct," Hollybird retorted primly. "If Thornstar really is on only three lives, his time is almost up."

"This is not an appropriate conversation for this time or this place," Blackpool snapped.

 _That's code for: Not in front of the apprentices._ Lightningpaw flattened her ears. _Our poor delicate ears can't handle the oh-so-sophisticated_ gossip _of the older cats._

"Mallowdrop and Owlclaw, you can go back to camp. And Owlclaw, would you ask Petalpaw and Redflower to come and train with us?" Blackpool requested, turning back to Lightningpaw. "While we wait, I'll show you a new move."

 _A new move? I've learned nearly every move you know!_ Lightningpaw thought incredulously. _It's just a matter of being good at them now. But alright_.

"Okay," Lightningpaw nodded to him.

He crouched in front of her, his tail lashing behind him, and circled her slowly. She stayed relaxed, but watched him as he moved. He darted forwards, then back again without touching her. Her ear flicked involuntarily, but she didn't move.

Suddenly, Lightningpaw saw a flash of gray out of the corner of her eye. She instinctively whipped around to face what had moved, and Blackpool leapt onto her and pretended to box her ears.

"How did you do that?" She was breathless, amazed by his swift movements and sneaky tactic. "What was that gray thing?"

"First, you make sure they're high-strung and alert," Blackpool explained. "I did that by faking a move towards you. You didn't leap backwards, or immediately throw yourself at me, showing good judgement, I might add," Lightningpaw beamed, "but your ear twitched. I then used my tail to flick a small pebble around you. _Because_ you were alert, you turned to see what it was. I had the advantage briefly."

Lightningpaw nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "Can I try?"

"Go for it," he encouraged, crouching slowly, his fluffy black tail straight out behind him.

 _Make sure your opponent is high-strung and alert._ She charged around him. His fur rippled as he swivelled his head quickly to watch her. _Done. Next, distract them._ She raised her hind-leg carefully and slammed it into the earth, sand showering out to her left in a giant, dusty cloud.

Blackpool tensed his muscles and leapt towards the movement, then realized his mistake and tried to take back the move. He landed awkwardly and Lightningpaw didn't waste a single heartbeat flinging herself behind him and raking her sheathed paws across his side.

He reared up on his hind-legs, not facing her, and toppled backwards, trying to crush her underneath his greater bulk.

She knew the move well and dove straight between his extended hindlegs. He crashed awkwardly once more into the earth.

As quickly as she could move, she reared above him and slammed her paws downwards. Blackpool rolled clear quickly and fast as a mouse, slammed his paw into the tendon in one of her back legs.

It collapsed beneath her and she swayed sideways, time slowing down slightly as Lightningpaw toppled downwards. Blackpool met her midway, head butting her off balance. She lurched in the other direction and tried to reorient herself.

Not bothering to try to regain her balance, she swung three paws out, attempting to connect to any part of Blackpool. She succeeded and one of her strikes caught him in the side. He recovered quickly, though, and dove under her, arching her spine, trying to knock the breath out of him.

She easily absorbed the blow and dropped suddenly onto him. He let out an ' _oof_ ' of surprise, but quickly started spinning.

Lightningpaw flew off his back and crashed into the trunk of a tree. She lay there stunned for a moment, before springing back to her paws and facing him once more.

"I think that should be enough battle training for now," Blackpool remarked, licking his paw and drawing it over one sandy ear.

"But we barely started!" Lightningpaw protested, then relented. "Fine. I'm hungry anyway."

"Let's go back and get the prey from before," Blackpool decided. "Then we'll go back to camp and you can have something to eat."

Lightningpaw blinked. She'd forgotten about the rabbit and Rainpaw's sudden anger. A bad taste in her mouth, she nodded and headed towards the spot where they'd been hunting.

 _Rainpaw. Ruins everything, that one._ She scowled involuntarily.

…

"Come on, Lightningpaw, we're almost there," Blackpool encouraged, a note of amusement in his voice. "Are you really that tired?"  
"Yes…" she groaned, heaving her way across another fox-length of terrain.

Blackpool said nothing, but rolled his sapphire eyes.

Lightningpaw sucked in a pained breath and pretended not to have the strength to lift her paws. Blackpool gave her a doubtful look.

"Perhaps I should tell Thornstar that your ceremony will have to be delayed for a moon because of how tired you are," Blackpool quipped.

" _Nope!_ " Lightningpaw raced past him, bursting into the camp.

She could almost hear the night-coloured tom rolling his eyes again, but she paid no mind. Two bundles of fluffy fur barrelled up to her, and she snorted a purr of laughter as they exclaimed:

"ShadowClan intruder!" Stormkit crashed into her shoulder while Birchkit went after her tail.

"Look! She's stolen a rabbit!" Birchkit exclaimed through a mouthful of white-banded brown tail. "Punishal by death!"

"Pun-ish-a-ble," his sister corrected him, flicking him with her fluffy tail.

"Who cares?" Birchkit launched himself onto Lightningpaw's back. "I'mma line my nest with your furs!"

"Oh _no_ ," Lightningpaw collapsed onto her side dramatically, the rabbit still in her jaws. "How can I face such strong and terrifying ThunderClan warriors? I will have to run back to my stinky territory and spend the rest of my life making kittypet collars out of leaves!"

"Huh?" Birchkit looked confused, then went back to shredding her pelt with his tiny, thorn-sharp claws, then suddenly stopped with a squeak of pain. "Ouch! My paw!"

"Are you okay?" Lightningpaw turned to the tiny brown and white kit with a concerned look. "What happened?"  
"I'm fine!" Birchkit's mood brightened once more as he eyed the bunny clenched in Lightningpaw's jaws.

"Is that rabbit for us?" Stormkit demanded, pouncing on the fluffy tail of the creature and batting at it with her little, smoky-gray paws.

"Uh…" Lightningpaw shot a questioning look at Blackpool, who had just come into the camp. He nodded, and she responded: "Sure!"

They both made a noise of delight and began tearing into the plump fresh-kill. Lightningpaw snorted in amusement and padded away to find something from the fresh-kill pile.

As she was hooking a juicy vole out, her golden eyes met the icy blue ones of the cat she disliked most in the world. _Rainpaw._ The name made her want to tear his whiskers out one by one. _Why can't he leave me alone?_

"Lightningpaw," his mew was surprisingly amiable. "I'm sorry for how I behaved earlier."

Lightningpaw blinked quickly. What was he playing at? His lake optics were sincere and his charcoal-gray fur was flat, so different from how he usually looked when he interacted with her.

"I…" Lightningpaw wasn't sure how to interpret the sudden apology.

"I just wanted to tell you that I've been working too hard lately, and my temperament has been suffering because of it," he dipped his head to give his chest a couple quick, embarrassed licks. "I think… Petalpaw's been avoiding me…"

"What? No… she wouldn't do that. She likes you!" Lightningpaw protested. "Petalpaw's a good cat. She wouldn't avoid her brother for no reason."

"But… haven't you noticed that she never shows up for training?" Rainpaw pointed out, an anxious look in his eyes. "Just today, during battle training, she was supposed to come with her mentor!"

"She was?" Lightningpaw thought back to the moment, but couldn't quite place the nagging feeling that something was wrong with the scene. "But…"

"I doubt she even knows how to hunt," despair filled Rainpaw's voice. "She didn't even come back to camp yesterday."

"What's Redflower doing?" Lightningpaw felt panic rise in her. "Surely her mentor has seen that something is wrong?"

"What _can_ she do? Petalpaw disappears before any cat's awake, and doesn't come back until nearly sun-down… and sometimes not even then," Rainpaw looked resigned and hopeless.

"Then can't she order Petalpaw to stay in the apprentice's den?"

"How naive are you?" Rainpaw snorted, then looked apologetic at Lightningpaw's hurt look. "Sorry. But if she's at the point of sneaking out of camp, forgoing her training, and practically betraying the Clan, I hardly think that some words are going to stop her."

"I guess," Lightningpaw wanted to flatten her ears and pretend she had never heard the problem. She wasn't a medicine cat!

 _I don't owe Rainpaw anything._ She reminded herself, but she couldn't bring herself to leave him in such a state. _He doesn't deserve this. Why is Petalpaw doing this? And what_ is _she doing, exactly?_

"Thanks for listening," Rainpaw sighed. "Want to share a squirrel?"

Lightningpaw shrugged then nodded and dropped her vole back onto the fresh-kill pile, throwing it a final, rueful look as she trotted over to a shady spot in the camp with Rainpaw.

They ate in silence, Lightningpaw not sure what to say, Rainpaw seeming comfortable just eating and sitting. She savoured each bite, knowing that the hunting would soon be difficult with leaf-bare fast approaching. Her mood was almost happy until she spotted something that made her want to rip the earth up from under her paws.

Thornstar was nuzzling her mother, who shyed away, but was smiling and purring. She felt her chest heave and she wanted to gag. _Doesn't he have anything better to do? Shadefur runs this Clan…_

"What names were thinking of today?" Fawnshade purred to her mate.

"Gem stones," the strong golden-brown tom replied. "What do you think of Pearlkit, Sapphirekit, Amberkit, Opalkit, and Rubykit?"  
"All beautiful," Fawnshade replied joyously. "I was thinking of naming our kits after the seasons. Greenkit, Leafkit, and Newkit."

"Greenkit for green-leaf, Leafkit for leaf-fall, and Newkit for new-leaf?" Thornstar guessed, and licked her ear. "What about leaf-bare?"  
"I don't want to name a kit after such a cruel season," Fawnshade shuddered and pressed herself against Thornstar's chest. "You're leader, and you could give them proper names: Greenleaf, Leaffall, and Newleaf."

"Not a bad idea," Thornstar agreed, yellow eyes shimmering with joy and love. "Then again, I couldn't disagree with you if I tried."

"I still want to name a kit Rainbowkit," Fawnshade remarked gently. "Such a beautiful name. We could name her littermates Cloudykit, Skykit, and Sunkit."

"Beautiful," Thornstar purred.

Lightningpaw winced and then realized Rainpaw was watching her.

"It must be hard," Rainpaw's voice had none of its usual malice, it was just concern. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be done about it," Lightningpaw shrugged, but her heart still felt like a few thorns had dug into it.

…

 _Perhaps he's maturing._ Lightningpaw reflected as she settled into her nest. _It was nice to talk to some cat like that, even if it was Rainpaw._

Her energy felt drained, but her mind was still abuzz. _If Rainpaw isn't the cat I thought he was… then who else am I wrong about? Breezepaw… he wasn't the cat I thought he was. Ha. I didn't even think he was a cat._ She forced herself towards reality, even if it hurt. _I thought of him like a StarClan resident. But he isn't perfect; no cat is. And maybe I saw the good side of him first. I saw the bad side of Rainpaw first… and assumed that he was like that always._

 _Who else am I wrong about?_ She thought again, and her thoughts landed on one silver furred tom in particular. _Could I have judged Wavepaw wrong? Did I just jump to conclusions? Will I ever understand other cats?_

 **EHHHH I know it's not as long as other chapters… but I'm getting lazy. It's likely I'll write another chapter this weekend, I've got lots of ideas.**

 **Also, starting a new thing: I'm coming up with human names for each cat. Let's start with ThunderClan:**

 **Lightningpaw: Lilah**

 **Rainpaw: Ryan**

 **Vixenpaw: Vanessa**

 **Slatepaw: Sophie**

 **Blackpool: Blake (That's Mr. Blake to you, punk)**

 **Petalpaw: Molly**

 **Stormkit: Samantha, goes by Sammy**

 **Birchkit: Bailey**

 **Fawnshade: Fiona**

 **Any requests? Leave 'em in the reviews! I'll do popular WindClan cats in the next chapter.**

 **And the QOTC is: If you lived in the world in which this fanfiction takes place, which of the characters would you be most likely to have a crush on?**

 **I know, it's random, a little weird, and doesn't have much relation to the story, but this chapter wasn't all that important anyways… ;-;**

 **~Pondfrost**


	32. Breeze: Secrets, Scars, and Scarlet

**Hola, my dudes.**

 **I said I would do one yesterday, but I found out that the ninth WOF book came out about a month ago and that fact somehow escaped me. So I went to the bookstore and bought it. Along with another ten books. I've been reading for the last twenty four hours. ANYWAY.**

 **RRs!:  
Pretty Much Everyone: Yeah, apparently Rainpaw's quite the catch…**

 **Rainmist: Yeah, I have seen that trollfic. Rainbowpaw's warrior name could ruin it though, like I said. Rainbowbee would be…** _ **quite**_ **unfortunate }:)...**

 **Anyways, I know the chapters have been a little shorter lately, but hopefully I'll get back into the 5 000 word groove. ALSO, we're at 100 000 words! Holy. Cheese curds. I never thought I'd ever get this far with anything, much less a random idea I had on a too-warm summer afternoon.**

 **Thanks, man. Love you all.**

Chapter 30. (Wow. Just… wow)

He raised his paw, slashing through the air in an effort to send her sprawling. It failed, and she whirled away with a flash of gray fur and a glimmer of blue eyes. She was suddenly battering his back, and he spun around to face her.

She immediately pushed off in a giant leap, straight over him. She landed, and kicked out with her back legs. He gasped as the air was forcefully shot out of him. With a huff of triumphant, she pinned him easily and spat her words of victory in his face.

"Have fun clearing out the elders' den, because _I win,_ " Jaypaw hissed.

"How's that possible, when you haven't beat me yet?" He asked, his bravado-laden words belied by the fact that despite his frantic struggling, he couldn't escape her hold.

She just rolled her sky-blue eyes and released him when Icestorm and Honeythorn nodded to her. Breezepaw hauled himself to his paws, shaking the sand out of his golden-brown fur. It felt like there was a layer of dust beneath his pelt, and it drove him crazy.

"Breezepaw, you know how to get out of a hold like that," Icestorm scolded.

"It's hard to remember your training when it feels like an overweight badger is squeezing the air right out of you," Breezepaw retorted, shooting a burning look at Jaypaw.

She just shrugged, a mischievous look in her eye. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't win the argument when he'd lost the fight. _Why is she a better fighter than me?_ He flattened his ears, letting out a hiss of annoyance. _I'm stronger than her. It doesn't make sense. It's not fair._

"Good try," Palepaw encouraged, padding up to him. "You're a brilliant hunter, anyways."

 _That's a lie._ Breezepaw seethed mutinously. _I'm a_ good _hunter, but Jaypaw's better. I just need to be faster. I can run… but my legs aren't built for sprinting. I can run far, but not very fast. How am I supposed to be faster?_

"Yeah, _good try_ , Breezepaw," Jaypaw sashayed by him.

Breezepaw stopped himself from sinking his teeth into her gray tail. Not even Palepaw's comforting words could make his tide of anger evaporate; she had won her bout against her brother, she had no reason to be bitter. _Whatever. I'll beat her next time._ It was a lie, but he knew that there was no point in obsessing over it. Like his mother was constantly preaching, _the past is in the past, and hanging onto it makes you weak._ _I suppose it depends what your past is, though…_ He reflected. _What if I was a hero in my past? Perhaps I lived before I was born. A hero._ He liked the idea.

Breezepaw closed his eyes, imagining the frosted, gray-green grass of the WindClan moors as lush greenery, bejewelled with poppies, bluebells, and enough herbs to keep his Clan healthy for every season they existed. As though his eye was a bird, his vision swept over the picturesque landscape, towards a crystal-clear, bubbling stream of sapphire. Beyond it lay the smooth carpeting of rich emerald flora, with sunlight streaming through the tiny pockets of where the trees grew more sparsely, exposing the inside of a wild and wonderful forest, ripe with prey and safety.

 _ThunderClan and WindClan._ He thought. _It's so beautiful!_

The vision nearly took his breath away. Breezepaw never wanted to leave the perfect world. He watched as a cat neared the stream between the idyllic territories. He almost didn't recognize the golden creature, whose luxurious pelt of pure sunlight rippled with every step he took, revealing hard muscle. His black paws planted into the earth with every step, but behind the crushing force of his paws, he left a trail of little wildflowers popping up behind him.

Breezepaw watched, his breath caught in his throat, as the older version of himself reached the stream and sat. All of a sudden, another cat bounded out of the prolific forest and walked towards the older Breezepaw. Her lustrous, sleek pelt was that of a midnight's oak, slashed with jagged white stripes that were nearly blindingly bright. The truly gripping feature on her was her eyes: they were like luminous beams of joy. Golden mist seemed to leak out of them, swirling around her as she bounded towards Breezepaw's perfect counterpart.

While the impossibly beautiful world was awe-inspiring to behold, the perfect beauty of the cats, and the idea that he could rule over it was so stunningly breath-taking, the one thing about the whole scene that made Breezepaw ache for it to be real was the emotion in the eyes of the god-like cats.

They shimmered and glittered with the thing that Breezepaw had dreamed about feeling, thought he had experienced, and then had snatched away from him.

Love.

Love.

Love.

Every beat of his heart told him it was true.

These cats were in love. They were the leaders of beautiful worlds, had lives perfectly free of flaws, _and_ had each other.

The jealousness in his heart took his breath away. He would have killed any cat with his own claws for it to be real.

The two perfect cats leaned across the stream towards each other, their tender pink noses straining closer, a tiny sigh escaping both cats, and a _freezing wave of foreboding_ flooding Breezepaw with panic.

"No!" He screeched, fruitlessly whipping his head back and forth, trying not to see it, unable to look away.

Their noses touched, so gently, so carefully, so beautifully.

The point of contact suddenly sent tiny cracks reaching out of it, like the whole world had been turned to ice.

Then the entire, beautiful, perfect world shattered, and Breezepaw was thrown out of the daydream.

"No…" he breathed.

 _It can't be true…_

…

"Breezepaw!" A voice interrupted the peaceful stone of unconsciousness. "Breezepaw! If that piece of crow-food is responsible for…"

The nervous threat was drowned out by Breezepaw falling back under the dark shadow of blissful sleep.

"Breezepaw!" The same voice, sharper than before. "Wake. _Up_."

He made an indiscernible moan-groan-sigh, not wanting to give of the silent respite of no senses. It was pointless, though; the weak sunlight assaulted his rapidly-adjusting eyes as he opened them to see Jaypaw looming over him.

"Told you!" She exclaimed triumphantly, lurching away from him again. "He wasn't knocked out; he's fine."

He couldn't tell, but he thought there might have been a hint of relief in her voice. He blinked blearily, trying to ascertain where he was. It seemed as though they were next to the two-legs place by the WindClan-RiverClan border.

"Did I scare him or somethin'?" An unfamiliar voice questioned.

He squinted at the blurry forms of the cats around him. He could see Palepaw, Jaypaw, and Rabbitpaw, plus their mentors, Icestorm… and one other cat. He was fairly sure it was a she-cat with a pelt that reminded him of the walls of most twolegs dens mixed with brown tabby with darker brown stripes.

"Who're you?" He slurred, blinking up at her.

"Scarlet. Who're you?" She mimicked. "Sorry, force of habit. Like they say, old habits die hard."

"Like who says?" It took real energy to put any inflection in his voice.

"Nevermind that," Scarlet rolled her deep amber eyes that reminded him of some cat. "Jus' wanted to make sure y'all are okay. Got that done, I should really be on my way…"

She hesitated, painful memories flashing through her grief-filled amber eyes.

Breezepaw didn't think for a second those emotions were anything other than genuine.

"What's wrong?" Icestorm asked, leaning towards the mysterious she-cat.

"I-" She swallowed hard, then a loud sob escaped her mouth.

Breezepaw watched, frozen and unsure as the pretty tabby broke down in front of them. He'd only met her a few heartbeats ago, but he could already tell she was not the kind of cat who did this often, or ever.

Icestorm looked panicked and confused, but held still as Scarlet buried her face in the gray and white she-cat's fur. Her blue eyes were wide, but she didn't push the tabby away.

"Scarlet?" Honeythorn said gently.

"I can't go back!" She sobbed. "I'm never going back there!"

"Okay. It's okay." Honeythorn said soothingly.

"No! No!" Scarlet took a ragged gasp of air, before the cries continued to spill from her lips. "I'm never goin' back! The rats! Willy, help! Stop! Why? I'm not doin' it! You… I won't… I don't remember her… but I couldn't betray… don't let 'em any closer… rats!"

Breezepaw's fur rose a little at her desperate pleas.

"Rats? There are no rats here," Honeythorn said forcefully, as though trying to banish the creatures plaguing her thoughts. "Scarlet, you're safe."

"You're right," All the air rushed out of the she-cat at once. "Safe. Safe safe, no one can get me, I ain't the cat you want me to be… but I don't have a choice, do I? I'll do. I'll do, Willy, jus' please make it stop."

The whole patrol watched as her body jerked back and forth, then she collapsed and lay still as a corpse.

"Fetch Morningpoppy!" Nightpool, Palepaw's mentor, was the first to react. "Run! We'll carry her back to camp."

The pale brown she-cat gave a furtive nod of affirmation. She darted one look back at the still form of the she-cat, then ran straight for the camp.

Breezepaw was impressed by her speed, but there was no time to be in awe, they had to help Scarlet. He helped shoulder Scarlet onto the broad backs of Honeythorn and Icestorm. _She's light as sheepswool._ He realized.

For all her abrasive mannerisms and sweeping confidence, Scarlet couldn't have been any older than seven moons, Breezepaw's own age. Sadness pricked his heart at the idea that a cat his own age had been through such trauma.

"Come on, Breezepaw, we've just got to make it far enough for her to be sheltered," Icestorm told him.

 _Sheltered? There isn't any shelter in this whole territory!_ Breezepaw thought, uncertain. They hauled the young rogue under a heather bush, freeing them all from the peeling wind.

"I'm here! What happened?" Morningpoppy exclaimed. "Where is she?"

"Right here," Nightpool directed.

"Sister, take the apprentices back to camp," Morningpoppy directed Honeythorn. "Nightpool, Swiftclaw, Icestorm, and I can help Scarlet back to camp."

Honeythorn nodded, seeming unsurprised to be ordered around by her peppy sister. Breezepaw didn't object to being herded to camp, but didn't want to leave Scarlet.  
"She'll be fine," Honeythorn told Breezepaw, as though she could hear his thoughts. "Don't worry about her."

"But what happens to her after Morningpoppy heals her?" Breezepaw protested. "She can't go back to where she came from! Whoever that Chilly is, he's clearly done something terrible to her!"  
"We'll take care of her," Honeythorn's tone left no room for arguing.

Breezepaw sighed heavily, and allowed himself to be sent back to the WindClan camp, his heart like stone and his head full of worry for Scarlet.

…

"Told you she'd be fine," Honeythorn's mew was faintly amused.

Scarlet was barely leaning on Nightpool's shoulder as they staggered into camp. Breezepaw sagged in relief. She really was fine.

"Where's Spottedstar?" Icestorm took control of the situation. "I need to talk to her. And bring Scarlet."

Nightpool nodded, and they all moved towards Spottedstar's den.

"What's going to happen to Scarlet?" Breezepaw lurched towards the group, trying to follow them, but Honeythorn closed her jaws around his black-tipped tail, stopping him from moving.

"Whoa there, calm down and think rationally," Honeythorn snapped. "Spottedstar's a good cat, if Scarlet doesn't want to return to where she came from, then something else might be worked out."  
"Scarlet's going to join WindClan?" He couldn't stop the hope that rushed into his voice; the she-cat had made a good impression on him and he didn't want her to be gone so fast. "Really?"

"If Spottedstar agrees, and if Scarlet agrees… it may be a possibility," Honeythorn said sharply.

"Really?" He repeated, stunned but pleased. "Another cat to train with!"

Honeythorn rolled her dark green eyes, but couldn't hold back the smile. _I wonder what her Clan name will be? What does scarlet mean?_ He thought, working the ground with his paws. _Another cat to train with! Jaypaw's going to like her, they're so similar._

Suddenly, three cats emerged from Spottedstar's den. Spottedstar, her face determined and excited, Nightpool, who had turned back to encourage the third cat, Scarlet, whose face positively _glowed_ with hope.

 _What's going to happen?_ Breezepaw's heart pounded with excitement and worry for Scarlet.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Tall Rock for a Clan meeting!" Spottedstar called.

 _This is it!_ Breezepaw's heart jumped and he bounded to sit underneath the grand old stone that served as a meeting place for WindClan.

"Now, one of my favourite duties as leader is naming the Clan's future, and I have two ceremonies to perform," Spottedstar's pale green eyes gleamed. "First. Buzzardpaw and Copperpaw, come up here."

The siblings' green and blue eyes shone with excitement and pride as they bounded onto the rock. Buzzardpaw was so puffed up Breezepaw thought he might explode, while Copperpaw was shifting and wriggling like she had ants crawling through her pelt.

"Buzzardpaw," Spottedstar began, "do you promise to defend your Clan and uphold the warrior code for the rest of your life?"

He opened his mouth and no sound came out. He swallowed, darting a glance down at the cats below, and said clearly:

"Forever and always."  
Honeythorn nodded approvingly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Buzzardpaw, from this moment on, under the watchful eye of StarClan, I name you Buzzardclaw," Spottedstar rested her muzzle on the newly named Buzzardclaw's head. The gray and white warrior licked her shoulder, and then stepped back to let his sister take his place in front of Spottedstar.

"Copperpaw," the she-cat could hardly keep eye-contact with the regal leader. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do," her voice shook, but she was serious.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Copperpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Copperspots," Spottedstar delicately rested her muzzle on Copperspots's ginger forehead, and the calico licked Spottedstar's shoulder. "Make us proud." Spottedstar whispered to the two warriors, and nodded to them, her eyes filled with emotion.

Side by side, they nodded back, and leapt off the rock.

"Copperspots! Buzzardclaw! Copperspots! Buzzardclaw!" Breezepaw greeted the new warriors with all of his voice's strength. _That's going to be me one day._ He thought proudly.

"And for the second ceremony," Spottedstar continued, her voice a little choked up, but she cleared her throat and continued. "As some of you may know, and most of you don't, a young rogue was found on our territory today."

The Clan began murmuring speculation, and Breezepaw felt a stab of gratefulness to Spottedstar that she didn't mention that Scarlet had only come over to the patrol because of Breezepaw fainting.

"Her name is Scarlet," Spottedstar continued. "She is seven moons of age and she wishes to join WindClan."

Most of the cats were shouting their opinions in the ensuing chaos, but Breezepaw just sat there, worried that Scarlet might not be accepted into the Clan.

"Silence!" Spottedstar thundered, then quieted. "She has suffered many things in the past and cannot return to whence she came for personal reasons."

Most of the cats quieted, but some still shouted down the prospect of an outsider joining. Finally, a cowering Scarlet was defended by the most unlikely of heroes.

"Would you want any kit of yours to be turned away, sent back to a dark and traumatic place because of _tradition_?" Oatpad's mew was impressively furious.

"Yes!" Tumblestep shouted her support. "Any cat knows that numbers have dwindled in WindClan ever since the blood-cough spread five leaf-bares ago. A strong young cat that can help support our Clan? We'd be hare-brained to turn her away!"

"That's enough," Spottedstar silenced the queens with a flick of her spotted tail. "But I agree. Another apprentice for WindClan can only bring good things. At the end of the day, when the sun goes down, it is the leader's decision. And _I am the leader._ We will welcome young Scarlet into our Clan as one of our own."

Most cats were nodding now. Those who weren't were smart enough not to voice their dissent. Spottedstar continued with a huff, beckoning Scarlet to the rock.

"WindClan. This she-cat stands before you, not as a rogue, but as one of our own," Spottedstar's voice rang powerfully around the clearing. "Scarlet. Your old name and life are no more. It is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day onwards, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be Scarletpaw. And as for your mentor…"

Spottedstar nodded to her.

"Wha- me?" Her eyes were wide as moons.

"Indeed. Scarletpaw knows nothing of the warrior code and our ways, but she can learn, I believe in her," Spottedstar beckoned her up the rock. "And you, Copperspots, will teach her. She, as an apprentice will have the guidance of not only you, but Honeythorn, Icestorm, Swiftclaw, Nightpool, and all the other WindClan apprentices. And you too, Copperspots, shall learn to mentor under the teachings of these capable warriors. I believe in both of you."

"Scarletpaw! Scarletpaw!" Breezepaw called out.

"Make WindClan strong!" Spottedstar's cry echoed above the tentative greeting the Clan calling out.

"WindClan!" The whole Clan roared. "Scarletpaw! Buzzardclaw! Copperspots!"

Breezepaw felt as though his spirit was larger than his body and it was spilling out his nose, mouth, and eyes as they cheered and roared their love and loyalty to their Clan to the stars that had begun to come out.

 _Are my ancestors up there?_ He wondered. _Am I truly destined for greatness? Eh, who cares. It's enough to be here, now._

…

"Hey, Scarletpaw, can I ask you a question?" Breezepaw asked gently.

"Yeh jus' did," Scarletpaw snorted, but smiled easily. "Sure thing. What is it?"

"Who is Willy?" Breezepaw tried to say it in a light and airy tone, but failed, because Scarletpaw's eyes darkened to twin amber shards of darkness.

"Part of me old life. It's behind meh now, an' I don't wanna talk about it," her strange accent thickened when she was angry, apparently.

"Sorry," he was silent for a moment, then asked: "So you like WindClan?"

"Yeah, y'all have been great to me!" Scarletpaw's eyes flashed with something akin to guilt, but it was gone so fast Breezepaw wasn't sure if he was imagining it. "It's so wide open an' lovely here, so different from the cramped city."

"Si-ttee?" The word felt funny on his tongue.

"It's what the smooth-skinnies call the big collections of their houses," Scarletpaw shrugged, but there was a discernible gleam of pleasure that she knew something he didn't.

"The _smooth-skinnies_?" Breezepaw was bemused by her strange vocabulary.

 _Boy, this cat talks strangely._ He grinned despite himself. _It's cute._

"Up-walkers, Hammins, no-furs, tail-missings, two-legs, they've got more names than they know what to do with," Scarletpaw purred her rusty purr.

"Oh, _two-legs_ ," Breezepaw nodded knowingly. "I see."

"That's what y'all wild cats call 'em?" Scarletpaw shrugged. "I always called 'em nuisances!"

Breezepaw purred too. She was so amusing.

"Breezepaw? You coming for border patrol?" Icestorm poked her head into the den.

"Sure thing," he pronounced thing 'thang' without a second thought, then realized.

 _Ha! I'm starting to talk like her!_ Breezepaw purred out loud.

"You're talkin' like me!" Scarletpaw let out a peal of laughter. "I thought, 'man, these critters talk like they've got thistles in their fur!' and here I was, worried I'd start talkin' like y'all, but apparently ol' Scarly ain't changin' so easy. Nah, I'mma change _you_ all."

"Scarly?" Breezepaw echoed. "I'd better go…"

"Lemme come!" The self-dubbed 'Scarly' leapt to her paws. "I can be helpful! I'm real good at walkin'!"

He shrugged. It was really Icestorm's decision. They padded out of the apprentices' den where Breezepaw had been helping Scarletpaw make herself a nest with some of the spare moss and sheepswool in the back.

"There you are, Breezepaw," Icestorm turned to him. "Oh, and you brought Scarlet- paw, perfect."

Scarletpaw looked uneasy, but smiled over it. Breezepaw wanted to twine his tail with hers and take her far away from them, but knew that she would have to learn to handle Clan-life sooner or later. Icestorm was just adjusting to a change, that was all. Breezepaw purposely ignored the fact that Icestorm was a respected member of WindClan for her impeccable judgement and sharp instincts.

"Come on, let's go," Icestorm beckoned them.

Breezepaw surveyed the patrol. It was made up of Leopardpaw, Larkfeather, and Sunnyfur. _Sunnyfur_. Breezepaw snorted inwardly, remembering the intensely boring patrol that he'd been forced onto with the golden-ginger tom. _I'm not sure if anything will be boring anymore, now that Scarletpaw's part of the Clan._

The aforementioned russet and brown tabby was bouncing around a bemused Icestorm, demanding every question that came to her mind.

"So _where_ are we goin' again?" She demanded, hopping from one foot to another.

"The border," Icestorm replied shortly.

"The boooorder," Scarletpaw echoed. "Cool! An' _why_ are we goin' there?"

Icestorm shot Breezepaw a half-amused, half-annoyed look. "To mark it, to warn the other Clans out."

"Other Clans?" Scarletpaw's voice was devoid of the bouncing enthusiasm of before. "What other Clans?"

"Well, we're WindClan," Breezepaw supplied. "And then there's ThunderClan, ShadowClan-"

"And RiverClan," Breezepaw and Scarletpaw said at the same time.

"You know of them?" Icestorm asked, surprised.

 _How did she know about RiverClan?_ Breezepaw wondered, unsettled.

"Uh, some rogue said somethin' in passin' about 'RiverClan' an' I thought this Clan RiverClan…" Scarletpaw said flippantly, but the way she trailed off and looked around uncertainly convinced Breezepaw she was lying.

"I see," Icestorm's eyes narrowed.

Scarletpaw gave a nervous giggle under the scrutinizing look of the senior warrior. She was clearly hiding something, but _what_ , Breezepaw had no idea.

…

As he was trailing back to camp alongside Scarletpaw, Icestorm, and the rest of their patrol, he thought about Scarletpaw's strange behaviour. _She knows too much about the Clans… she won't talk about her past… she… what's going on here?_

"Hey Breezepaw, want to share a rabbit with me and Palepaw?" Jaypaw called to him from across the clearing.

 _Some_ normalness _in this crazy day._ Breezepaw sighed in relief, and trotted over to where Jaypaw and Palepaw were sitting. He collapsed next to them with a huff, and Jaypaw offered him the plump catch.

"Thanks," he ripped a mouthful off, and pushed it towards Palepaw, who followed suit. "So what do you think of Scarletpaw?"

The she-cats exchanged glances.

"She's… a character," Jaypaw said finally.

"She seems alright," Palepaw offered.

"She hasn't done anything wrong… yet," Jaypaw grimaced.

Breezepaw frowned at them. They'd barely interacted with Scarletpaw! Why were they so hostile already? That kind of behaviour he expected from _Jaypaw_ perhaps, but not sweet Palepaw!

"What makes you say that?" He couldn't keep the accusatory note out of his voice.

"Scarlet just isn't a Clan cat!" Jaypaw finally burst out.

"Scarlet _paw_ ," He corrected coldly. "And she is _now_! What's your problem with non-Clan cats?"

Jaypaw and Palepaw exchanged glances again. Breezepaw felt like boxing their ears until they told him what their problem with Scarlet was. _I know it isn't exactly traditional for rogues to join the Clan… but can't we make an exception, at least once?_

"They're not part of the warrior code, Breezepaw," Palepaw spoke like he was a kit. "Clans just don't accept outsiders; that's how it's always been."

His heart sped up a little. He cared about Palepaw, Jaypaw, and their respective opinions, but he cared about Scarletpaw too. He didn't want her shut about because 'that's how it's always been'; that was just ridiculous!  
"What if my father wasn't part of the Clans?" He asked coldly. "Then I'm 'half' outside of the warrior code? Is that how it is? Shall we just _slice_ me in half and thrown one part out of the territory?"  
"That's not what I said!" Palepaw cried.

"It's what you meant," he stormed away.

 **Well, 'Scarly's' already ruining relationships, but ya gotta love her and her western accent anyway.**

 **QOTD: Who in Breezepaw's Clan do you ship with him? (THAT MEANS NO LIGHTNINGXBREEZE AND NO DARKXBREEZE)**

 **And yeah, this chapter's only 4 000, I know, I know, but whatevs, I'll hit 5 000 next time. Don't forget to review!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	33. Wave: Blood and Rust

**HAI~**

 **We're back!**

 **So I got some big news. I got into a special high school for arts, in the literary arts program! Woo hoo! This is pretty huge for me, because it means I get to spend the next years of my life doing what I love, surrounded by people who also love writing, so YAY!**

 **RR:**

 **Stormbreeze: Hmm, I will say at least one of those names is planned already. And yeah, I agree, breeze is a pretty suffix. Scarletpaw's name ain't changing, sorry. :#D Thanks, I try to make them longer.**

 **Birch: I was THIS CLOSE - to naming her Copperburr, but that doesn't really make sense… so Copperspots it is.**

 **Riverglade: Good. I like BreeezexJay**

 **Rainmist: She's definitely a character that changes for me too. And Scarletpaw, huh? :) Wonder why…**

 **KaiLover: I can see why you think that, yeah.**

 **GushingWater: Hey, thanks :) I really appreciate that!**

 **Snowcrystal: Hmm, I see.**

 **Rainwillow: OOh, I like your name! And your opinions are my opinions ;)**

 **SilverMidnightMoon: Hmm, I see. Very interesting. *Slips on nerd glasses over regular glasses while frantically scribbling notes in red sharpie on random clipboard*.**

 **Well, THAT WAS A LOT OF REVIEWS. You guys are the best. Seriously. I couldn't ask for more loyal and kind reviewers.**

 **WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, DRUMROLL PLEASE, WAVEPAW'S CHAPTER!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own warriors**

 **Warning: Violence that warrants a 'T' rating.**

Chapter 31.

"How about a fish, then?" Wavepaw asked.

"No…" Briarpaw sighed heavily.

"What's wrong, Briarpaw?" Wavepaw questioned sympathetically.

Her dreary mood had lasted all day, but it hadn't put a damper on Wavepaw's on-top-of-the-world feeling that had arisen from the idea that he could possibly make some sort of connection with Lightningpaw. Nonetheless, Wavepaw didn't like seeing his sister drag herself around.

"I…" she swallowed, but he could see the icy wall behind her soft green eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Is it about…" he hesitated, unsure of how she would react. "Is it about Seednose?"  
He wanted to jump into the river and cover his head in seaweed at her expression.

"It's _nothing_ ," Briarpaw's eyes flashed.

Wavepaw wanted to jump on her and shake the answer out of her, but he resisted. Knowing Briarpaw, there was no way she was going to open up once she had made up her mind. He clenched his teeth, frustrated at the impossibility of the situation.

"Briarpaw…" he sighed.

She threw a scowl at him and padded away quickly, her belly swinging.

 _I'm not trying to be nosy, I just want to know what's bothering her!_ He thought angrily. _If it's that carrion-eating crowfood Seednose, I'll kill him! If he's what's making my sister act like she's lost any reason to live, I'll_ flay _him._

He wished he was still a kit and could just throw his paws over his head and wail. _Stupid Seednose. She doesn't need a tom. And Ripplepaw's already over him anyways._

He scowled at Seednose, who was staring after Ripplepaw with a longing expression. Wavepaw wanted to pull his whiskers out one by one and feed them to him. They were returning from a hunting patrol in which Crowstrike had completely dominated them all, catching a grand total of five fish, making Wavepaw's meager minnows appear meaningless.

Briarpaw had certainly pulled her weight, she had a long, fat pike hanging from her mouth. Wavepaw sighed. His sister was a brilliant hunter and a fantastic cat. It was a shame she couldn't see it.

"Ah!" He jerked his paw away from the offending undergrowth. "Oh."

He had just stepped on a little patch of plants that had made a strange crunching sound, but were mushy and soft underfoot.

He recoiled, disgusted. After regaining his bearings, he tentatively poked out a paw and lifted the vegetation lightly. Underneath, it roiled with disease and brown-black crustiness. _Ew!_ He reeled away from the horrible sight of the decaying herb.

Feeling something caught on his pad, he looked down to see a little cream and brown shape. He flicked his paw, trying to get it off. _Why are all these plants loving me today?_ He frowned at the little seed-thing stuck to his pad and tried to wipe it on the ground.

It lay there, obtusely _there_ as mist began to creep out of the undergrowth. _What is_ that _?_ He scowled at the white cloud that was emerging from the river.

It swirled towards him, and he stepped back, confused. It passed right through him, not even ruffling his fur, and he wasn't sure if he'd imagined it or not, but when he looked back, the thing that had been stuck to his paw was gone, and the plant no longer looked like it was about to die.

 _What? Healing mist that makes seeds disappear and plants come back to life_. Wavepaw shook his head, perplexed by the situation. _I need some food before I faint. I think I'm hallucinating._

 _Wavepaw._

 _Huh?_ He recognized the voice, but his sluggish brain took a moment to connect the voice to his memory. _Pondfrost?_

 _It's me!_ His sister's ethereal voice had a note of dreary, dry amusement. _In the flesh. Oh wait, just a voice in your head, never mind._

 _Did you come here- er, talk to me, just so you crack jokes?_ Wavepaw wrinkled his nose.

 _Nope._ Suddenly, the amusement dried up like dew in green-leaf. _I came to_ warn _you. Listen carefully, Wavepaw. I'm not going to bother making this all mumbo-jumbo-y, I'm not that kind of cat. But I will tell you, look out._

 _What? Where?_ Wavepaw ducked instinctively.

 _Not that kind, fish-brain._ Pondfrost snapped silently. _I'm telling you that you need to watch out!_

 _What are you talking about? Give me a straight answer!_ Wavepaw flattened his ears at his sister's vague warning.

 _You want a straight answer, go find a stick._ Pondfrost growled back. _I'm_ helping _you,_ Wavepaw.

The way she spat his name in his head, any cat would think it was an insult.

 _Listen._ She repeated. _Quiet all those silly daydreams about that ThunderClanner, and_ listen _._

 _Silly day- you were the one who told me to pursue her!_ Wavepaw hissed, then snapped his mouth shut internally. _Nevermind. Listening._

 _I've said it before, and I'll say it again._ Pondfrost sighed heavily, like the fate of the universe depended on her. _If I tell you everything, it'll blow your brains out. Okay, probably not that bad, but it would be_ bad _. There are some secrets- and I realize I'll sound like a decrepit old elder saying this, but- that should stay buried. I don't want you to be… triggered early._

 _Triggered?_ Wavepaw wondered.

 _LISTEN._ Pondfrost roared.

 _Sorry!_ He squeaked.

 _Everywhere you look, there are more secrets._ Pondfrost sighed again. _For example, to protect his or her identity, let's call them Mousebrain, took on a mate from another Clan. Now, let's say that Cavepaw needs to trust Mousebrain for the sake of the future. Until Cavepaw has fulfilled his destiny, he cannot find out that Mousebrain took on a mate from another Clan. Understand?_

 _No!_ Wavepaw yelped. _Who's Mousebrain?_

 _Sweet StarClan give me strength._ Pondfrost breathed. _I can't_ tell _you who_ Mousebrain _is,_ Wavepaw. _If I_ do, _THE CLANS WILL BE DESTROYED AND THERE IS NOTHING YOUR PRECIOUS STARCLAN CAN DO TO SAVE YOU._

 _Oh._

 _Get it now?_ Pondfrost asked with fake sweetness.

 _Sure._ Wavepaw just wanted her to stop splitting his eardrums with her incessant screeching about the world ending.

 _Anyways. This was not the point._ Pondfrost relented. _I need to tell you something. Beware the blood. And there's a lot of blood around here. My blood, your blood, my blood from before, the bloody fur…_

 _Blood?_ Wavepaw gasped out loud. Ripplepaw looked at him weirdly.

 _You'll be seeing a lot more of it soon, but that can't be avoided._ Pondfrost snapped. _But don't forget, win Lightningpaw or_ bad _things are going to happen. Even StarClan might not be able to face true lo- but we have to try. Win her, Wavepaw, and save the Clans._

…

Wavepaw gritted his teeth as Snowstar addressed the apprentices. _Ripplepaw takes_ one _bite of fish, and we're_ all _getting lectured?_ He seethed.

Wavepaw just wanted to scream out to Fallowspots, Snowstar, Ripplepaw, and every cat, that he was important and the fate of the Clans depended on him. Fallowspots would never taunt him in fighting practice for not being able to keep his balance, he could stop Ripplepaw from ever being rude to Briarpaw ever again, he could make sure Snowstar went to the elders' den and stayed there.

Truly, the world would be a better place if Wavepaw had a little more control. Deputy, at least, if not leader. _Wavestar._ He appreciated the name. _Or… I suppose the medicine cat would have a lot of power too. Although… Pikepaw's kind of already got that spot. I suppose I should go visit him, us being both apprentices and whatnot._

He paused at the fresh-kill pile and picked up a pike, snorting at the irony. Rolling his eyes, he headed over to the pungent herb scent mixed with fish that heralded the medicine den. Sheepbelly was coughing as he talked to Pikepaw about some sort of treatment they had used for Reedtail's white-cough.

 _Let the old fool die._ Wavepaw thought viciously. He hated his grandfather, for old age had made his nasty temperament that much worse. It didn't help one fish-scale that he looked familiar, but a bad sort of familiar, that made Wavepaw want to rip his throat out. _He'll be gone soon_.

"Pikepaw!" Brushing off his dark thoughts, he beckoned his friend over. "I brought you some fresh kill!"

The young tom's pale blue eyes widened with simple joy. _He's so easy to please._ Wavepaw thought, disgusted by the ease with which he could manipulate the apprentice medicine cat. _He wouldn't survive a moon as a warrior._

"Hi, Wavepaw!" Pikepaw greeted his happily.

" _Hi_ Pikepaw," Wavepaw pressed down his strangely vindictive mood.

"Is that for me?" Pikepaw eyed the pike hopefully.

 _Fatty._ Wavepaw curled his lip, then thought of Briarpaw and tried to take back the thought.

"For us to share," Wavepaw corrected.

"Oh. Yeah, um, sure," Pikepaw blinked, embarassed. "I just… sorting herbs really brings up your appetite."

"Uhuh," Wavepaw made a noncommital noise, sort of nodding. "Anyway, how's Sheepbelly as a mentor?"

"He's… he's great. He's really smart and always patient and he's a great medicine cat," Pikepaw shrugged, but there was a gleam of pride in his eyes for his decrepit old mentor.

 _He's practically a fossil._ Wavepaw thought viciously to himself. "That's… that's great."

"How's your training been going?" The plain brown tom asked vacantly.

"Oh, you know…" Wavepaw shrugged blandly.

Pikepaw blinked slowly, his head bobbing in what might have been a nod or the first sign that the apprentice was about to fall asleep on his paws. _Can't even be bothered to listen to what I have to say._ Wavepaw flattened his ears in annoyance.

"What's on your mind?" Wavepaw asked as gently as he could.

He expected another banal half-answer from the boring, my-life-is-not-interesting medicine cat apprentice, but instead, Pikepaw turned to him, his throat bobbing with unspoken thoughts, his pale blue eyes glistening with emotion,

"She's gone," Pikepaw murmured softly.

Wavepaw wasn't even sure that Pikepaw was talking to him, but he had a wave of forboding that Pikepaw meant Pondfrost by _she_.

"I never even got to meet her, Wavepaw!" Pikepaw faced him, swallowing down the sadness. "I never got to meet her…"

"Who?" His curiosity bested him as he questioned the brown tom. "Who did you never get to meet?"

"Sister…" Pikepaw cried out softly.

"Sister? My sister?" Wavepaw could hardly contain his surprise.

 _Did_ he _meet with Pondfrost in StarClan?_

"No…" Pikepaw shook his head slowly. " _Mine_."

"Your sister?" Wavepaw tilted his head, confused.

Then a hazy memory returned to him.

 _"Mummy, I don't want to play with Pikekit! He's boring!" His younger self squeaked defensively. "He doesn't know any games and his mummy just mopes around all day!"_

 _"Wavekit!" A gentler, younger looking Cloudfall rebuked his kit-self. "Don't say such horrid things about your friend!"_

 _"He's not my friend," Wavekit harrumphed mutinously._

 _"Wavekit. You must understand," Cloufall implored, "Pikekit doesn't have any kit to play with!"_

 _"Well, why not?" The tiny silver-furred tom pouted. "Didn't his mummy have any kits other than him? Where are they? I remember another one, I think. She was pretty and red."_

 _"Cherryfish…" Cloudfall's green eyes filled with painful memories, and the older Wavepaw, silently bystanding the memory, was thrown into his mother's thoughts._

…

 _"Take them all!" A lithe gray tom with malicious yellow eyes gave the blood-curdling command. "We need fresh blood!"_

 _"In the nursery! We don't want more blood on our paws," A cream she-cat with fear filled amber eyes herded a fluffy white she-cat with terrified green eyes and her little ring of kits into the thorny nursery. "Cherryfish!"_

 _Wavepaw's blood ran cold as the pale ginger she-cat's blue eyes widened as the gray tom from before cornered her and two brown-ginger kittens._

 _"Give us the kits," his voice was deceptively sweet and soft. "They'll be well cared for."_

 _Wavepaw cried out at the queen to defend her kits and not trust the stranger, but there was no need for him to interfere as Cherryfish bristled, hackles raised._

 _"You won't touch my kits!" Her fury was palpable, but her voice shook a little._

 _"Back off," an edge crept into the yellow-eyed tom's voice. "Those kits belong to us now."_

 _"Do we really need them?" A huge ginger tom crept over to the gray tom. "We already-"_

 _"Sparx, these cats have taken everything from us," The gray tom seemed to have forgotten Cherryfish as he advanced on his compatriot. "Benny abandoned us for that stupid old ThunderClanner, Patches joined that ShadowClan and even fought on their side when we tried to recover him, and now we're down two cats. I'm not giving up! These Clans need to learn their place;_ below _us!"_

 _"But… the order is already got enough cats!" Sparx, the ginger tom protested. "Does the Rust-"_

 _"I'm_ not _losing more cats to these stupid_ Clans _with their insipid_ code _that they think makes them_ honorable _," the gray tom spat.  
"But-" Sparx began to protest, but the gray tom, who seemed to be the leader, turned away from him to leer at Cherryfish._

 _"Just hand over the kittens, sweetheart," his yellow eyes were glinting with impatience and anger, and Wavepaw felt a stab of fear._

 _The tom seemed volatile and liable to explode at any moment, and Cherryfish seemed to know it._

 _"Hey! You don't call any cat sweetheart 'cept me," a third ginger cat, a she-cat this time, with a velvety sweet voice, joined them._

 _"Of course," the gray tom dipped his head to who Wavepaw assumed was his mate. "My mistake, Satin. Won't happen again. Now, we should be on our way; Rust seems to get a little crazy when we leave for too long. But we'll be taking these kits, Cherryfish."_

He knows her name? _Wavepaw was shocked._ And who… or _what_ is Rust? _Cherryfish's blue eyes widened in fear, but there wasn't a trace of shock in her eyes._

 _"Take another step and I'll flay you," Cherryfish snapped, but the shaking in her voice was real._

 _"Now, now, be a good kitty an' give us the kits," Satin said sweetly._

 _"Or we'll take them," the gray tom flexed his claws._

 _"I won't give them to you!"_

 _"How about a little bargain?" Satin offered, fake sweetness in her voice that made Wavepaw want to gag._

 _Cherryfish glared at her and swept her kits closer with her tail. "What?"_

 _"Choose one of 'em," Satin said simply. "An' give it to us. Or we'll take both."_

 _"They're cats, not_ its _." Cherryfish growled._

 _"Choose," the gray tom took a menacing step forwards._

 _"I can't!" Her blue eyes widened in panic._

 _"One," Satin began. "Two. Three. Four-"_

 _"Her!" Cherryfish cried out, pain ripping her words apart._

 _"Perfect. She looks like one of our own, wouldn't you agree, Satin?" The lithe gray tom smiled at his partner as the tiny she-kit scampered across to the unfamiliar cats._

 _"Just like Cin," Satin agreed._

 _Cherryfish's eyes glimmered, a pained, shrill noise rising in her throat as she watched one of her kits taken by the rogues. The raw sound reached fever pitch as Satin swept the kit towards herself._

 _"Hmm, what shall I name you?" Satin trilled, nuzzling the little kit gently._

 _"She already has a name," a much younger, innocent looking Snowstar hissed from behind them. "Step away from the kit."  
"Let me think- _no _," the gray tom leapt onto Snowstar, his viciously large claws extended, as Wavepaw watched in horror._

 _"Snowsmash!" A huge, silver she-cat screeched, tackling the rogue leader._

 _Blood welling from numerous scratches, Snowstar- Snowsmash- staggered away from the gray tom and the silver she-cat. "Sleekstar,_ no _!"_

 _Cruel malice filled the yellow eyes of the gray tom as he stood triumphantly above the once proud, strong silver leader, her torn-out throat in his jaws. She spasmed weakly below him, before going deathly still, her intense blue eyes going cloudily blank._

 _Wavepaw slowly realized what he was witnessing. This, in one night, had made a leader out of Snowsmash, who now led RiverClan as Snowstar, a rogue out of the mysterious, tiny kit of Cherryfish, and a broken-hearted shadow of a cat out of the aforementioned ginger queen._

 _"Sleekstar!" Snowsmash's eyes were almost completely black with horror as he watched, frozen, the dead body of his leader. "Don't leave!"_

 _He sounded like a weak kit, and Wavepaw felt a stab of pity._

 _"My kit!" Cherryfish's broken-hearted, raw cry went unanswered as the rogues that had flooded the RiverClan camp swept away into the black of the night, the kit gone._

…

 _"Wavekit…" Cloudfall's eyes were sympathetic._

I'm back in the memory from before. _Wavepaw realized._ When will it end?

 _"What, mummy?" His younger self's voice was worried._

 _"Cherryfish had a daughter, but rogues came and took her," Cloudfall whispered._

 _"Took her_ where _?" The innocent little kit tilted his head, confused. "The pretty red cat?"_

 _"Her name was Acornkit, and she was Pikekit's sister," Cloudfall breathed deeply. "Maybe you two would have been mates, in a different life…"_

 _"Ew!" The tiny silver kitten wrinkled his nose. "She-cats are weird. Ripplekit and Briarkit think feathers make good nests! And Briarkit likes those little rocks, and-"_

 _"Many RiverClan cats like decorating their nests, not just she-cats," Cloudfall reminded him gently, seeming glad to be steering the conversation away from Cherryfish's kit. "And if you think she-cats are_ weird _, why are you talking to me? I'm a she-cat, don't you remember?"_

 _"Yeah…" Wavekit hesitated. "But you're my mummy, I_ have _to like you."_

 _Cloudfall let loose a raucous purr of laughter. "Indeed. Okay, besides me, if you don't want to play with your sisters, why don't you go play with Pikekit? He's a tom."  
Wavekit blinked hard, his mind addled by her calm reasoning and logic. "He is…"_

 _"Well, come back when you're hungry," Cloudfall purred, shooing him out the nursery entrance._

 _Wavekit opened his tiny jaws to protest, but he crashed right into a strong gray and white tabby coming into the nursery._

 _"Eep!" His tiny kit self squeaked._

 _"How's my favourite little tom doing?" A younger Fallowspots purred, but memories and guilt swept through his green optics._

The wave. _Wavepaw thought._ That's what he's thinking of…

 _"I'm okay," Wavekit nodded seriously to his father._

 _"What beautiful, strong kits you've raised," Fallowspots purred, touching noses with Cloudfall._

 _"And where have you been all this time?" She teased, none of her usual distrust and fury in her eyes as she looked at her mate._

 _"Busy," he said mischievously, but more guilt poured out into his eyes._

 _Silence weighed heavily on the nursery, until it was broken by the young Wavekit._

 _"I'm going to go play with Pikekit!" He squeaked, bouncing out of the nursery_

 _"You do that," Cloudfall said softly, not looking away from Fallowspots._

She doesn't entirely trust him. _Wavepaw realized._

 _Suddenly, Cloudfall melted._

 _"You're too handsome for your own good," she purred, touching noses with him again._

 _"So I've been told," he joked._

 _Cloudfall suddenly went rigid against him, and Fallowspots's eyes widened as he realized what he'd said. "I see."_

 _Cloudfall's whisper wasn't devoid of emotion, but the vacancy of her voice chilled Wavepaw to the bone as she stepped away silently from Fallowspots and exited the nursery._

…

"My sister," Pikepaw nodded.

Wavepaw blinked, the last tendrils of the flash-back receding.

"Your sister? The one taken by-" Wavepaw pondered out loud.

"Yes," Pikepaw nodded again, quickly cutting him off.

"Oh. Why are you thinking about her all of a sudden?" Wavepaw managed, thrown back into the memory of the flashback. The rogues. The blood. Cherryfish's agonized shriek. Satin's purring false, honeyed tone. The mysterious gray tom's leering smirk as he spoke to Cherryfish.

"Sheepbelly has taken me to the moon pool three times now," his tone was back to the monotonous mew from before. "And each time, I hoped I would see her. I never have. I believe she did not go to the StarClan, because she was never taught of them."

"But what if she-" Wavepaw began, but Pikepaw cut him off.

"Isn't dead? Of course she's dead," Pikepaw's vacant mew was firm. "I can't think that she… might have been… part of them… Acornkit would never betray RiverClan like that!"

"She was only a kit!" He protested. "She couldn't have known any better. Perhaps she's happy…"

"With those savages? Never," Pikepaw's pale blue eyes flashed.

 _In another life, you might have been mates…_ He recalled Cloudfall's words. _The pretty red cat. Is that true? If she had lived… I might never have fallen in love with Lightningpaw… I might never have become_ obsessed _with Lightningpaw._ He corrected himself, dry amusement seeping into his thoughts. _What if she's still out there somewhere? A she-cat that could keep me good. Another RiverClanner. Real love, instead of this at-first-sight nonsense._

"But she's gone," Pikepaw sighed.

 **MMMMMMM I could have made it longer, but I wanted to end it here.**

 **So there's a WHOLE lot more crazy plot twists thrown in here. Or at least, the first hints of plot twists to come. Ugh, I really shouldn't say that.**

 **ANyway. Sorry it's not that long… but it's probably easier to read, and it sure is easier to write. I'm sure Darkpaw's chapter will be longer, but for now, three and a half thousand is all you're getting. Sorry.**

 **Okay, here are the names for the RiverClan broskies.**

 **Wavepaw: Aleksander (Alek for short)**

 **Fallowspots: Filip**

 **Briarpaw: Brianna (Bree for short)**

 **Ripplepaw: Rochelle (Ro or Roxy for short)**

 **Cloudfall: Clarissa**

 **Pikepaw: Patrick**

 **Crowstrike: Carmen (Cam for short)**

 **Seednose: Jerk-who-should-like-Briarpaw AHEM SORRY Stephen**

 **Cherryfish: Charlotte**

 **Huh, felt like there were more of those suckers, but I guess not… and NO I'm not doing a human name for Pondfrost, because her human name would be MINE and I ain't telling none of you THAT.**

 **QOTC: What happened to Cherryfish's stolen kit?**

 **See y'all later. I might manage another chapter this weekend, but don't hold your breath.**


	34. Dark: Ripple in the Dark

**G'day to all the snuggle biscuits reading.**

 **DARKPAW'S CHAPTER! YEE!**

 **RR:**

 **KaiLover: HHMMMMM WELL I HAVE PLANS. No spoilers though ;).**

 **Rainmist: Poor Cherryfish is right. Is Fallowspots evil? Or did he just make some mistakes? Or… both? Who knows? Me, actually. I know ;)**

 **SilverMidnightMoon: Wow, how did you know?**

 **Lightningstrike: DarkDusk=new favourite ship.**

 **Rainstorm: Sad indeed.**

 **Snowcrystal: NEVAH!**

 **So my laptop's spazzing out, so there might be more errors than usual. Friggin' spazzy computer, y u do dis.**

 **MINI ANNOUNCEMENT THING: So, since *pauses for a moment to scoop brain back into ears* we're almost at 200 reviews, WHEN WE DO HIT THAT MAGNANIMOUS NUMBER, I'm going to write a special chapter where the main characters, including ones you guys suggest, have a group chat. There's going to be rampant use of emojis, TXT talk, funny usernames, ridiculousness, but most of all,** _ **DRAMA**_ **.**

 **So don't forget to suggest your favourite characters! I'll take three suggested characters from you guys for each Clan, plus the original four.**

 **So if people suggest Rosefire, Rainpaw, and Vixenpaw for ThunderClan, then the group chat will have those three plus Lightningpaw from ThunderClan, and so on and so forth. And yes, I will let you request Acornkit of RiverClan :P.**

 **Sorry for the massive AN. ONTO THE STORY!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own warriors (IT'S FFN OF COURSE I DON'T OWN WARRIORS.)**

 **Warning: Gross descriptions of wounds. Weak stomached people, proceed with caution.**

Chapter 32.

 _When will it end?_ Darkpaw thought breathlessly, dodging another crushing blow from Olivepaw, only to be rammed in the side and sent flying by a familiar golden head. _And what in StarClan's name is Robinpaw doing?!_

She slammed into a pine tree and quickly slipped right off the smooth trunk. _Hmm…_ She thought, eyeing the tree with newfound interest.

As soon as Lionpaw ran at her again, she bounded backwards and pushed off the trunk, nearly losing her balance. She landed clumsily on Robinpaw and Olivepaw, who were tussling in the dust, leaving Lionpaw to deal with Darkpaw.

They were down by the lake, near the thick underbrush and water. It was Ravenwing's idea for them to fight in different situations, in case they ever needed to fight on 'different land'. It was obviously so they would know how to fight on other Clans' territory, should ShadowClan ever need to invade another Clan's territory.

Lionpaw seemed to be taking it in stride, ducking through thick bushes like a ThunderClanner, flicking water at Robinpaw like she was born in RiverClan, and running quicker than the element the last Clan had been named for. Darkpaw, however, had not adapted so easily. She still tried to stick around pines, bouncing off them and swerving so that Olivepaw crashed head-on into one.

Sweeping her thoughts as she focused on the fight, Darkpaw realized she was heading straight for the lake. Eyes wide, she slammed her paws into the ground, leaving deep scars on the terrain, but she careened over the edge of a hillock and smashed into the lake.

The water stung her eyes as she beat her paws against the frozen cold liquid, trying to fight her way back up to the surface. _Wonderful job, Darkpaw, not only did you fall in, you managed to fall in at the deepest part on the edge. Truly, I'm_ astounded _._

 _Shut up._ Darkpaw snapped at it. She focused her energy on getting out of the lake, and finally managed to drag her way through the current to the edge, where a uniform layer of smooth pebbles coated the ground.

Heaving over, she coughed up water, not caring if Lionpaw attacked while she was vulnerable.

After a copious amount of water had escaped her jaws, she looked back up, her heart perfectly calm. _Shouldn't you be a little more scared? You nearly drowned, and of all the Clans, ShadowClan is probably the worst at swimming._ Her mind snickered.

 _ShadowClan isn't the worst at anything._ Darkpaw flashed back.

 _Whatever helps you sleep at night._ A rusty purr echoed through her mind.

Frowning, she scanned her surroundings for the familiar golden fur of her sister, but she barely saw one black paw out of her peripheral vision before she was pinned to the pebbles by a golden-furred, black-footed cat.

"Breezepaw?" She gaped, relaxing.

"Uh, who?" Suddenly, Lionpaw's golden eyes came into focus, reminding Darkpaw so strongly of Lightningpaw, Darkpaw wanted to throw up.

Instead, she made use of her tiny advantage, throwing Lionpaw off her and beat her front paws on Lionpaw's exposed stomach.

"And Darkpaw and Robinpaw win!" Wildwind called. "Congratulations!"

And just like that, the fight was over.

And just like that, the minor distraction was gone.

And just like that, Darkpaw collapsed.

 _Duskpaw. Duskpaw, Duskpaw, is she okay?_

It had taken Wildwind, Foxwhisker, Silverpuddle, _and_ Mousepelt just to drag her over to the training grounds. It wasn't until Olivepaw and Lionpaw had launched a full frontal attack that Darkpaw had managed to forget her badly-injured tabby friend for even a heartbeat.

 _I can't believe I left her! I need to go back,_ right now _!_ She thought, panic overriding her thoughts. _They won't stop me this time!_

She charged towards the camp, and none of the mentors nor the apprentices making a single move to stop her. Ducking brambles and the occasional low-hanging branch, she raced into the camp, making a beeline for the medicine den, where Ashmask stepped aside to let her in.

"Is she okay?" Darkpaw demanded, forgoing any greeting that may have preceded an ordinary conversation that wasn't laden with the fear and anxiety pounding in each of Darkpaw's heartbeats. "Talk to me, Lostpaw!"

"She's… no worse," the ginger-and-white medicine cat apprentice said diplomatically. "But don't wake her, she'll heal faster when she's asleep… and those injuries, that kind of pain… it's better that she stays asleep anyways."

Darkpaw's heart felt like it was being brutally ripped apart like the fox had done to Mudpaw as she saw her tiny friend's injuries.

A long, thick tear stretched across her neck to her haunches. Looking at it made Darkpaw feel sick. It wasn't the kind of scrape a cat might get from thorn. It was a gaping hole that Darkpaw had a hard time believing would _ever_ heal.

"StarClan," she whispered hoarsely.

It wasn't bleeding so much as _oozing_ a clear liquid out of the most raw, red, inflamed-looking part of the horrible wound. There was sickly looking greenish pus gilding the edges and glistening red, so dark it looked black, blood glazing the entire thing.

The most sickening part of the horrific sight was the edges of white that peeked out in random spots. It was the most unobtrusive, meaningless little areas of white protruding from what was already horrifying, but just the idea that what was always mean to stay _inside_ was now coming out.

"Duskpaw, I'm so sorry," Darkpaw was flooded with guilt and horror.

 _That could have been me_. Her mind whispered. And then, in a darker, eviler part, _I'm so glad it wasn't._ The shameful thought made her wish she had drowned in the lake after all. _I would have put myself in her spot any day._ She thought firmly, but the idea that it might have been her lying on the dirtied moss scattered all the selfless ideals from her mind.

"I- I have to go," she choked on the words abruptly, and dashed out of the den.

 _Duskpaw, Duskpaw, Duskpaw, Duskpaw._ Her heart thrummed. _Duskpaw, Duskpaw, Duskpaw_.

"Robinpaw!" She called, trying to infuse pleasant happiness into her voice.

It was easier than she thought, and as a result of the extra effort, she sounded nearly maniacally happy. She faked a purr out loud, figuring any other cat might find it amusing how delighted she sounded.

"Hi, Darkpaw," he greeted her cheerfully. "Good work in training today. Sure taught my brother a few things! Too bad Primrosepaw didn't see. I told her we beat Lionpaw and Olivepaw, but she didn't believe me… maybe she'd believe you!"

"I don't think…" Darkpaw began, but Robinpaw was already grinning that crooked grin, and she sighed, wrinkling her nose at him. "Fine. But I can't guarantee she'll listen."

Suddenly, all the playfulness drained from Robinpaw's gaze. "That's more than she'd do for me, these days. Lizard-nosed rabbit-tongue."

Darkpaw pretended to purr at Robinpaw's colourful insult, which wasn't too difficult, considering it was actually funny. Robinpaw had rapidly gained a reputation among the apprentices as a cat who could use expletives to their most hard-hitting, piquant values. _Kestrel-hindquarters, brown WindClan-grass, and icy mouse-whiskers._ Darkpaw recalled some of his new favourites.

"So you gonna go, or what? She's in the elder's den," Robinpaw looked at her expectantly, his different-coloured eyes glimmering with amusement, but shadowed with darker emotions that resembled fear and anger. "Try not to get into a fight with her. She's probably got mouse-bile all over her paws. Ooh, mouse-bile…"

No doubt his mind was generating more fascinatingly strange insults using the putrid substance used to ward off ticks. _Robinpaw, Robinpaw._ Darkpaw chided him silently. _There's more to life than insulting your Clanmates using peculiar, made-up phrases._

"Fine," she shrugged banally and headed towards the aforementioned den. "Primrosepaw?"

She heard a string of unintelligible words emerge from the elders' den. Flattening her ears in annoyance, she poked her head into the musty den.

"Primrosepaw," Darkpaw began, continuing as the ginger-and-white she-cat raised her head to acknowledge her friend. "Robinpaw wanted me to-"

"I'm busy, sorry," she snapped abruptly, turning back to her work, fixing her intense green gaze on the mouse bile.

"What?" Darkpaw was taken aback. "No, I just wanted to-"

"Leave me alone!" Primrosepaw's expression of anger actually made Darkpaw feel the first emotion in days: shock. "StarClan, take a hint! Leave!"

She was perplexed by the sudden fury radiating from the sassy tabby. Her dark amber eyes wide, Darkpaw backed out of the den, turned tail, and ran like a kit that had been rebuked by its mother.

…

"And she just… barked at me. It was like she went from calm and fine to just _furious,_ and I have _no_ idea why!" Lionpaw exclaimed, blubbering like a kit.

Darkpaw felt nothing but contempt for her sister. Even if Darkpaw herself had run, at least she hadn't cried about it like a pathetic little kit. Lionpaw acted like no cat should ever be angry with her because she was _oh so perfect_ and no should think otherwise.

Instead of screeching 'Get over yourself!' like she _wanted_ to, she instead said:

"Perhaps Primrosepaw is just grumpy today. It's not like she's never mean and is always sweet and gentle."

"I guess." Lionpaw snivelled. "But… but she…"

Disgusted with her sister, Darkpaw stood up and padded out of the apprentice's den. _Why should I comfort her? I'm not her mother. Then again…_ A soft wave of sadness rippled over her as she thought of her mother. _I don't even know her name. I could ask some cat… but then they'd know I was thinking of her._

She sighed, directing her paws towards the fresh-kill pile where Robinpaw was standing expectantly.

"So?" He asked, tilting his head, waiting for her report on how Primrosepaw had taken the news. "What did she say?"

"Nothing. She didn't even listen to me as soon as I brought up your name," she regretted adding the last part as soon as she saw the dark, shadowed, crestfallen look on Robinpaw's face.

"I knew it," all the breath whooshed out of him, seeming to take his happy-go-lucky demeanor with him. "She's closed herself off to me, and now it's affecting you too."

"And Lionpaw," Darkpaw added, then wanted to pull the words back out of the air and stuff them down her throat, even if she choked on them. The world might be better without her messing up Robinpaw's life and risking Duskpaw's.

"She… doesn't like… parts of me," Robinpaw sighed, closing his eyes softly. "And I guess I have to accept that."

"What? Parts of you? What do you mean?" Darkpaw cocked her head, baffled. "And you shouldn't have to change anything about yourself just because she doesn't agree with you!"

"Change? I can't change myself," Robinpaw looked dryly amused. "It's not my choice. I had no say in the matter, but she hates me for it anyway."

"Hates you for what?" Darkpaw pushed, but Robinpaw shook his head lightly.

"I don't want you to get involved. It's not your fight; it's mine," Robinpaw muttered. "I just don't get _why_ she feels so strongly about it… 'against nature, unnatural, wrong', her arguments just…"

"Robinpaw, you can talk to me about anything, you know that, right?" Darkpaw tried to look approachable and as much like a good confidante as she could.

He heaved another heavy sigh and then turned to her with a crooked smirk. She wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure her or he was about to kill her and put her on the fresh-kill pile.

"Nevermind," his eyes were smooth and shiny with unshed emotion. "Let's eat. I found a _nice_ squirrel, want to share?"

Darkpaw bit the inside of her cheek, unsure. Robinpaw looked calm and unruffled, unlike the broken, volatile mess she'd seen moments before, and she was pretty sure she wouldn't get any other words out of him, but she had trouble resisting the urge to try.

Pressing her jaws together, she nodded.

…

Eventually, cats stopped bothering her for patrol, hunting offers, and friendly chatter. Darkpaw sighed, scuffing her paws on the ground. She didn't want to visit Mudpaw again; just the memory of the horrible wound made her wince.

Finally, she gave in to the urge she'd been entertaining all day. _Go and try again._

She surreptitiously slipped out of camp, sticking to the shadows, banking on them hiding her well enough that no cat would stop her. And she was right; there wasn't a soul in sight.

 _I need to know that it wasn't my imagination._ She told herself. _I need to know it was a dream. I need to know._

Whispering those four words to herself like a mantra, she made her way to a little-known clearing deep in ShadowClan territory where she could test herself undisturbed.

 _How did it happen last time?_ She tried to think back to the stormy night. _Duskpaw had just…_ The memory was painful and she shied away from the image of Mudpaw's body, still as a corpse, stretched across the medicine den.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and placed her paws, facing away from each, in front of her on the dirt. Summoning strength from deep inside herself, she pushed them away from each other as hard as she could.

"Ah!" She yanked her paws away from the earth, looking at her dangling pad.

 _I pulled a claw. Fantastic._ She thought sarcastically.

 _You nearly drowned earlier and you're more upset about pulling a claw?_ It was the same voice as before, but weaker and quieter, although it lost none of its caustic sarcasm.

 _Oh, you're back. Even better._ She scrunched up her face while licking her injured claw.

 _Don't be like that._ It sniffed.

 _And explain to me why I should-_ Her thoughts broke off into darkness as she heard a low grumbling behind her.

"Wha-" she turned slowly to face the producer of the low noise.

Her pupils dilated as she came nose-to-nose with a colossal russet and white shape.

Only one word registered in her mind as it leapt onto her, snarling.

 _Fox._

…

"Darkpaw. Darkpaw, wake up," a voice said low and dryly, but strangely familiar. "Come on, I don't have forever."

"Huh- hrr- what?" She slurred, exhausted. "Le' me aloooooone, Li'npaaaaw."

"Lionpaw? Oh!" The voice exclaimed. "I'm insulted. That miserable excuse for a ShadowClanner? I'm a _real_ ShadowClan cat."

"What're you… talking about?" She rumbled, blinking blearily. "You insult my sister, you insult me…"

She glanced around at her surroundings, confused. It was dark and foggy, not a single feature on the landscape. She could feel solid ground underneath her, but when she looked down, she couldn't see anything.

"Your sister? Ooh, I'm going to have _fun_ with you!" The voice drawled, which Darkpaw could now accurately attribute to the cat in front of her.

The cat, who she assumed was a tom, was huge, with his shoulders stretching past her head, although that might have just been because she was smaller than average. For a moment her heart caught in her throat as she thought he was Wavepaw, but then noticed a few discerning features. First, the tom's eyes were dazzlingly green instead of blue; they reminded her more of Breezepaw than Wavepaw. Second, his thick, fluffy pelt of silvery-gray had faint, darker gray streaks mottling it. His belly fur was smooth and silvery, like moonlight had been caught on each strand when he leapt over the moon.

He was very good-looking, she noted, a little heat rising in her fur.

"Who are you?" She demanded, pressing down anything other than fierce questioning.

"I have had several names," he sighed, then eyed her with amusement. "How about… Silver Memory?"

 _Is this cat for real?_ She wondered.

"I'm not calling you _Silver Memory_ , that's dumb," she snapped. "What's your _real_ name?"

"Young cats!" He exclaimed rolling his eyes.

 _He can't be much older than a new warrior!_ She frowned confused. _There's something fishy about this cat_.

"Moonripple," he offered.

"So you're a Clan cat," she eyed him suspiciously. "Moonripple's dumb too, if you're wondering."

"I'm not," he flicked her with his feathery silver tail. "I suppose Moonripple is a Clan name, or at least _close._ And before you go trying to change it again, I'm not telling you my real name, that's a _secret_."

His green eyes flashed, and Darkpaw was struck with curiosity as to what _other_ secrets he might have. _This cat is like a walking mystery. Moonripple, Silver Memory? What's he playing at?_

"Maybe I'll call you Secretkeeper," she sniffed.

"No, you can't call me that," he snapped back. "Just call me Ripple, if it matters _so_ much to you."

" _Stop giving me different names!_ " She growled. "I'm calling you Blob. So there."

"You're acting like a petulant kit," he twitched his whiskers, suddenly back to cool and collected. "I swear I won't change it anymore, just call me Ripple. Or-"

"Ripple it is," she cut him off quickly.

"I'm sure you have questions beside what my name is," he rolled his eyes. "So let me answer them quickly. You're knocked out after the fox attacked you and so I'm visiting you. Why? I can't tell you, sorry," he said, seeming far too pleased about it. "But I _can_ tell you that I'm visiting you for an important reason, and that's enough."

" _No_ it's not!" She snapped.

He shifted in front of her, going dark for a moment, his green eyes becoming furious amber ones, then reverted to himself. "Stop talking for a heartbeat. I can't tell you why I'm visiting _you_ , but I can tell you why I'm visiting you. Understand?"

"Not even remotely," she hissed, flexing her claws.

"I can't tell you why it's you, Darkpaw, that I'm visiting," his tone seemed forcedly patient. "However, I can tell you the reason for which this visit is happening."

"Isn't that the same thing?" She demanded.

"Not even remotely," he mocked, then looked away. "Sorry. I… you just need to know one thing before you- no! No! I need more time!"

Then the foggy world spiralled away, and Darkpaw was thrown into a silent, pleasantly stone-still abyss of darkness.

"Darkpaw? Darkpaw!" A voice echoed with urgency brought her to her senses.

"Lionpaw?" She breathed weakly, taking in the familiar surroundings of ShadowClan land around her. _I'm back home._ She sighed with relief. "What happened?"

"It was amazing!" Lionpaw shook her head, eyes wide. "We were on patrol, and we heard you scream, so we ran to find you lying on the ground, a weird silver mist hanging over you, shivering like a kit in the snow-"

"The mist was shivering?" She asked, dry amusement slipping over her voice. "And how is that possible? Are you sure you weren't hallucinating?"

"No, no, that wasn't the amazing part. The mist chased off a fox!" Lionpaw exclaimed. "The fox took one look at it and ran! So obviously we were suspicious and stuff, but as soon as the fox was gone, and we came over to help you, the mist disappeared!"

"Amazing indeed," Darkpaw said skeptically.

Lionpaw deflated. Darkpaw felt a tiny stab of remorse for crushing her sister simply because she felt confused and tired, like a dead cat brought back to life, but she didn't want to care. _Who cares if there's mist. I don't._ She thought, empty.

Slowly she began to realize that there was blood seeping out of her side, and she turned to Wildwind. In a perfectly calm voice, her mind dark and light-headed, she said:

"I'm bleeding."

Then she promptly passed out.

…

"Darkpaw," the same voice from before greeted her when she awoke, but it was laced with urgency this time. "Darkpaw, listen to me."

"What," she said softly, not putting any inflection onto the word that otherwise might have passed for a question.

"Ugh, I don't have time for this!" He snapped. "Just keep your jaws shut."

She nodded lazily. It was Ripple again, and they were back in the strange dream land.

"Darkpaw, rusty water is sometimes blood," Ripple said firmly, his tone leaving no room to interpret his seemingly random words as anything other than deliberate. "Be careful where you step, or you'll find water underneath you."

"Yeah, thanks, that advice would have been great this morning," Darkpaw retorted sarcastically.

"Stop talking," he said, his voice low. "You'll wake up soon, and StarClan knows young cats heal fast."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Darkpaw demanded, then rolled her eyes and closed her mouth with a glare at him.

"Wow, you're even more fish-brained than I thought," he rolled his eyes back at her.

Ignoring the insult, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Fish-brained? That's a RiverClan insult. You said you were pure ShadowClan."

For the barest sliver of a heartbeat, Ripple looked caught, then moved on smoothly, his lack of reaction, beyond what Darkpaw figured she may or may not have imagined, unsettling.

"The fact that I have so many names didn't tip you off?" He snorted dismissively at her. "Tch."

"What?!" She was at the end of her tail with this lizard masquerading as a cat.

"No, I don't think you've earned the right to know yet," Ripple smirked knowingly at her. "I've said what needs to be said. You can go back to your precious ShadowClan now. Farewell, my little fisher."

"Fisher? Huh?" Then the world was sent spiralling away into blackness, the last thing she saw before losing consciousness once more was Ripple's smug, self-satisfied grin.

 **BLEGBLEGBLEG. Wonderful. Another unfulfilled promise of a longer chapter.**

 **Murgle. I was having trouble writing this, and I still don't think it's my best… EH.**

 **So, go review and try to get us to 200 for the special chapter ;) and here are the names for the ShadowClan biscuits!**

 **Darkpaw: Daniella**

 **Lionpaw: Laila**

 **Robinpaw: Robin (*Laugh track* I continue to be hilarious)**

 **Olivepaw: Owen (Coulda named him Oliver, but Owen's better)**

 **Primrosepaw: Portia**

 **Mudpaw/Duskpaw: Well this is a funny one, because she's technically got two names, so the first one is the one that she got originally, and the second is the one she chose for herself: Mildred, Denise**

 **Poolpaw: Penelope**

 **Wildwind: Walter**

 **Ravenwing: Robert**

 **Lostpaw: Lorelai (GG FOREVER)**

 **Ivystar: Ivy (WHOA WHO WOULDA THUNK)**

 **And I think that's it, just leave a request in a review if I missed somebody ;)**

 **QOTC: Do you like Ripple? QOTC#2: I'm starting the next book at 200 000 words. (Sorry to those of you who vote for me to just make one long book… but last time I tried to guestimate how long it would be in total… it was almost 750 000 words. I'm not putting that all in one book.**

 **I didn't do the greatest of jobs portraying him, but I might be able to do better in the next chapters… Guys, this story might become so complicated that I won't be able to keep track of everything, so tell me if I missed anything.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	35. Lightning: Liquid Emeralds of Hurt

**Hello, friendly cheeses. S** **orry I'm late.**

 **Review replies:**

 **Waterpool: I guess you'll have to wait and see!**

 **KaiLover: Secrets are my favourite.**

 **Rainstorm: FANTASTIC. That's going to be SO FUN to write.**

 **Snowcrystal: I HAVE NO IDEA. Maybe I'll come up with some possibilities and then put up a poll for you guys to decide!**

 **Rainmist: Yeah. Besides being jealous, Cloudfall's really sweet and doesn't deserve to be treated the way Fallowspots treats her.**

 **Okay, so don't forget to suggest three cats to join the group chat! (Or should I say, GROUP CAT?)**

 **Alright. So. We're moving right onwards to the next Gathering, 'kay? For those who've lost count, this is the third moon of their apprenticeship. I'm thinking of starting the next book when they become warriors. Or maybe when we get to 200 000 words. Or whichever happens first.**

 **Lightningpaw! (Sorry, fam** **…** **)**

Chapter 33.

 _I can't believe myself._ Lightningpaw thought, annoyed. _I shouldn't even care. I should just go alone. Blackpool can't tell me what to do! I don't want to go hunting with Rainpaw and Petalpaw! Petalpaw's missing_ again _and Rainpaw's apparently also nowhere to be found._

It had become routine when the mentors would ask one of them to go fetch Petalpaw for patrol to say 'can't find her'. The thought pricked at Lightningpaw's heart. Rainpaw, however, was not known to desert the Clan for extended periods of time.

"Rainpaw!" She called once more, irritation filling her voice.

It was no different from the other thousand time she had called to him. _Not here, not there, definitely not over there._ She thought, glancing at the nursery. The thought of kits crawling all over Rainpaw made her purr with amusement, but the sound died in her throat as she saw Fawnshade sitting with Thornstar as they purred and talked.

 _Her belly is so swollen she looks like she's going to explode._ Lightningpaw thought, grimacing.

"Oh!" Fawnshade gasped.

"What is it, love?" Thornstar asked gently. "Wha- are the kits coming?"

"Mmhmm!" Fawnshade nodded vehemently, screwing up her face in pain.

"I'll fetch Dawnsplash!" Thornstar bobbed his head once, quickly, and dashed off in search of the ginger-and-cream medicine cat. "Hold on! Don't go anywhere!"

From across the clearing, Lightningpaw held her breath, gritting her teeth. _She's my mother… but those kits aren't my father's. I don't want them here. They have no place in this world. I don't want them!_

 _Kits are a blessing._ Her consciousness chided her. _And whether you want them or not, they're coming._

 _I guess._ Lightningpaw sighed out loud. Everything was going wrong so fast. Just last moon, she had been happy, thinking she was in love, with a happy family, friends, sisters, and a great mentor.

And now her mood had sunk lower than a mouse in a snowbank, she had realized her love was nothing but a kit-hood crush laced with infatuation and the intimate secrecy of a forbidden relationship, her family was split apart like ice crashing to the ground from the height of the clouds, her sisters, Slatepaw who spent every waking moment clung to Oakpelt like a starving tick, and Vixenpaw, whose spark that Lightningpaw had loved her so much for had been rubbed out of her with countless training sessions and rigid rules that were enforced with sharp rebukes, had never been further from her, and her mentor saw her less than she saw Petalpaw.

She laughed bitterly, watching Dawnsplash rush to where Fawnshade had keeled over, breathing heavily. Turning away, she continued the search for Rainpaw, knowing it would be about as productive as a hunting expedition for purple squirrels.

"Rainpaw?" Lightningpaw called again, knowing there was no chance of an answer.

"Owlcl- Thornstar!" Fawnshade yelped. "Thornstar!"

The light brown tom raced to her side, nuzzling her flank and assuring her that 'it will be okay'. _She doesn't need me anymore._ Lightningpaw thought, her heart cracking. As she turned away, her eyes connected with a similar pair of yellow eyes across the clearing, filled with the same pain that she was sure was reflected in her own golden ones.

Her father.

Owlclaw turned away.

 _I'm alone._ She realized slowly, blinking away tears. _All alone. Replaced by my mother, rejected by my father, and repressed by my sisters._

…

"Fawnshade?" Thornstar's nervous mew greeted her as Lightningpaw walked back into camp.

She had been out 'looking for Rainpaw', otherwise known as avoiding her mother as she gave birth to another tom's kits. As she walked, the sky had clouded over, the promise of a storm hanging thickly in the air just like it had a quarter moon ago when two ShadowClan apprentices had been found hunting inside the ThunderClan border.

"I'm… I'm okay, Thornstar," Fawnshade's exhausted, breathy, but proud voice barely reached Lightningpaw as she stepped towards the nursery uncertainly.

"Come in and meet your kits, Thornstar!" Dawnsplash enthused, striding out of the nursery, a pleased gleam in her electric blue eyes. "Five beautiful kits! Three she-kits and two toms."

"Five!" Thornstar exclaimed, dodging into the nursery quickly as Lightningpaw froze.

 _Five. She definitely doesn't need me anymore._

"Thornstar," Fawnshade's mew had a weak smile in it. "Do you know what you want to name them?"

"Of course!" Thornstar exclaimed, eliciting a purr from his mate, then continued. "But I want to know your ideas."

"I'd like to name this little cream and silver one Pearlkit," Fawnshade purred softly. "And what do you think of Sweetkit for the ginger and white one?"

"Perfect names. Absolutely perfect," Thornstar gushed, purring so loudly it sounded like his throat would catch fire. "How about… Sunkit for this little kit? Not just because he has that handsome pelt of brown and ginger, but because I can already tell that he will bring at the strength and warmth of the sun to ThunderClan."

"Wonderful," Fawnshade agreed, her breathing slowing from the ragged pants. "What shall we name this little gray kit? His white chest, feet, and tail-stripes makes it look like he's walking over the clouds."

"Cloudykit?" Thornstar suggested. "It's a nice name. Perhaps he will provide a quieter, more intelligent contrast to Sunkit."

"Cloudykit, Sunkit, Sweetkit, and Pearlkit," Fawnshade murmured. "Welcome to the world, my sweets. You're going to love ThunderClan. But, Thornstar, what shall we name this little she-kit?"

"There was only ever one name," Thornstar whispered. "Only one name for such a perfect little kit."

"Yes," Fawnshade breathed.

"Rainbowkit," Thornstar mewed in a hushed tone like it was a secret. "May she grow up to lead ThunderClan in peace and tranquility."

"May she never know the hardships of death, sickness, or hunger," Fawnshade murmured. "May she find love and friendship wherever she turns."

 _May she burn in the Dark Forest._ Lightningpaw hissed silently.

"Cloudykit, Sunkit, Sweetkit, Pearlkit, and Rainbowkit," Thornstar announced, striding out of the nursery. "My new kits! I have kits! Should I call a Clan meeting or something?"

"I sorted out the patrols, sir. Will you have some fresh-kill?" Shadefur offered, striding up beside him.

"I have kits, Shadefur!" Thornstar cried giddily. "This is wonderful!"

"I know you have kits, sir," Shadefur dipped his head cordially. "Will you take another day off your duties or return immediately?"

"I have kits! And I thought I've told you a million times to stop calling me 'sir'!" Thornstar giggled. "Perhaps I will just sit in the nursery like a queen, gossiping and waiting for the toms to bring me food."

"Hey!" Leaffur called out from the nursery.

"Sorry," Thornstar threw over his shoulder. "Sorry, Leaffur. You know, Shadefur, Leaffur and Fawnshade are sisters. What does that make us? Brothers? She's your mate, isn't she? Funny, the leader and the deputy becoming mates with sisters. Leaffur's lovely. Nothing compared to Fawnshade, though, isn't that right, Shadefur?"

His deputy just gave him a patient look, still waiting for an answer to his question about the leader's duties.

"It's the full moon tonight!" Thornstar gaped. "I get to announce the kits to _all_ the Clans! Do leaders usually give each name and description? Ah, who cares?! I'm going to! I'd better rehearse the exact wording, I'll be in my den if you need me."

With those words, something snapped inside Lightningpaw, and the clouds finally split open and rain gushed out of the open sky. Lightningpaw dug her claws into the earth, wishing for the hundredth time she could control the weather so it wouldn't rain. StarClan, she hated rain. It got in her eyes, dampened her fur, froze her paws, transformed the whole forest into a muddy wasteland, and put a damper on every cat's mood.

"I'd better go back to Rainpaw," Shadefur told the leader, and Lightningpaw blinked a couple times, not sure that she'd heard him right. "Looks like there's been a shift in power. I'll be by the great oak near the lake."

"Ah, Rainpaw. A good cat," Thornstar grinned. "Glad to hear you're helping him harness his… potential. Perhaps he will be Rainbowkit's mate. I could arrange the match. Rainbowpaw and Rainpaw. So perfect together."

With that, Thornstar leapt away, entering his den. Shadefur lingered a moment longer, then turned away to return to wherever he had come from.

Lightningpaw felt her paws shift indecisively. The good cat would go visit her mother and her new kits. The good cat wouldn't interfere with whatever Shadefur and Thornstar were talking about. The good cat wouldn't turn her paws towards the entrance of the camp and disappear into the forest.

…

"Shadefur? Is that you?" Rainpaw's nervous voice echoed out of the clearing beside a colossal oak tree.

The dark gray deputy stepped out of the trees. "I'm back, Rainpaw. Let's try again. This time, I'd like you to focus on exactly what you want the storm to look like."

 _Huh?_ Lightningpaw wondered. _What are they doing?_

"O-okay," She'd never heard Rainpaw sound so unsure of himself in her life. "Just… I don't know if I can do it! It happens without me trying!"

"Rainpaw, there was a prophecy," Shadefur told him patiently. "Of course it was you. Who else could it have been? The prophecy was talking about lightning striking, which only happens in storms. I suppose it might be that kit, Stormkit… but she's a she-cat, I don't think the prophecy would pick her."

"What if it's Lightningpaw?" Rainpaw whined. "Why don't you force her to try to summon storms?"

"We're not _forcing_ you, Rainpaw, we're strongly suggesting that you do as we ask," Shadefur warned. "It couldn't have been Lightningpaw; Thornstar knows it isn't her."

 _They're talking about me!_ Lightningpaw froze. _And what does Thornstar know? What if it_ is _me?_ The thought was terrifying. She didn't want to be part of prophecy and have special powers and some big important destiny.

"How does Thornstar know?" Rainpaw demanded.

"He _does_ ," Shadefur said firmly.

 _That's no answer._ Lightningpaw frowned from her perch in the bushes. _What is Shadefur hiding? And why does he think that being a she-cat automatically rules out Stormkit?_

"Just focus on the task," Shadefur pressed. "Visualize the storm exactly how you want it. Don't make it too big or the Gathering tonight will be cancelled, and we need to go, or Thornstar will go mad."

"He already is," Rainpaw muttered mutinously. "Whisking apprentices away to go practice summoning storms because 'their name aligns with a line of the prophecy mentioned.'"

Shadefur continued to stare at him through narrowed blue eyes. Eventually, Rainpaw relented and pressed his own dark blue eyes shut, screwing up his face in concentration. Shadefur continued to stare at him expectantly.

 _Rainpaw's not special._ Lightningpaw thought scornfully. _He's nothing. I'm leaving._ And with that, she set back off into the forest. Let Shadefur and Thornstar try to force Rainpaw into being magical. She was going back to camp.

"Lightningpaw?" Blackpool's surprised mew greeted her as she walked into camp. "I thought you were- weren't you going hunting with Rainpaw?"

"He's too busy trying to make a storm," she replied cryptically.

Blackpool nodded dumbfoundedly. Lightningpaw brushed right past him, making her way across the camp. She paused suddenly as some cat called her name.

"Lightningpaw?" The soft mew came from the exact spot that Lightningpaw had been avoiding.

She stiffened, recognizing the voice. Slower than a river in thick of leafbare, she turned, every hair on her pelt prickling. _Leave me alone. You betrayed me the moment you decided to have his kits._

"Lightningpaw!" Her mother's eyes were bright. "Come meet your new siblings!"

"They're not my siblings. My father isn't-" Lightningpaw's freezing mew was cut off by Fawnshade.

"Come on, then," her mother wrapped her tail around Lightningpaw's neck and pulled her along to the nursery where the mewl of the newborn kits greeted them. "Aren't they beautiful?"

Even with the walls of stone around her heart, as Lightningpaw looked down at the tiny, squirming kits, her heart melted a little.

"What are their names?" She breathed.

"This one is Sunkit," Fawnshade laid her tail softly on a little tom with ginger and brown patches. "And this one is Cloudykit."

Lightningpaw peered down at the little gray tom. His belly, tail stripes, feet, and chest were fluffy white and the rest of his pelt was pale gray. Cloudykit rolled closer to Fawnshade, mewling as he searched for milk.

"This little she-kit's Pearlkit," Fawnshade whisked her tail over a cream and silver she-kit with short, stubby legs and a long tail. "And she's Sweetkit."

Lightningpaw shifted her gaze from Pearlkit to the ginger and white tabby she-kit that Fawnshade had deemed Sweetkit. _They're beautiful._

"And _she_ is Rainbowkit," Fawnshade breathed, gazing at the last kit.

She was a beautiful tortoise-shell and white she-kit with long fur and a fluffy tail. Lightningpaw sucked in a breath. Just looking at Rainbowkit had broken the spell of pleasant pleased-ness for her mother. _These kits were born out of a mistake._ Lightningpaw thought viciously. _These kits should not exist. I wish they would die._

Her mind briefly entertained the idea of leaping on the kits and killing them swiftly, but the idea of hurting anything so small and innocent made her feel queasy.

"I have to go," she said abruptly.

"Very well," Fawnshade nodded slowly. "I'll ask Thornstar to allow you to attend the Gathering tonight."

 _Thank you_ so _very much, mother dearest._ Lightningpaw thought sarcastically. _Rainbowkit? I feel sorry for her. What cat in their right mind would want that kind of ridiculous name?_

…

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey please gather beneath the rock for a Clan meeting," Thornstar intoned.

Cats padded out of their dens, all gathering under the large rock serving for an announcement area. Most of them looked impatient and annoyed, but Rosefire, Oakpelt, and Mallowdrop's eyes were wide with excitement. _They'll be announced as warrior tonight._ Lightningpaw remembered. _That'll be me one day!_

The thought cheered her up a little as she sat below the rock, shooting shards of ice at Thornstar with her eyes, not caring who saw. She shifted a little as a familiar cat sat next to her.

"Petalpaw?" She whispered.

"Hi, Lightningpaw," the dark gray and white she-cat replied softly. "Do you suppose you'll be going to the Gathering on this fine evening?"

Ignoring her small talk, Lightningpaw shot right to the question she was burning to know the answer to. "Where have you been all day?"

"Oh, here and there," she replied mysteriously, her eyes locked on Thornstar. "I heard your mother finally gave birth to his kits. Have you visited them yet?"

Lightningpaw was dumbfounded. Was this cat for real? She didn't want to talk about how her mother had replaced her! Not wanting to be rude, she answered.

"Yes."

"Has she chosen names yet?" Petalpaw asked pleasantly.

 _When will this pointless conversation end? Where is Slatepaw when I need her?!_ "Yes, the kits' names are Sunkit, a ginger and brown tom, Cloudykit, a pale gray tom with a white chest, belly, tail stripes, and feet, Pearlkit, a cream and silver she-cat, Sweetkit, a ginger and white tabby, and _Rainbowkit_ , a long-furred tortoise-shell and white she-cat."

"Rainbowkit?" Petalpaw repeated, bemused. "I thought only two-legs-"

"Only two-legs what?" Lightningpaw narrowed her eyes.

"Nevermind," Petalpaw shook her perfectly-shaped head softly. "Did Dawnsplash give Fawnshade catmint by accident or something? Why would any sane cat name a kit _Rainbowkit_?"

"Don't ask me!" Lightningpaw purred, feeling a little amity towards Petalpaw as the gray-and-white patched she-cat was the only cat who acknowledged what an absolutely ridiculous name Rainbowkit was. "Poor she-cat."

"Indeed," Petalpaw's pale green eyes were narrowed with amusement. "Perhaps you and I can set her straight. You know, you'll be a warrior by the time they're apprenticed, I hope. Perhaps Thornstar will choose you to mentor one of them."

Lightningpaw gave an involuntary shudder at the thought. She'd been personally harboring hopes to mentor the spunky young Stormkit, and the thought of that little dream being whisked away and replaced with one of her half-siblings horrified and disgusted her.

"Hello, Lightningpaw and Petalpaw," Rainpaw greeted them, sitting down beside Lightningpaw. His lake-blue eyes were harrowed and exhausted, but he smiled a little at the sight of his sister. "Petalpaw, where have you been?"

"Here and there," this time, when she said it, it sounded forced through gritted teeth as though she could barely stand her brother. "Where have _you_ been? Flirting with Lightningpaw again?"

Rainpaw stiffened, and Lightningpaw's eyes snapped wide open with shock and embarrassment. _Rainpaw doesn't_ flirt _with me!_ Rainpaw look equal parts mortified and furious.

"Yeah right. We're hardly even friends!" Rainpaw threw back at his sister, his words icy cool. "Which you'd know if you even bothered to be around when cats need you!"

"Rainpaw, listen to me," Petalpaw sounded calm, but her pale green eyes flickered with anger.

"No, Petalpaw, you listen to _me_!" Rainpaw was beyond furious. "You're never around! I could fall in the lake and _drown_ and you wouldn't know until next moon! What's so bad about ThunderClan that you're always running off to StarClan knows where, leaving the rest of us to train and provide for the Clan?! Do you even know how to fight?! What if you got into a fight with a fox?! No cat would be able to help you, and you wouldn't be able to help yourself because you've _never attended a training session_!"

"They'd protect me," Petalpaw glared at her brother, hackles raised. "Stay out of my business, _brother_ , you don't control me! Maybe you're all too blind, with your lovely, perfect Clanlife to realize there's more to life than rules and fighting and hunting! Imagine a life where you're cared for, never go hungry, and know more love and kindness than you could ever imagine!"

"That's _StarClan_ ," Rainpaw snapped.

"That's where I go every day. Because it's better than _anything_ ThunderClan could offer me," Petalpaw was suddenly calm again. "I don't think this is the appropriate place or time to have this discussion."

"You go to _StarClan_ every day?" All the fight went out of Rainpaw, replaced with complete confusion and sadness. "But- Petalpaw-"

"I don't go to _StarClan_ ," Petalpaw rolled her eyes. "I go somewhere much better than some tale for kits where there's voles everywhere and a bunch of dead cats."

"Tale for kits?" Lightningpaw finally found her voice. "Petalpaw- you don't believe in StarClan?"

Without another word, the dark gray and white she-cat stood and left. No cat tried to stop her.

"The cats attending the Gathering will be as follows," Thornstar broke the silence. "Myself, Shadefur, and Dawnsplash. We will be accompanied by Rosefire, Mallowdrop, Oakpelt, Hollybird, Heatherclaw, Brownwing, Redflower, Blackpool, Fawnshade, and Lightningpaw, Vixenpaw, Slatepaw, and Rainpaw. Meeting dismissed."

 _I'm going to the Gathering._ Lightningpaw let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Petalpaw's not going," Rainpaw's mew was strained. "Of course not. She's no Clan cat."

…

 _Breezepaw._ Her mind whispered to her. _You're going to see him, you know._

 _I don't care!_ She retorted. _He… it wasn't love. It was just a silly crush founded on nothing but infatuation. I built him up like a StarClan cat in my mind… but he's just an ordinary cat like me._

 _Then why are you so anxious to see him?_ The voice prodded.

Lightningpaw didn't have an answer to that.

No matter how much she forced herself to remember how they hadn't seemed to be able to agree about anything, how the spell felt broken, how he seemed so cold… she couldn't extinguish the little flame in her heart telling her that Breezepaw was a cat that she was always meant to be with.

 _But he's from WindClan!_ She protested weakly.

 _You think borders can stop true love?_ Her mind huffed in amusement. _Not even StarClan can stop that._

 _For a random voice, you sure have a lot of kernels of important knowledge to share._ Lightningpaw thought sarcastically. _Where did you come from, anyway?_

 _I came to mediate the arrivals of the others._ The voice whispered, suddenly serious. _There has to be a balance, or the whole world will be thrown out of order._

 _Sure._ Lightningpaw nodded like it was perfectly normal and to be expected. _Who are the others?_

 _My daughter, her mate, my other daughter, and her mate._ The voice said placidly.

 _Four cats?_ Lightningpaw was surprised. _And they're all here?_

 _Four, including me._ The voice replied mysteriously. _Well… almost. I really would love to tell you everything, StarClan knows that cryptic messages do nothing but annoy everyone, but I can't. Not when they're out of their minds and she's had her silver memories wiped._

 _They- she- who?_ Lightningpaw was confused. _What do you mean, silver memories?_

 _Can't tell you._ Her voice whispered. _Anything else you want to know?_

 _Won't you just say 'can't tell you'?_ Lightningpaw demanded, irritated.

 _No, there are_ some _things I can tell you._ The voice made a sound that sounded like a shrug. _Only way to find out is to ask._

 _Oookay…_ Lightningpaw rolled her eyes. _What's your name?_

 _Whiteshadow. Next?_ The newly-named Whiteshadow said calmly.

 _Uh…_ Lightningpaw hadn't expected such a forthcoming and prompt answer. _What are your daughters' names?_

 _Can't tell you._ Whiteshadow replied easily. _Next?_

 _What? Uh- where did you come from?_ Lightningpaw asked, confusion addling her thoughts.

 _Many places._ Whiteshadow answered pleasantly. _The stars._

Wrinkling her nose, Lightningpaw shook her head. _Just be quiet during the Gathering, would you?_

 _Sure._

And then, as Lightningpaw had asked, all was silent. That is, except for:

"Hurry up! Apprentices these days; so slow," Rosefire's contemptuous voice could have been heard from ShadowClan territory. "Don't worry, little Lightningpaw, crossing the bridge isn't _too_ scary. You can hold my paw if you want."

Suppressing the urge to gut the young warrior, Lightningpaw bunched her muscles and leapt up onto the log. The water-soaked, rotting log gave way easily to her claws, and she found it rather easy to hold on. _Just like last time,_ Rosepaw _._ Lightningpaw thought, irritated. _Stop running around ordering the apprentices to do this, that, and the other thing like you're the deputy or something._

"I think I'll be fine, Rosepaw," Lightningpaw called back sweetly. "Oh, right, I'm sorry, you were made a warrior, right? Sorry. It was like yesterday when you were just an apprentice, and-"

"Stop holding up the line!" A grouchy RiverClan cat yelled from the back.

Snarling softly to herself, Lightningpaw cleared the log easily and eased herself onto the pebbles that decorated the lake shore. She took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the glittering moon-lit lake before she moved softly into in the island.

Barely any cat had arrived, so she was almost alone in the giant island as the last of the sun's rays disappeared below the horizon. The rain from before was slowly petering out, but left behind a thick smog of cloud in the sky. _I hope the Gathering isn't cut short again._ Lightningpaw thought, images of burning green eyes stoking the flame in her heart.

"Breezepaw?" Against her will, Lightningpaw's voice emerged gently, caressed by the wind and carried by the air.

"Nope," a softer voice murmured to her from near her. "Just me."

"Wavepaw," she greeted him, her mew blank.

She had no idea how to act around him. Remembering the first Gathering when they'd first met made her feel almost sick, but hadn't she realized that it might have just been a bad first impression? She wasn't sure what to make of the silver tom.

Lightningpaw barely recognized him, he had grown so much. He didn't exactly tower over her, but he had a good mouse-length on her. His blue eyes were filled with a tranquility and calm that she hadn't seen the last time they'd interacted.

"Hiya, Lightningpaw," he smiled softly, perfectly unthreatening and welcoming.

Letting out a sigh of relief and relaxation of tension, she responded. "So, how's RiverClan been?"

"Well, after the fourteen different assassination plots directed at Snowstar, I think-" Wavepaw grinned.

"What?! Assassination plots?" She could never tell when he was joking.

"Kidding. We've been pretty good," he nodded warmly. "I mean, other than Crowstrike pretending she's deputy, that is."

"Crowstrike?" Lightningpaw tilted her head.

"She was made a warrior a little while ago," Wavepaw informed her.

"Ah," Lightningpaw nodded knowingly. "We have a cat like that too. Rosefire."

"She sounds delightful," Wavepaw smirked and Lightningpaw's heart felt like it was kicking her in the chest. "Well, I'm guessing Rosefire doesn't have a brother who flirts constantly with your sister like a starving fox."

"Oh-ho, you guess, do you?" Lightningpaw purred in amusement. "You'd be wrong! In fact, mister 'I-know-it-all', Rosefire has _two_ brothers, and they're _both_ after my sisters!"

"Is there one after you?" Wavepaw joked. "Or are you and Rosefire the star-crossed lovers of ThunderClan?"

"It's unofficial," Lightningpaw quipped. "And how about you and Crowstrike? Have you announced it yet, or are you waiting until you're made a warrior?"

"Hilarious," he narrowed his eyes in amusement. "But seriously, I want to hear _all_ the ThunderClan gossip. Who are these toms after your sisters?"

"Well," Lightningpaw settled down, tucking her paws beneath her chest, "one's name is Mallowdrop, and… I suppose it would be more accurate to say that my sister's after _him_ , since it would be a miracle from StarClan themselves if he did anything proactive _ever_ , but I think Vixenpaw'll set him straight. Oakpelt and Slatepaw, on the other paw, are obviously destined to be; they stare at each other all the time while they're 'hunting' and their crushes on each other are so obvious."

"If only it was that easy for the rest of us," Wavepaw sighed dramatically, shooting her an amused look.

Lightningpaw could almost _hear_ Vixenpaw's swoon from inside her head. She, however, was not so easily dazzled. Wavepaw was from another Clan and Lightningpaw had no interest in breaking the warrior code.

"I'm not interested in a mate," she said bluntly. "Who needs some tom to tie them down?"

"Is that so?" A little smile danced across Wavepaw's face. "Then what _are_ you interested in, Lightningpaw?"

The way his voice lilted across her name made her breath a little funny for a moment.

"I'm going to be the leader of ThunderClan one day. Just ask- ask Vixenpaw," her voice broke as it was about to reveal that her mother had once thought of her as the future leader of ThunderClan.

 _Not so much anymore._ She thought sadly. _She's more interested in the_ current _leader._

"I wouldn't doubt you could get there," Wavepaw tilted his head down to her. "You seem like a cat that wouldn't settle for anything."

 _He's right._ Whiteshadow murmured.

 _I thought I told you to be quiet!_ Lightningpaw snapped.

"What do you know about me?" Lightningpaw narrowed her eyes at him.

"I know that you believe me when I say that you'll be leader," he replied, his blue eyes melting her into a puddle.

"Really," it wasn't a question. "And why is that?"

"Because you're a good cat. You have something the rest of us don't," his eyes were burning her up, burning up everything around her, but she couldn't focus on much except him. "Determination."

"I- I-" she stammered, it suddenly feeling like too much, too fast. "I have to go!"

He watched her, his blue eyes smooth, like the surface of a lake. He was so different from the stumbling, intense young apprentice she'd met so long ago, but so similar…

 _It wasn't him I was looking for_. She reminded herself. _I need to see Breezepaw._

 _It's not cheating._ Whiteshadow purred to her from inside her head. _You aren't his mate. It's not like you've sworn to be true to each other forever._

 _We aren't mates!_ Lightningpaw nodded, her head clearing. _He's from a different Clan! I'm sure there are some nice toms in ThunderClan that I'll settle down with one day, start a family, and-_

 _Like Rainpaw?_ Whiteshadow's smirk was audible.

 _What?! No. No, he's hardly even a cat I would consider as a friend._ Lightningpaw rolled her eyes. _I'd be mates with_ Wavepaw _sooner than Rainpaw._

 _That would surprise me less than you think._ Whiteshadow stated.

 _Just hush, would you?_ Lightningpaw's fur felt hot.

She scanned the clearing again, looking for Breezepaw's golden pelt, but couldn't find him. Sighing, she turned away and came face to face with a familiar cat.

" _Darkpaw_?!" She exclaimed.

"You look _delighted_ to see me," the tortoise-shell remarked dryly. "How's ThunderClan?"

"Same as ever," she said dismissively. "How's ShadowClan?"

"The same," Darkpaw nodded.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lightningpaw dipped her head solemnly.

Awkward silence hung between them for a few moments. Then Darkpaw burst into laughter.

"Well, Ratpaw and Pinepaw had their warrior ceremonies delayed because of a certain brilliant idea to go hunting in ThunderClan territory," Darkpaw recounted, rolling her dark amber eyes. "And my best friend-"

Darkpaw cut herself off abruptly. Lightningpaw looked at her curiously for a moment, then changed the subject quickly.

"Pinepaw and Ratpaw, huh?" Lightningpaw quirked an eyebrow. "I think I might have been on the patrol that caught them. They were chasing the squirrels into bushes and then acting surprised when they couldn't fit into the same holes the squirrels could."

" _Really_ ," Darkpaw snorted. "Sounds like something they would do. They barely made it back to camp before it started raining. Too bad they didn't get caught in it. Soaked Pinepaw would be funny."

Lightningpaw purred in agreement.

"I think the leaders are starting," Darkpaw remarked.

"Ugh," Lightningpaw snorted. "Thornstar is probably going to-"

"Quiet down!" A fishy smelly elder with a golden-brown pelt and black feet snapped. "Some of us are trying to listen to the leaders!"

Suddenly a silver shadow appeared beside him.

"Reedtail, why don't you come sit by me?" Wavepaw invited smoothly. "I have a great spot. The leaders haven't started yet, so we'll have lots of time."

"Okay," the elder grumbled, allowing himself to be led away by Wavepaw's feathery silver tail gently steering him away from the she-cats.

Right before he left, Wavepaw threw a wink over his shoulder.

"Did he just…?" Lightningpaw was dumbstruck.

"He winked at me!" Darkpaw sounded outraged. "The audacity of that tom knows _no_ bounds!"

Lightningpaw nodded in realization that it had been Darkpaw that Wavepaw was winking at. It was a relief… but…

"ThunderClan will start!" Thornstar exclaimed, stepping forwards decisively without the little dip-and-request dance that usually preceded the Gathering's events. "We have new kits! My kits! Their names are Pearlkit, Sunkit, Cloudykit, Sweetkit, and Rainbowkit. They're the most beautiful kits-"

Snowstar cleared his throat significantly.

"Uh, yes, well," Thornstar bobbed his head insistently, "so, that's the ThunderClan report!"

"Hey!" Rosefire's voice emerged from somewhere below the great tree.

"Oh yeah, and we have some new warriors," Thornstar nodded with a big grin. "Yeah. Rosefire and Mallowdrop and Oakfur. Or something."

"Oakpelt!" His voice echoed up from below.

"That's it, yep!" Thornstar faced the other leaders with a large smile.

"Okay, well," Snowstar looked bemused by Thornstar's strange behaviour. "So. May RiverClan share next?"

Spottedstar and Ivystar nodded slowly with narrowed eyes at the fluffy white RiverClan leader.

"Wait!" Thornstar yelped. "I forgot something!"

" _Sorry_ , continue," Snowstar rolled his eyes.

Lightningpaw rolled her eyes at the foolish leader and stalked away, looking for Breezepaw again. Searching the clearing proved to be fruitless as every glimmer of gold was shadowed by the night on the crowded island. She was about to give up and resign herself to listening to the rest of Thornstar's rant, but suddenly she spotted something shifting in the shadows.

Squinting, she spotted two different coloured eyes hidden amongst the shadows alongside another pair of matched eyes.

"Come on! This is boring," one familiar voice snorted.

"We should listen…" replied another familiar voice.

"Fine, but you should know by now that I'm going to interrupt everything they say with sarcastic comments," the first one purred.

"As I would expect," the second snorted.

 _Who are they?_ Lightningpaw peered closer at the bushes, trying to place the familiar voices, but the memory fluttering around her mind like a bird.

Suddenly, a familiar voice broke her concentration on catching the aforementioned dove of uncertainty. _She… is that… why?_

 _I think you know why._ Whiteshadow murmured softly. _I know that it has to happen… but..._

 _I have to tell him._ Her heart thrummed louder, beating against her ribcage. _I have to. I don't love him; I hardly even like him. I'm stopping this before it sends us both into exile._

"I _hardly_ think that she would ever have-" Darkpaw's amused mew was cut off as Lightningpaw barged towards her.

Her dark amber eyes widened with surprise that looked genuine as Lightningpaw forced her way between them and a smile.

"Heeey, Darkpaw," she bared her teeth in a grin. "Breezepaw, can I borrow you for a couple heartbeats?"

"Uh, sure?" His green eyes were wide, questioning her, but she laid her tail heavily across his broad shoulders as she steered him away from the tortoise-shell Lightningpaw had considered a friend.

She paused once they were out of Darkpaw's earshot and began. "Listen, Breezepaw, I know that it's not like we're mates, or even in a romantic relationship at all, but-"

"What do you mean?" Breezepaw recoiled, like his head was trying to make an escape into his neck. "Lightningpaw, I… we're-"

"This isn't about Darkpaw," Lightningpaw stated quickly. "Breezepaw… you remember last moon, when we met up, by the border?"

"Yeah…" the smile fell from his mouth. "I-"

"Shush!" She exclaimed, then continued. "It- you have to understand, this isn't fun to do… we're from different Clans. Maybe during that first Gathering we were both a little tired, everything seemed brighter and sparkly, but… I don't love you."  
"What?! I- I don't expect you to!" Breezepaw's eyes were huge as he took in the information.

"But you want me too," Lightningpaw narrowed her eyes expectantly at him, and at his silence, added: "and you figured that I would eventually. I'm not saying you love me, but I do know that we both expected there to be something between us. And Breezepaw… one infatuated kit-crush isn't that 'something'."

"What are you saying?" His eyebrows creased. "You- you don't like me?"

"I like you enough for this to be _hard_ to tell you," Lightningpaw smiled sympathetically. "Breezepaw. We're from different Clans. We don't even get along that well. We were _six moons old_. There's hardly even anything to break off. Breezepaw… we're not even friends."

"But we can be!" He exclaimed desperately.

"Yes! We can!" Lightningpaw breathed in, hoping he was beginning to understand. "But nothing else!"

Breezepaw's mouth moved softly, but no sounds came out. His eyes were wide green pools of swirling pain and hurt. Lightningpaw felt her heart crack. _No… wait!_

 _It has to be done!_ Whiteshadow thundered all of a sudden.

 _What?!_ Lightningpaw gulped.

 _It's against the warrior code, Lightningpaw._ Whiteshadow's mew was strained, but the words she spoke were true, and Lightningpaw knew it. _You break the warrior code… that's it. You're done. You'll be thrown out of the Clan; never to be leader, never to see your family again… it's no life. You don't want to live like that. Trust me._

 _My family betrayed me!_ Lightningpaw roared in her head. _I don't care! I don't care about Fawnshade or Vixenpaw or Slatepaw or Petalpaw or Rainpaw or Blackpool or Thornstar and I_ certainly _don't care about Breezepaw! Not anymore… and what do you know?! You're nothing but a voice I imagined in my head! I don't care about_ anyone _!_

 _That's not true and you know it._ Whiteshadow growled, viciousness suddenly colouring her tone. _Stop feeling so sorry for yourself. Fawnshade took a new mate? Sucks to be you, honey. Owlclaw doesn't want to coddle you like a kit? It's not like he did anyway! And what have your sisters done?! 'Vixenpaw's lost her spark'? What are you even thinking?! This is your family! Don't push them away!_

 _Get out of my head!_ Lightningpaw shrieked silently.

Then silence.

Her throat felt like sandpaper as she faced Breezepaw for a moment longer.

Suddenly, he turned away, his wide green eyes like liquid emerald.

"Fine," he rasped.

"Fine," she whispered, to no one but herself.

 **Sorry. I'm really not, though.**

 **We're almost at 200 reviews? *weak smile* don't kill me.**

 **QOTC: How much do you want to kill me, on a scale of 1-10?**

 **~Pondfrost**


	36. Breeze: Red Spider Lily

**First of all: I'm really sorry that I'm so late. Motivation is really hard to conjure up lately, and I'm driving myself into the ground by staying up until two in the morning, melting my brain… I don't ever want to feel like there isn't enough time for fanfiction; I don't want to lose this story. I have so much planned, and I really hope you're going to see it through 'til the end.**

 **Second: HOLy SWEET MOTHER OF SWEET POTATOES. We're at 200 reviews. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY ANYMORE!**

 **I'm just going to say… y'all are the best. Seriously. Give yourself a hug right now from me through cyberspace. I DON'T CARE IF ANYONE'S WATCHING, DO IT! Okay great ;)**

 **Your prize will be along shortly.**

 **Also- I'm starting a Wings of Fire collab with SilverMidnightMoon, it's gonna be awesome, keep an eye out for it.**

 **Review Replies to my favourite kitties:**

 **SilverMidnightMoon: I'm keeping y'all on your toes.**

 **A Cascade of Raining Ice: Good idea! I got one planned, though, and I think y'all are going to like it.**

 **Rainmist: Yeah, Team Owlclaw! *Begins handing out t-shirts with Owlclaw's face on them***

 **Waterpool: Drama is queen. Drama queen. Heh. Get it?**

 **Cheshire Assassin(Cool name, bro!): Coming right up!**

 **Birchfeather: 0 v 0 mmkayy.**

 **Lightningstrike: Well, answering everything you covered there would take about a chapter and a half, so I guess I'll just say, thanks :D**

 **Okay, so I've come to a decision. I'm going to make the whole plotline one book. It's going to be a HUGE book, but it's going to be ONE. Then, if y'all are still interested, I'll make a sequel, but it'll be a new cast with the oldies as supporting characters, okay? And I've got four novella ideas, Burning Up, Freezing Over, Shining Out, and Washing Away. (And NO they're not about Lightningpaw, Breezepaw, Darkpaw, and Wavepaw. Other cats.)**

 **Okay. So. Gathering. From Breeze's POV! So you can see the heartbreak on a whole new level! YAYAY!**

 **Enough of my blathering, ONTO THE STORY!**

Chapter 34.

"Jump, duck, now _roll_!" Icestorm shouted. " _No_! ROLL!"  
"Oops," Breezepaw shrugged, scrambling to his paws after a practice bout with Scarletpaw.

She was shaping up to be a vicious fighter, picking up the moves as soon as Icestorm and Copperspots taught them to them. Copperspots was the perfect mentor for Scarletpaw, Breezepaw reflected. She could match her russet apprentice's enthusiasm with more enthusiasm and could invent new moves faster than Scarletpaw could master them. Barely.

Breezepaw panted, trying to regain the breath that Scarletpaw had just kicked out of him.

"Let's do it again!" Scarletpaw leapt to her paws, boundless energy radiating from her.

Breezepaw's mouth was drier than the sand they were practicing on, but he nodded smartly, holding the standard fighting stance. Scarletpaw whipped at him, a red blur, faster than Breezepaw could ever be, and the golden tom ducked instinctively as Scarletpaw swept her paw at his ear.

"Faster, Breezepaw!" Icestorm snapped, her ice-blue eyes watching him like a hawk.

Nodding, breathing heavily, and shedding sand, Breezepaw danced to the side as Scarletpaw launched another attack on his ears. He shot forwards, kicking out with all four legs, trying to unbalance her before she shredded his ears.

Suddenly, a force with the strength of a badger smashed his head down into the sand.

As quickly as it had come, it lifted, and Breezepaw lifted his head. He spat out sand as he blinked vehemently, trying to get the sand out of his eyes.

"Breezepaw? More like Sandyfurpaw," Scarletpaw teased, her paw still hanging guiltily in the air.

He scrunched his face up at her and jumped as high as he could. As he landed, he flattened himself to the ground when Scarletpaw sliced her paw over where his muzzle had been a heartbeat before.

Not wasting a moment, he rolled forwards, not caring how much sand his fur accrued, and swept her paws right out from under her. She toppled forwards, crashing head first into the sand.

Smirking with satisfaction, Breezepaw quickly pretended to strike her side, when suddenly something fluffy and soft wrapped around his eyes.

"Huh?" His perplexed words, brought on by sudden loss of vision, were muffled by Scarletpaw's bushy brown and red tail that was tightly strung around his face. "Hey! Get your stinky tail off of me!"

In reality, her tail actually smelled quite nice, like she'd just rolled in sweet-smelling flowers, but flowers that had some sort of spiciness drizzled over them, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

Scarletpaw puffed with laughter and Breezepaw felt another swift kick profess its love to his stomach, throwing him across the clearing _again_.

"Breezepaw, get it together or you can forget going to the Gathering," Icestorm's irritated mew chased away his dizziness as he lay, stunned at the edge of a heather bush.

 _The Gathering!_ The thought propelled him to his feet and before Scarletpaw could even react to his miraculous recovery, he darted across the clearing and delivered a fast nip to her front-leg before spinning away and kicking out hard with his back legs.

"Yowch!" Scarletpaw snapped, and Breezepaw felt her tackle him from behind.

Her grip was like stone, immovable and crushing, as she kicked his back into herb-mush.

Surprised at her sudden vicious turn, Breezepaw wheezed out a breath and used her own trick. This time, instead of blocking her vision, he quickly tickled her nose with his tail, causing her to sneeze.

Taking advantage of the brief distraction, he bowled her over and reared over her, about to slam his paws down into her stomach when Icestorm called:

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Littlepaw and Morningpoppy have enough to deal with without you two crippling each other."

Breezepaw's fur felt hot as he scrambled out of the compromising position. Scarletpaw's dark amber eyes blinked up at him as he quickly cleaned the dusty sand out of his golden fur.

"Good fight!" Scarletpaw complimented him, eyes shining as she stood gracefully. "Didn't think you had it in ya."

Her accent had almost disappeared, but little remnants would rise to the surface every so often.

Suddenly, her amber eyes snapped wide open, then slowly, her eyelids slid back down until she looked normal once more. _What was that?_ Breezepaw wondered, narrowing his eyes at the now-washing Scarletpaw. _She's a strange cat…_

Ever since they'd found her on patrol, she acted perfectly normal and slid into Clanlife like a fish diving into water, but every so often, she would say something, or do something, that would make Breezepaw rethink everything he thought he knew about her.

Every time RiverClan would come up in passing conversation, she would suddenly get a strange look, a feeling that Breezepaw would almost place as… guilt.

"You've got time to grab something from the fresh-kill pile and say hi to your little friends and then we're going hunting!" Copperspots declared. "I'll fetch my lazy brother."

"I'll go get Nightpool and Tumblestep… and Dustpetal," Icestorm said, quirking an eyebrow at Copperspots at the mention of her previous, strict mentor. "That's alright, yes?"

"Fine," Copperspots shrugged casually, but her eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the prospect of going toe-to-toe with her harsh mentor. "I think I'll snag something to eat as well."

Icestorm nodded easily, looking grateful that Copperspots hadn't kicked up a fuss about her mentor. Breezepaw flicked his ear to Icestorm and then stepped away to join Scarletpaw at the fresh-kill pile.

"Hey," she greeted briefly, hooking a thick vole and pulling it away from the furry clutches of the rest of the prey.

"Voles? I'm a rabbit tom, myself," he joked, snatching up the aforementioned hare and leading her to a shady, secluded spot of the camp.

It was a beautiful day, just the way he liked it. The sun had calmed down as green-leaf had rolled into leaf-fall, clouds caressing the sky and blocking the heat from boiling them all alive. A cool breeze rustled through the camp, prickling over their fur before whisking away into the land beyond the territories.

"You're wrong," Scarletpaw huffed, digging into her meal. "Voles are much better. Then again, fish trump both."

"Fish?" Breezepaw gasped, bemused. "When have you had fish?"

"Before," Scarletpaw bit her lip, and Breezepaw shut up, remembering from earlier that moon.

 _'What was your life like before you joined the best Clan ever?' Breezepaw had joked._

 _'But I never joined RiverClan!' Scarletpaw had said, faking confusion._

 _'Shut up!' Breezepaw remembered swatting her, then waiting for her answer._

 _'I… I don't want to talk about,' she had sighed, eyes filling with memories._

 _'When_ will _you want to talk about it?' Breezepaw had questioned her._

 _'Never,' she had been deadly serious. 'Never ask again. Please Breezepaw, if you value our friendship at all, don't. Don't ask.'_

He just nodded softly before changing the subject.

"So, training was fun today," he smiled at her. "Probably would have been more fun if I'm not so sure that my back is going to feel like a badger had its way with it for the next moon."

Scarletpaw purred, flicking him with her bushy russet tail.

"Drama queen," she rolled her deep amber eyes. " _By the way_ , do you think any muscle's ever going to grow in those bony little twigs masquerading as legs of yours?"

"Good question," he faked seriousness, stretching his legs out, inspecting them. "Hmm… nope. Real shame about that one."

Scarletpaw threw her head back and purred. Breezepaw's heart fluttered, but he ignored it. _There's a Gathering tonight, and I'm going to see her. Focus on her. Focus._ He seized the image of her golden eyes boring into him and tried to keep it in front of him, but it kept slipping sideways, replacing itself with dark amber eyes, glimmering suggestively at him. _Is that… Darkpaw? Or Scarletpaw?_

"I have a solution," Scarletpaw interrupted his thoughts.

"To what?" He asked, his mind immediately jumping to the conclusion that she meant about him having conflicting feelings.

"To your puny little legs," Scarletpaw rolled her eyes at him, flicking her tail across him. "Broad shoulders, strong forelegs, hard belly, _who cares_ about all that if your legs can't support a blade of grass."

Breezepaw trembled a little as her tail weaved around him, but nodded at Scarletpaw, pretending nothing out of the ordinary was happening. _Is this normal for rogues?_ He wondered in alarm as Scarletpaw drew her tail softly across his side.

"This might surprise you… but…" she smirked at him, her dark amber eyes slits of amusement. "Swimming is the answer."

Before he could stop himself, he burst into a fit of purrs, totally caught off guard by her unorthodox statement.

"Don't laugh!" Scarletpaw snapped, her voice laden with amusement. "Swimming, really though. You'll probably already be okay at it, for a _WindClan_ fleabag, since your shoulders are in fine shape and your forelegs are good even if your back legs are a little…"

"What are you trying to say?" Breezepaw faked hurt. "Gosh, Scarletpaw, never thought you would do this to me!"

"Force you to swim?" Scarletpaw smiled smugly. "I'm not gonna force you to do anything; I'm just sayin', if you ever want to beat me in a fight, outrun Jaypaw, or generally stop embarrassing your Clan with your little stick legs, you're going to need to make 'em a little stronger."

Breezepaw held her gaze a little longer, then dropped it, self-consciousness flooding his fur with heat. She always watched him like she could see into his soul and change it if it didn't please her.

"Okay, but where am I going to learn?" He entertained the idea of swimming for her sake; he couldn't care less if Jaypaw was going to outrun him for the rest of his life.

"The lake, of course," Scarletpaw paused suddenly, eyeing him with diabolical glee. "Or we can sneak over and pay a visit to our favourite fish-faces."

 _Never a dull moment around this one._ He thought, stifling a purr.

"I think the lake will be fine," he grinned nervously. "I'd rather not have my head stuffed with feathers and mounted on a stick."

"Chicken," Scarletpaw murmured, leaning closer to him.

He discovered her breath smelled the same as her tail; spicy flowers.

"Chicken?" The word was new to him.

"Scaredy-bunny, I believe, is how y'all Clan cats say it," Scarletpaw grinned devilishly at him. "It means… you're too scared to try something new. Too _chicken_."

"I'm not scared of anything," his voice wavered involuntarily.

 _Except you_. He whispered silently.

She studied him for a moment, then turned away.

"Meet me by the lake as soon as you're done that rabbit," she smirked. "I'm going to teach you to swim."

"But- but- we're supposed to go on hunting patrol!" He protested futilely as she sashayed away.

She threw one last smug look over her shoulders that bobbed and dipped as she walked doing funny things to Breezepaw's insides.

 _Lightningpaw_. He reminded himself, then paused. _But… Lightningpaw… she isn't from WindClan, and we aren't even technically… 'together'. So why am I so worried that being around Scarletpaw is 'betraying' her? It's not like I_ like _Scarletpaw in that way._

He pictured her smirk and his breath sped up for the briefest of heartbeats. _Don't I?_

…

"First lesson of swimming!" Scarletpaw announced, slamming her paw into the water for effect. "The cold is your imagination! Once you're in, you'll adjust! Just forget about it until you're good."

Breezepaw nodded, grimacing at the thought of the freezing iciness seeping into his fur.

"What are you waiting for, a prophecy?" Scarletpaw demanded suddenly, whipping behind him and giving him a shove that sent him staggering forwards. " _Get_ in the _dang_ water, already!"

He gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the frozen embrace of the lake-water and walked right in.

" _Sweet StarClan_ , that is _cold_!" He gasped. "Rabbit droppings and lizard tongues!"

Scarletpaw watched him as he writhed in the frosty waters, waiting for him to adjust to the chilly kiss of the lake in leaf-fall.

"This water feels like- oh… there we go," all the fight went out of his voice as his skin gently numbed. "Hey. This isn't so bad!"

"There you go," she smiled encouragingly. "Now for the fun part."

"Huh?"

She leapt into the lake beside him, sending water cascading over his head.

His body was adjusted, but his head hadn't touched the water, and now it was passing through the symbolic ritual of feeling like it was turning into an icicle.

"Ah!" He yelped. "Why would you _do that_?"

"Because it's hilarious," she deadpanned. "Don't worry, Breezekit, you'll be alright, oh, won't you, wittle Bweezy?"

He glared at her, but couldn't hold it and just melted into a purr.

"Okay, I admit, it was hilarious, but that wasn't the only reason," Scarletpaw relented. "This is the next part. So. You're feeling good. Freezing cold, but you can't feel it, so you're good. Next. Put your head under."

"What?!" His eyes went as wide as moons. "Heck no!"

"You do it or I'll do it for you," Scarletpaw warned. "I'll count to three."

He gulped. Either way, his head was going to end up under the cold surface of the lake, it may as well be on his own terms. Summoning every speck of courage inside him, he sucked in a breath and ducked under the water.

Panic immediately seized him with thorn-sharp claws, sending all the fur on his spine up stock-straight and rushing iciness down his back and through his body. _Aiee!_ He immediately forced himself upwards, trying to resurface as soon as possible.

"Good try," Scarletpaw rolled her eyes at him.

"What? But I went underwater!" He protested.

"For a heartbeat," Scarletpaw gave him a patronizing look. "Good job; really."

"Shut up," he wrinkled his muzzle at her. "It's cold!"

Scarletpaw said nothing, just looked at him with cool amusement. "I'm shocked."

Breezepaw scowled at her, but his bad mood evaporated under her look.

"Fine! What was it that you wanted me to gain from this _enlightening_ experience?" He demanded. "I'm freezing!"

"Well, now you have to swim!" She announced dramatically, provoking a hiss from Breezepaw.

"I am swimming!" He snapped. "I'm in the water, I'm not drowning, what more do you want from me?!"

Scarletpaw gave him a disbelieving look. "That doesn't qualify as _swimming_ , you're just standing in the water! That's like looking at a mouse and saying 'look! I'm hunting, see? There's a mouse! I'm watching it! It totally counts!' Let me break it to you; it doesn't."

He pouted at her. "Fine then, oh wise one, what _does_ constitute as swimming?"

"Well, you gotta be _going_ somewhere," Scarletpaw explained, her voice taking on a tone that implied it was obvious. "It's hardly swimming if you're just hangin' out in the lake."

 _I guess…_ He thought, nodding slowly at Scarletpaw. He was starting to shiver in the icy water, but he didn't want to look weak in front of the thunderstorm of a cat that Scarletpaw was.

"So come on then!" Scarletpaw's amber eyes glittered at him expectantly.

"What am I supposed to do?" Breezepaw protested.

" _Swim_!" Scarletpaw's exasperation shone through in every movement. "Come on, it's not that hard! Just… swipe like you're collecting moss with all of your paws."

Breezepaw narrowed his eyes, testing it out. Within moments, he was floating through the water, his paws beginning to ache horribly almost instantly.

"There you go!" Scarletpaw exclaimed, lurching forwards and gracefully cutting straight through the water towards him.

He wanted to scream out loud at how easily she seemed to find moving through the frigid water while he was struggling to make a fox-length without dropping dead from exhaustion. It seemed to happen a lot around her. He caught a rabbit, she caught three. He could go on four patrols every day, she could go on ten. It wasn't fair, but he figured he would just have to deal with it. Sometimes he felt like he wasn't even meant to be in WindClan.

He was as loyal as the next cat; WindClan was the best Clan, how could he not be? But every so often, a little doubt would creep into his mind. He hated it, but he couldn't help it. WindClan just felt so… rigid and set. There was no room for him to twitch his whiskers sometimes.

It was just an endless, forced routine of drilling the same fighting moves over and over again. Losing races to Jaypaw, fights to Scarletpaw, and arguments to Icestorm. It wasn't fair! He just wanted something new and exciting. Scarletpaw was the only thing he could count on to not be able to count on. Everything else was so predictable.

"Well?" Her expectant mew brought him back to the present. "This is swimming. What do you think?"

"It's- it's really tiring," he panted. "Am I supposed to feel like I can't breathe?"

"Well, breathe," she said, like it explained everything. "Then you won't feel like you can't breathe."

Breezepaw rolled his eyes, but purred. Continuing to churn his burning paws in the water, he pushed his way over to Scarletpaw.

"Shouldn't we go back to camp?" He asked reluctantly, imagining Icestorm's furious tirade if he skipped out on too many patrols. Not to mention that he would never be allowed to go to the Gathering…

 _And I wouldn't see Lightningpaw…_ He thought.

"I guess," Scarletpaw sniffed, seeming perturbed that he didn't want to stay.

 _I just don't like swimming!_ He yelped inwardly.

"Want to see a cool trick before we go back?" Scarletpaw invited, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

He squinted at her, not sure what she meant by a 'trick'.

Intrigued, he replied. "Sure…"

She gave him a quick grin before spinning around and standing absolutely still. The wind could have blown and Breezepaw was convinced that every single hair on her pelt would stay stationary.

He squinted at her, confused as to what exactly she was demonstrating. Her gaze was fixated on the water in front of her, searching for StarClan knew what.

"What are you-" Breezepaw began, but silenced himself as Scarletpaw cut him off with a loud 'shhhh'.

He didn't say anything, just watched her.

She didn't move for the longest time, and Breezepaw began to wonder if she was asleep on her paws.

Eventually, her paw slammed down faster than lightning, flicking something glimmering and silver up in the air. Just as quickly, Scarletpaw jerked her paw forwards and stabbed her claws into it.

"Uh- uh- what?" Breezepaw was confused.

"I caught a fish!" Scarletpaw cried triumphantly, glancing at him with a wicked look in her eye. "Want some?"

"But the Clan has to be fed first!" Breezepaw protested, glancing hungrily at the fish and the tempting smell wafting off of it. "I can't eat that!"

"I can," Scarletpaw snickered, digging out a giant mouthful of the shimmering silver fish. "Besides, remember on my first patrol, when Icestorm told me that it's okay to eat if you're not on hunting patrol?"

"But still… there are hungry cats back at camp!" Breezepaw argued weakly, his stomach rumbling as he looked at the fish. "We can't just eat-"

"There are hungry cats right here," Scarletpaw interrupted, then at his expression, added: "And besides, there are worse things to be than selfish."

From the look in her eyes, he didn't want to ask. So he didn't.

"Fine," he sighed heavily, but he could practically hear his stomach cheering.

The rabbit from before hadn't filled him up and he was aching to hook the fish away from Scarletpaw and make off with it.

She looked at him invitingly, drawing back to let him have a couple bites.

Excited and a little doubtful, he leaned forwards gently and sank his teeth into it. Salty and fresh flavour immediately exploded all over his mouth, singing about swimming through the reeds and dodging the larger water predators.

"W- wow," he mumbled thickly, chewing slowly, savouring the rich flavour of the fish. "Thish fish ish… really good!"

Scarletpaw purred in amusement at his wonder. She leaned forwards and snapped up a morsel for herself.

They sat together for many heartbeats, sharing the fish, Scarletpaw purring at his dumbfounded, blissful expression, Breezepaw focusing solely on the silver delicacy.

…

"Come _on_ , Breezepaw, we're going to be late!" Icestorm snapped. "I can't believe Spottedstar let you attend after that…"

Breezepaw rolled his bright green eyes. Icestorm was going on about nothing. _It's not like I betrayed the Clan._ He thought, wrinkling his nose at the fierce, moon-lit silhouette of his annoyed mentor.

"I'm coming, I'm coming…" he sighed. "If she didn't let Scarletpaw go, she shouldn't have let me go."

"Life ain't fair, suck it up," Icestorm growled.

 _What fox made dirt on her prey?_ He wondered, sauntering into the middle of camp in time to see the rest of his Clanmates that had been chosen to go to the Gathering leaving.

"Hurry up! We'll get left behind!" Icestorm snapped, lashing her tail irritatedly.

He closed the rest of the distance between them quickly, his ear twitching placidly. It was a pleasant night, the freezing claws of leaf-bare having yet to close onto the forest.

Breathing deeply the aroma of twilight, Breezepaw fell into stride with his mentor easily. She sighed.

"Sorry if I've been all grumpy lately," Icestorm looked down, either embarrassed or frustrated with herself. "I don't know what's gotten into me. Well…"

"What?" Breezepaw looked at her, genuinely curious. "What's wrong?"  
"Nothing's _wrong_ , I just… I shouldn't have waited this long," she darted her gaze up to StarClan, as though summoning strength from them. "Breezepaw, I'm expecting kits."

His mind paused for a moment, perfectly still. Then it started to whirl. _Kits? But… she has to train me! I've still got at least three moons left in my apprenticehood, if not more! And, and, and she can't train me with kits hanging off of her!_

"Congratulations," he managed.

She smiled for real. "Thank you, Breezepaw. I know I shouldn't have sprung this on you, but there wasn't an easy way to do it."

"Who's the father?" He asked, trying to sort his thoughts into manageable sentences.

"Logfall," Icestorm replied quickly. "I know he's technically an elder, but he had to retire early because of a bad bout of green-cough that damaged his lungs, not from age, so he's actually younger than me. On the other paw, I'm no fresh leaf either."

"Logfall," Breezepaw repeated, "congratulations. And when did you find out about this?"

"Last moon," Icestorm sighed.

"They're coming soon, then," Breezepaw guessed. "Exactly how long do kits take, anyway?"

Icestorm pondered the question for a moment. Breezepaw took the second to think. _Logfall. And last moon. Kits. I wonder who my replacement mentor will be? I don't want a replacement mentor! Icestorm's a fantastic one already!_

"There's no exact amount of time… but I think Morningpoppy estimated…" Icestorm bit her lip, thinking. "Uh… two moons. So… if one moon has already passed, and I'll need at least a half moon in the nursery, if not more… I won't be your mentor for much longer."

Breezepaw tried not to gape. _Everything was fine! I mean, Oatpad was acting weird, but that's not new. And I_ still _don't know who my father was, but that's not new either. But there was- still is- Lightningpaw, now there's Scarletpaw too, and everything was good!_ He thought, blinking back bitter tears. _But… how could everything go south so fast?! Icestorm's expecting kits? And she's known for a moon? How didn't I notice?!_

"It's a lot to take in," Icestorm said gently, laying her thin tail across his shoulders. "But I believe in you. You're a strong one; you'll make it through. I wouldn't be surprised if it's you I'm taking orders from one day."

She blinked warmly at him. _She's right, I'm strong. But strong enough to let her go?_ He thought, pain scorching him. _I don't know…_

"I have to go," he choked.

She nodded sadly, turning away from him.

He sped up, trying to outrun his thoughts. _You can't outrun anything._ His mind taunted. _I can't even swim. Where's Scarletpaw?_

He just needed her to tease him again, tell him he was a fluff-brain, remind him that some things hadn't changed. _You're pathetic._ His consciousness whispered. _You've barely known her for a moon and you already can't live without her. Wow._

He tried to deny it, but he knew it was probably true. She just made the world a little brighter, like being around her made him remember everything might not be so bad after all.

She was a good friend.

"Breezepaw!" A familiar voice, spunky and sarcastic, called to him.

 _Scarletpaw?_ He turned. _Oh. Nope. Nevermind._

"Hey Jaypaw," he muttered.

"Woooow, sorry," she drawled, rolling her almost invasively-blue eyes at him. "Just coming over to say hi… we haven't seen each other much. Icestorm keeping you busy?"

"I don't want to talk about Icestorm," Breezepaw murmured despondently.

Jaypaw nodded understandingly. _She doesn't know, but she'll still accept that I don't want to talk about it…_ Breezepaw smiled softly. _Thanks._

"Well, uh…" Jaypaw seemed at a loss for words.

 _Hey, don't look at me!_ He thought. _I've never been the greatest at breaking silences…_

"Leopardpaw's been a good replacement," she joked. "She's just like you, you know."

"I probably wouldn't like her much, then," Breezepaw purred. "Just kidding. How is it you like her?"

"Hey! Don't tell me who to be friends with!" Breezepaw thought she was actually annoyed, but there was a teasing note in her voice that made him relax. "I'll like Leopardpaw if I so wish to!"

Breezepaw rolled his eyes at her teasingly.

"Yeah, yeah," he allowed. "She seemed nice when I talked to her. Really laid-back. It's a nice break from every cat expecting you to be on your toes all the time…"

Jaypaw nodded easily. They slipped into companionable silence as they trudged towards the island. Breezepaw felt like some cat was watching him, but he couldn't place _who_.

Eventually, as they were jumping up onto the bridge, Breezepaw broke the silence.

"Do you think Snowstar's going to stir up trouble again?" Breezepaw asked, flicking his tail at Jaypaw.

"I wouldn't put it past the fish-face," Jaypaw responded, narrowing her eyes to slits of blue ice. "Too bad we haven't seen any more of that tiny little silver cat. Or the white one, come to think of it…"

Breezepaw nodded absently, thinking of Scarletpaw, stuck back at camp.

"Breezepaw? Are you listening to me?" Jaypaw snapped.

"Sorry, sorry," he mumbled, hopping up onto the tree bridge. "Let's cross."

…

 _Every cat's here already…_ Breezepaw realized, scanning the clearing for what, he didn't know. _We're so late! I hope I get a chance to talk to Lightningpaw before the Gathering ends…_

He shuddered at the thought of not seeing her for another moon. _And that's only if I get to go next moon._

 _Leaders are starting._ He thought as Thornstar cried out giddily. _Uh, what got into him? I suppose I should listen._

"Breezepaw!" A raspy but enthusiastic permeated the island. "I haven't seen you in moons!"

"It's only been one," he objected, but purred. "Hey Darkpaw. How've you been?"

"Clearly not as good as you!" The little tortoiseshell bumped his shoulder playfully. "Look at you; all grown up. It's like standing next to a tree."

Breezepaw's fur felt hot. Had he really grown that much?

"Oh, come on," he rolled his eyes, but he was flattered. "I'd say the same to you… but you haven't grown at all."

"Oh, shut up," she snarled playfully. "I have too. Look, I can see you without tilting my head so far up that I break my neck!"

"Barely," he made a big show of looking way down so he could see her.

He took a moment to study her. She hadn't grown much; in that respect he was correct. However, looking closer, the kit fluff around her ears was completely gone, she held herself with a certain air of quiet confidence. Perhaps not the sweeping audacity that others had, but just as though she had convinced the war to rage outside her little bubble of perfect peace.

The feeling was alluring and Breezepaw felt… envious? Perhaps a little, but that wasn't exactly right…

"So how's WindClan?" Darkpaw interrupted his musings.

"They're, we're, uh, good," he stammered.

She nodded slowly, but her intensely amber eyes dug into his green ones as though they knew something he did not. It was unsettling, but fascinating. _Pretty much summed up how Darkpaw makes me. Unsettled and fascinated._ He rolled his eyes inwardly. _Yeah right._

"And how's ShadowClan?" He offered, hoping to keep the conversation going.

"Wonderfully," her eyes glinted darkly. "So many secrets and such delightful gossip."

Breezepaw threw his head back and purred. "Wouldn't have pegged you as the gossip cat."

"There's plenty you don't know about me… _Breezy_ ," Darkpaw looked at him again, her eyes swallowing his whole, and he was falling, falling, falling.

Suddenly, his heart gave a hard tug, stopping him halfway. _Wait._ The tiniest whisper. _You've forgotten her._

Darkpaw paused to, her eyes narrowing to sharp little blades of amber, then she continued to speak, not even a hint of anger or negative emotion at all in her voice.

"My denmate, Primrosepaw, has been after the deputy," she leaned closer to him, like it was a secret. Breezepaw noticed her breath smelled of the pines; not intoxicating like Scarletpaw's, just honest and fresh. "She's a real… romantic. Always trying to matchmake me up with my Clanmates."

She looked away, the darkness sheathing her features.

"I wish her good luck in her battle to win… what's his name? Crowflight or something?" Breezepaw joked.

"Ravenwing," Darkpaw corrected, narrowing her eyes teasingly. "Lizard-brain. That's what your name should be. Lizardbrainpaw. Suits you."

" _Breezepaw? More like Sandyfurpaw," Scarletpaw teased, her paw still hanging guiltily in the air._

Breezepaw blinked hard, the memory dissipating fast.

"Uhuh," he nodded absently.

"Primrosepaw will never be Ravenwing's mate," Darkpaw changed the subject fluidly. "He's like, a million moons older than her."

"And what if she suddenly ages?" Breezepaw offered half-heartedly.

"I _hardly_ think that she ever would have-" Darkpaw was interrupted as a familiar cat stormed over to Breezepaw.

And then he was gone, gone, gone.

Gone.

Lightningpaw. Every beat of his heart. Every hair on his pelt. Every step from his paws. It was all for her. _It's Lightningpaw. Lightningpaw._ His heart throbbed. _Nope. ThunderClan. Lightningpaw. I- I- I can't live without her!_

She had a murderous glint in her golden eyes, but it didn't scare Breezepaw. _I'm safe. She'd never hurt me._

"Heeeey, Darkpaw," she smiled sweetly. "Breezepaw, can I borrow you for a couple heartbeats?"

"Sure?" He was confused, but he trusted her.

She paused once they were out of Darkpaw's earshot and began. "Listen, Breezepaw, I know that it's not like we're mates, or even in a romantic relationship at all, but-"

"What do you mean?" Breezepaw recoiled, puzzled and worried. "Lightningpaw, I… we're-"

"This isn't about Darkpaw," Lightningpaw stated quickly. "Breezepaw… you remember last moon, when we met up, by the border?"

"Yeah…" he felt the smile fell from his mouth. "I-"

"Shush!" She exclaimed, then continued. "It- you have to understand, this isn't fun to do… we're from different Clans. Maybe during that first Gathering we were both a little tired, everything seemed brighter and sparkly, but… I don't love you."  
"What?! I- I don't expect you to!" His eyes widened with shock. _Of course she doesn't, Breezepaw, you moron. You're just an unlovable traitor._ His mind scoffed.

"But you want me too," Lightningpaw narrowed her eyes expectantly at him, and at his silence, added: "and you figured that I would eventually. I'm not saying you love me, but I do know that we both expected there to be something between us. And Breezepaw… one infatuated kit-crush isn't that 'something'."

"What are you saying?" The bottom of his stomach dropped out and he felt dread wash over him "You- you don't like me?"

"I like you enough for this to be _hard_ to tell you," Lightningpaw smiled sympathetically and he breathed a little sigh of relief. She did like him. "Breezepaw. We're from different Clans. We don't even get along that well. We were _six moons old_. There's hardly even anything to break off. Breezepaw… we're not even friends."

"But we can be!" He exclaimed desperately.

"Yes! We can!" Lightningpaw breathed in, hoping he was beginning to understand. "But nothing else!"

He blinked slowly. So she was telling him… that she didn't love him? She didn't depend on him? _I thought I could trust you to always be there for me! You were the only one for me! I'll stop talking to Darkpaw, I'll join ThunderClan, whatever it takes, I'll do it!_ His lovesick mind cried, but the spell had been broken. _It's infatuation. She's a pretty ThunderClanner._ ThunderClan. _There's nothing there._

He could feel his mouth moving, but his voice had died along with his dreams of them together.

…

"Breezepaw."

"Leave me alone," he breathed venomously.

"Breezepaw," the same insistent voice.

"Go _away_!" He snapped.

" _Talk_ to me," the same voice, this time softer and more inviting.

He turned to finally acknowledge the cat pestering him and he felt his jaw drop. It was the very last cat he ever expected to comfort him.

"Wavepaw?" He gaped.

The thick-furred silver tom lifted a paw and flicked out his glinting claws, inspecting them. "In the flesh."

A little smile curved across his muzzle. It was as gone as fast as it came.

"Come to gloat?" Breezepaw hissed injuredly. "She's all yours. I don't care. I can't care. She can't just- she- she carved open my heart, and now she's just left me to bleed- bleeding- everywhere…"

"Drama queen," Wavepaw rolled his eyes, the blue in the darkness like ghosts. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Get up, mouse-brain. Well, go on!"

Breezepaw blinked hard, snivelling as he staggered to his paws.

"Why- why are you doing this?" Breezepaw sniffled.

Wavepaw looked away. "I can't just look at a tom leaving his pride out in the forest for all the creatures to devour, now can I?"

"Now who's the drama queen?" Breezepaw quipped through his sniffing.

Wavepaw looked down at him, a struggle in his eyes, when finally a little shudder went through him and he relaxed. Breezepaw wasn't sure what had just happened, but Wavepaw's stiff and aggressive manner seemed to have melted away.

"Sorry if I've been a fish-brain to you," Wavepaw finally apologized, not meeting Breezepaw's eyes.

"Yeah, what was up with that?" Breezepaw couldn't resist demanding.

"I…" Wavepaw's cerulean eyes were torn.

Breezepaw swallowed, unsure of whether Wavepaw would spill his true feelings to him or rip out his throat. He shot a quick prayer up to StarClan that it was the former.

"I…" Wavepaw swallowed hard, blinking quickly. "I didn't have the happiest kithood. My… my mother and my father… I don't know if you know them, but their names are Cloudfall and F- Fallowspots. They… Cloudfall and Fallowspots don't have the nicest relationship."

Breezepaw nodded softly, hoping to keep Wavepaw talking. _I guess I never really wondered why he acted like that. Seems like there might be more to the story than I know…_

"Cloudfall is the best mother a cat could wish for," Wavepaw declared vehemently, and Breezepaw didn't argue, thinking of Oatpad's neglectful time in the nursery. "But… I think something happened between them. Cloudfall… she's just really _jealous_ , but I can't figure out why! Fallowspots always seems to have a burr in his fur, but I couldn't begin to guess why. My only theory is that Fallowspots might have cheated on Cloudfall with another cat, but… I don't know, Breezepaw! I don't know!"

Watching Wavepaw break down in front of him had a sobering effect on all the thoughts spiralling through Breezpaw's mind. _His father doesn't love his mother?_ He thought. _And so Cloudfall is angry at Fallowspots because she thinks he was cheating? Or he_ was _cheating?_

"That… sounds awful," Breezepaw managed, laying his tail comfortingly across Wavepaw's shoulders. "I'm really sorry."

"To make matters worse," Wavepaw sniffed, "Fallowspots is my mentor. I have to see him _every single day_ until I'm made a warrior. I just hope I'm good enough to become a warrior quicker than most. It hurts, Breezepaw, when your father doesn't care."

"I've got lots of problems, but a father isn't one," Breezepaw shared, sighing morosely. "That's not exactly mice and moonlight either. I hear some of the older warriors gossiping sometimes. 'Oh, Oatpad was always too friendly with the kittypets. Oh, remember when Oatpad would disappear out of training for moons at a time? Oh, _isn't she just awful_ , poor Breezekit, whatever shall we do'."

Wavepaw managed a snicker through his gradually fading sobs. Breezepaw smiled tentatively. _He isn't so bad. Maybe I was wrong about him. Friends are better than crushes anyways. I always wanted a brother._

"Come WindClan! We must return!" Spottedstar yowled.

The other leaders called out similar summons directed at their respective Clans.

"Gathering's over?" Breezepaw asked in surprise.

"Yeah, but nothing important happened," Wavepaw's eyes suddenly iced over. "Nothing at all. I'll see you around, Breezepaw."

 _Well,_ that _was weird._ Breezepaw thought to himself. _At least I know he's not a good-for-nothing pile of sheep-dung._ He smiled at the thought, and bounded away towards his Clan.

…

 _What's that?_ Breezepaw wondered, hearing the continual _hrak-hrack_ from behind the bushes. No cat in the Clan seemed to mind though, all of their minds fixed on sinking into a soft nest of moss after the Gathering.

They were almost back to camp, having taken a detour after two-legs were spotted a little closer to the lake. The Gathering patrol had swerved off course, nearer to the two-legs place than Breezepaw was thrilled about.

 _Who's coughing like that? They sound like they're dying or something!_ Breezepaw felt a surge of panic.

"Uh, Icestorm?" His mentor turned to see him. "I'm just going to make dirt. I'll see you back at camp."

His mentor nodded, seeming spaced out. _Whatever. I need to see who's making that choking sound. It might be a cat in serious trouble!_

Wary of being attacked, Breezepaw peeked around the bush, not entirely sure what he was expecting to find. Whatever it was, certainly not what was right in front of him.

Familiar, russet-amber tabby fur coated the cat that was bent over a flash of bright ruby. _Scarletpaw? What's that thing?_ Breezepaw wondered, peering closer at the little item. _It's a flower of some kind…_

It was redder than Scarletpaw's pelt. She continued to do whatever it was she was doing to the flower… _What's she doing?_ He wondered again. Trying to figure out what kind of flower it was, he studied it closely. _It looks like a lily with a million little petals, like a spider. And it's red. I think Sweetberry was talking about some kind of flower she called a spider lily, but she said they were white. Huh._ Breezepaw puzzled over scene.

He suddenly realized something strange. _She's… she's_ eating _the flower._ He thought in alarm. _Is it some kind of medicine? But what if it's poisonous?! And why does she keep coughing?_

Suddenly, Scarletpaw turned to the side and made an awful, heaving noise, like she was throwing up. Then Breezepaw realized she had.

As soon as she stopped coughing and vomiting, she turned tail and ran, straight towards the camp. _Where's she going now?_ Breezepaw wondered. _Probably just back to camp._

He crept out of the bush, still curious as to what was going on, and investigated the strange scene.

There lay a little patch of the red, spider-like lilies. One of the flowers had no bloom, just a green stem. Revolted, Breezepaw spared only a glance at the vomit. It confirmed what he had guessed; Scarletpaw had been eating the flower.

That left only one question.

 _Why?_

 **Why indeed, little Breezy.**

 **I know. Do you? A quick google search about the legend of this particular flower will give you a strong hint as to what mysteries may be surrounding Scarletpaw. And certain other cats that shall remain unnamed.**

 **So the QOTC is: You may have noticed… but all three of the other cats have voices in their heads at this point in the story. Wavepaw's got Pondfrost, Darkpaw's got Ripple, Silver Memory, Moonripple, or whatever the heck name he's sporting at the moment, and Lightningpaw has Whiteshadow. Breezepaw has no one. Any guesses as to why?**

 **Anyways. Random side note. I now have a document bookmarked on my computer listed as '#Spoilers'. (I don't know if the hash-tag will show up, but yeah.) It's got… a lot of information about this story on it.**

 **P.S. If you don't want everything to be spoiled DON'T HACK MY COMPUTER. Thanks guys. Luv ya. The document's actual name is 'Everything'. XD I like looking at it and cackling like a maniac. Mhmh.**

 **Okay, so y'all will have your special chapter sometime in the next week, hopefully tomorrow, but knowing me, no promises. I really am super thankful for everything and all the support y'all have pumped into the story. I would be on chapter ½ if you guys hadn't stepped in and helped. *Cyber-five***

 **~Pondfrost**


	37. Wave: Sugar, Spice, and All Things Nice

**Ayooooo peeps! (I'm late again. Whatever, y'all are probably bored of apologies…)**

 **Welcome to the chapter that's about to set it ALL OFF because everything's about to go wrong.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **KaiLover: Not IMPORTANT? Le gosh, how could you say such a thing?**

 **Night of the Cheshire: Dark and Lightning, huh? Cool. Usually it's one or the other, but whatever broils your brisket, bro.**

 **crazylegs(That's a heck of a name XD): Hmmmmmmm good to see you're doing your research, but are you correct? We shall see!**

 **Starrysong: Yeaaaah, halfway through the planning I realized that was kind of how it was, but that's going to be a bit important at some point. I don't like leaving loose ends all over the place.**

 **Crowfrost(I hath been blessed for such a celebrity to visit my lowly story!): AUUUUGH! I DON'T KNOW! OH WAIT I DO BUT Y'ALL ARE GONNA HAVE TO WAIT AND SEEEEEEE!**

 **Well, onwards!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't actually own warriors… (quelle surprise)**

Chapter 35.

 _It never dries, does it?_ Wavepaw thought to himself, inspecting the delicately dripping reeds. _That storm was nearly a moon ago, but any cat would think it hit us yesterday; everything's still wet. I'm not complaining, though, it meant I could go to Lightningpaw again. Easier than swimming across the lake._

 _I can't believe Fallowspots wasn't even a tiny bit suspicious when you could suddenly swim like you were… Rippl- Riverstar._ Pondfrost muttered in his head, yawning loudly. _He ain't the fastest fish in the lake, huh._

 _Could you keep it down?_ Wavepaw demanded irritably. _I'm supposed to be fishing, you know._

He'd been assigned the river nearest to the WindClan border and instructed to bring back four fish by sunhigh. There was a pile of fish next to him, many more than he had been told to catch, but he found the routine of stillness then sudden movement rather calming, almost therapeutic.

 _You've got plenty._ Pondfrost pointed out. _You can just go back._

 _Didn't ask for suggestions._ Wavepaw snapped. _Can't you go back into your little dream world and leave me some peace?_

 _Why yes, I can go back and torture myself with deathly boredom for days on end, eventually going mad and torturing_ you _in your dreams._ Pondfrost declared dryly. _Sayonara._

 _Wait! Maybe not._ Wavepaw clarified. _Just… shush, okay?_

Pondfrost did as he asked, his mind silent and calm once more. _That's weird; she usually doesn't do what I ask…_ Wavepaw thought.

Then they came.

Crushing down on him, tearing his mind apart.

Lightningpaw. In a hundred different situations, but each with one thing in common. The blood. Everywhere. Not the blood that Duckfeather had coughed up as she lay dying in the medicine den after the badger attack, not the blood that covered his muzzle after a particularly juicy vole, but blackish-scarlet liquid that beaded quicker and quicker, until he was drowning in it, the salt stinging him and the liquid covering him.

"H- help!" He choked out, the scarlet blood splashing thickly into his muzzle.

He coughed and heaved, the saltiness of it getting into his ears and nose and mouth.

Then it was gone.

 _I'm back._ Pondfrost whispered, making zero attempt to veil her smugness. _How was that?_

 _How could you do that?!_ He demanded, furious. _Why did- why do I- where did that come from?_

 _You're asking the wrong questions._ Pondfrost snapped.

 _What are the right questions?!_ He hissed, fishing forgotten.

 _Well, those images were always there._ She corrected. _The question is, why aren't they anymore?_

 _Okay, fine._ He relented, irritated. _Why aren't they here anymore?_

 _Because I am._ Pondfrost's smirk was audible. _I'm helping you; don't push me away. You know what will happen._

 _Uh, no. No, I don't._ He growled.

 _You are a fish-brain._ Pondfrost hissed. _You will see her like that, over and over again until your mind becomes nothing but the prison of your soul, and you will make it come true._

Wavepaw said nothing. Silence lapped at his mind like waves, but Pondfrost was there; he could feel her hovering at the end of his consciousness.

He focused on fishing.

…

"Where were you?!" Fallowspots demanded as he slunk back into camp, the sun's amber rays slowly fading from the evening sky. "You were supposed to come back by sundown!"

"It is sundown," Wavepaw snapped. "Besides, I brought back more than eight fish!"

"Which just shows you don't listen to direction," Fallowspots hissed back. "You were told to bring back four! You could have gone on patrol or done something helpful for the Clan, but _noooo_ , you had to be selfish and take all the time you wanted, just so you could get a little extra praise from your _daddy._ Sorry, but _that isn't happening._ "

 _Bad day?_ Pondfrost whispered in his head, causing him to snicker.

Bad choice.

"Excuse me, but I'd like a little respect while I'm talking!" Fallowspots exploded. "Go to the apprentice's den and stay there until you've learned the proper way to treat your father, mentor, and superior!"

 _StarClan above, he's in a bad mood._ Wavepaw thought to hiimself as he turned away from the hissing gray and white tabby.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a fluffy white shape storm up to Fallowspots, a gleam of murder in her eyes. _Cloudfall._ Wavepaw thought, a little devilish glee running through his fur. _Now he's gonna get it._

Sure enough, their argument reached fever pitch quickly, echoing over the camp. Wavepaw felt a stab of anxiety. He didn't want them to fight; not like this. The whole camp knew that they didn't have a happy relationship.

 _What happened to make them like this?_ He wondered.

 _You'll find out soon enough._ Pondfrost promised ominously. _And you need to keep yourself under control when you do._

 _What do you mean, under control?_ He demanded.

 _You'll see._ Pondfrost whispered, retreating to the back of his mind.

His body felt like it was being torn apart. He couldn't look at Cloudfall or Fallowspots, but he couldn't move either. _Go. Run!_ His mind cried. _RUN!_

And finally, he bolted.

He couldn't control his paws and they led him to the furthest reaches of RiverClan territory, away from every border except the one the separated RiverClan from the rest of the world. The twolegs place loomed.

Wavepaw paused right before he stepped over the border.

Was he really going to leave? _Not for long. I just can't be in this territory right now. I'll come back; I'll go to the Gathering._ He promised himself quickly, and lightly padded over the scent line.

 _Where to now?_ He wondered, looking around at the cold and unforgiving stone structures of the twolegs place. It was the opposite of welcoming. Even the scraggly little trees looked hostile.

The shadows seemed to shift right before his eyes, and he whipped around to try to look at all of them at once.

A creeping chill of foreboding crept up his spine as he realized that the little glowing fireflies weren't fireflies.

They were eyes.

Watching him.

He stealthily slipped into the shadows of a large building, the noise of cats arguing reached his ears.

"It just _feels_ like you're trying to get rid of me!" A young she-cat's indignant voice echoed over to Wavepaw. "I don't want to go!"

"You're doing this for us; for Rust," an older tom's voice responded. It was vaguely familiar. "You're just helping your family."

"But this isn't about us!" The first cat snapped back. "This is about your pathetic revenge."

"Sin, calm down," another voice, this one of a she-cat, probably around the age of the tom. "You were the one who suggested this. You know she's probably distracted and mixed up by now. You can help her; don't you want to?"

 _Who are these cats?_ Wavepaw wondered. _They sound familiar, but…_

"I guess…" the she-cat, Sin, replied uncertainly. "Scar never could focus on anything."

Wavepaw shivered at her tone. It was halfway between fond and malicious.

"All the more reason to go help her," the tom reasoned, sounding impatient. "Besides, you have just as much reason to hate the Clans as we do."

 _They're talking about… our Clans?_ Wavepaw's fur rose on his spine. _Scar, Sin, what kind of names are those?_

"Willy, sir, there's a cat here to see you," a fourth voice, a young, nervous tom, joined the other three. "Shall I send him in?"

"Who?" The older tom, who Wavepaw assumed was Willy, demanded.

"Uh- uh- Benny," the young tom muttered, as though the name alone could get his head mounted on a stick.

"It's been _ten moons_ and suddenly that good for nothing piece of smooth-skin trash wants back?" Willy exploded, black fury erupting through the area.

Wavepaw took the moment to peep out of his hiding spot into the shadows to catch a brief glimpse of the cats. What he saw shocked him.

First, he spotted Willy. While he wasn't the biggest or scariest cat Wavepaw had seen, there was a quiet air of danger around him, every cat near him bowing slightly, accepting him as the leader.

Willy's ragged gray fur was on end, his yellow eyes blazing as he snapped at the young messenger.

 _It's him._ Ice cascaded over his insides. _Cherryfish. Acornkit. Pikepaw. Willy._ Willy. _He's the one who stole Acornkit._

The gray tom had definitely aged, but it was most certainly the same tom.

Waevpaw glanced at the older she-cat. She too was very familiar, a ginger she-cat with a velvety sweet voice. _Satin. She's Willy's mate, isn't she?_

And the third cat. A thick-furred ginger she-cat with darker brown tabby stripes. And golden eyes. Very, very familiar golden eyes. _Lightningpaw? No. Lightningpaw has brown fur, not ginger, and she has white stripes, not dark brown ones. She's probably around Lightningpaw's age, though._

 _Sin._ The name was unfamiliar, but the she-cat threw him into a hazy memory.

 _"She was pretty and red," his younger self murmured._

 _Pretty and red._

 _Acorn._

 _Acornkit._

 _Is that… Acornkit?_

His mind whirred.

He barely passed a glance over the messenger, a thickly muscled ginger tom who looked very uncomfortable in his own fur. He was mildly familiar, but Wavepaw had a strong feeling that he'd never seen him before. _Sparx? No… Sparx was bigger, and he would be old by now. This cat is young. His son, perhaps?_ Wavepaw theorized silently before settling back into his hiding spot to listen to the rest of the conversation.

"Embyr, tell Benny to get his tail off the order of the Rust's territory before we rip it off," Willy ordered coldly.

"And if he refuses?" The tom, Embyr, asked nervously.

"Then kill him," Willy responded simply, his voice devoid of any compassion.

It sent a cold shiver down Wavepaw's spine. _Kill him._ The words echoed deafeningly in his ears.

"Sin, say good-bye to Embyr," Willy ordered sweetly. "This will be the last time you see him."

Embyr's eyes widened in fear, but Willy made no move to strike him.

Sin nodded softly, making her way over to Embyr and resting her muzzle on his shoulder, whispering a few intimate words that Wavepaw couldn't make out. Embyr responded, pain clear in his tone, his words inaudible.

Sin drew back, nodding shortly, her golden eyes pools of sadness.

"Sorry, Sin," Satin murmured to the young she-cat. "I'm sure you'll have many more opportunities; a pretty young thing like you will have all the toms falling at her paws."

Wavepaw grimaced. It sounded like Embyr and Sin had been mates or at least very close. Were Satin and Willy forcing her to break off her relationship with Embyr? _Are they… are they her parents?_

Suddenly, another piece of flashback came to him.

 _"She looks just like one of our own, wouldn't you agree, Satin?" Willy smiled wolfishly._

 _"Just like Cin," Satin agreed._

 _Cin and Sin? That's practically the same name._ Pondfrost snorted contemptuously.

 _Unless… Sin isn't Acornkit…_ Wavepaw was completely confused. _Are Cin and Sin the same cat? Then who is Acornkit? But… Sin or Cin or whoever she is looks just like the kit from my memory…_

 _But remember what Satin said?_ Pondfrost countered. _'Just like Cin'. So maybe they named her Sin after their kit, Cin._

 _Then what's become of Cin?_ Wavepaw wondered, perplexed.

"And Embyr, on your way out," Willy said icily, "would you take care of that little silver tom over by the fence?"

…

He didn't know how long he'd been running.

His lungs felt like they were on fire, his paws felt like torn up leaves, and his fur was unkept.

The twolegs place was like a maze; he couldn't find his way out no matter how hard he tried.

Every corner he turned greeted him with more identical gray buildings. RiverClan territory just felt further away than ever. He figured that turning around might help, but he could hear Embyr hard on his heels and wasn't going to slow down for any cat.

"Hurry up, you fools!" Embyr's uncertain, kind tone from before had disappeared entirely, replaced with a harsh, commanding tone of a hunter. "We have to catch him!"

Wavepaw didn't think it was possible, but he sped up. His paws were flying across the hard, rough stone, his breath pumping in and out raggedly.

He suddenly started coughing, coughing hard. He screwed up his face, closing his eyes as he suddenly found himself running across a large expanse of sand. He swerved, nearly crashing into an obscenely bright structure of some kind with little twolegs kits hanging off it.

Suddenly thinking of something, he bounded forwards, jumping as high as he could, then as he landed, slammed his back paws hard into the sand, kicking up a great cloud of dust.

Satisfaction rammed through him as he bounded across the rest of the sandy expanse, hearing the coughing of the other cats. _Now you can lose them!_ Pondfrost urged him. _Just a bit faster! I'll guide you._

He continued running, too out of breath to think. He reached the edge of the sand and leaped off it, faced with two directions.

 _Left!_ Pondfrost shouted.

He obeyed, swerving to the side to avoid a thunderpath. He slowed slightly, his legs finally announcing to the world that they weren't going to obey anything else that Wavepaw was telling them.

 _Jump onto this fence!_ Pondfrost screeched in his ears. He obeyed, bunching his aching legs underneath him and leaping onto it. _Now, quickly, get on top of this big… thing. Ugh, Whiteshadow would know…_

 _Who's Whiteshadow?_ Wavepaw asked, not really caring, just hoping that Pondfrost wouldn't leave again. _I'm not dealing with those visions while running away from a vicious group of rogues. Nope. Not happening._

 _My… well, not anymore, I suppose._ Pondfrost purred drily, but her voice was laden with long-embedded sadness. _She… was my… my… Look out!_

The sudden screech of panic from Pondfrost sent a shot of fire through his veins and he sped up, barely sparing a glance behind him to see Embyr hot on his heels, now with a large amassment of rogues, all wild-eyed and haggard-looking.

He leapt onto the covering part of a twolegs nest, clattering across what seemed to be shiny, leaf-shaped stones.

His instincts taking over, he bounded from one nest to the next, eventually spotting RiverClan territory over the rising smoke of the twolegs trash.

He wasn't making any effort to control his breathing at this point, it was just his lungs yanking in polluted breath after polluted breath. His legs burned and stung, but he knew the alternative was death, and he wasn't in any hurry to be dead at the paws of some mangy rogues.

Had it been any of situation, Wavepaw might have found beauty in the twilight slowly encompassing the dark twolegs place, the last golden-amber rays of the sun fading away, leaving a dark, velvety violet that weighed heavily on the sky.

However, this was a life-and-death chase with a bunch of deranged rogues. Admiring a sunset was a one-way ticket to StarClan at this point. _Wavepaw, you're almost there, just a little more!_ Pondfrost urged.

 _Thanks, I get it._ He replied, his breathing speeding up right along his heartbeat.

As his paws pounded across the top of the largest twolegs nest yet, his bouncing, crazy vision spotted the looming edge of the nest.

 _Jump!_ Pondfrost screamed.

And then his legs were stumbling, bunching, and pushing off messily as he took a flying leap off the edge.

For a beautiful, sparkling moment, he was flying.

Flying right through the breeze.

And then, for an electrifying terrifying moment, he was falling.

Falling straight down, straight into the ground

Explosions of pain jolted through his shoulder as he landed flat-footed, pain screeching through every nerve.

He cried out, raw and vulnerable, collapsing onto the earth.

 _It's the end for me…_ He thought sadly. _You win, Breezepaw. Goodbye, world._

 _Get up!_ Pondfrost yowled into his ears. _Quit being a drama queen! ON YOUR PAWS!_

The vehemence of her tone was nearly enough to propel him to his feet, but the fiery agony blasting through him had a very different opinion.

"Stop!" A sudden scream of fury so red and flaming that even Wavepaw froze echoed over the area. "Go back! Get out of here, Embyr, before I tear your throat out!"

He heard a mumble of surprise, before everything went dark.

…

"You alright?" A flash of reddish-brown loomed over him. "Wakey, wakey."

His eyes fluttered open.

"Who- who are you?" He managed, his words muddled.

"Your mother," the cat snorted. "Not. It don't matter in the least, just- are you alright? Flippin' Clan cats, always fainting when they see me, weaklings. No offence. I'm not that ugly, am I?"

"Sin?" He mumbled, the named alighting on his tongue when he saw the familiar bright pelt of red with darker brown tabby stripes.

"Sin?" She echoed. "'aven't heard that one in a while. Some memories there… nope. I don't know who you are, little silver, but you better go before the Rust gets their claws into ya."

He nodded slowly, delirious.

"Thanks, Acornkit…"

"Who?" She looked completely nonplussed by the name. "I ain't no kit. Or an acorn. Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"

He lifted his tail to give her a shaky salute, and walked away.

 _That- that wasn't Sin._ Pondfrost murmured. _Sin had golden eyes, remember?_

 _Yeah… but you're dead!_ Wavepaw snickered to himself as he walked, swaying slightly as he went, his muscles tense and aching. _How can you see anything?_

 _I see through your eyes._ Pondrost told him patiently. _That cat had very familiar eyes… but she couldn't have…_

There was a pregnant silence for a moment. Then-

 _HOLY SWEET CHILDREN OF THE STARS._

Wavepaw was pretty sure his ears were bleeding.

 _IT'S HER. IT MUST BE._ Pondfrost was screaming. _B-BUT SHE WAS- FROM THE RUST? BUT THAT WASN'T HOW THEY SAID IT WOULD BE, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A CLAN THAT SHE WAS BORN INTO, HOW-_

Then more silence, and Wavepaw winced.

 _Oh. Oh no no no._ Pondfrost whispered. _She was born into there, then was taken, then came back, but to the wrong- OH NO. THIS IS VERY BAD._

 _What's going on?!_ Wavepaw demanded. _Who are you talking about?_

And then Pondfrost was gone.

The images were bearing down on him, but every time they were close, he felt Pondfrost pop back into his mind to shield him for a moment.

 _Thanks,_ real _helpful._ Wavepaw snapped sarcastically.

He walked silently to the Gathering island, not caring how furious Fallowspots probably was about his disappearance. Confusion roiled through his mind like the lake in the middle of a storm.

 _Don't think about any of that. Right now, you have to go see Lightningpaw. No more acting weird; you're not wasting so many journeys across the_ lake _just to stammer and act like a kit that's never been out of the nursery!_ He told himself brusquely. _Now, where is she?_

For the first time, he spotted her right away.

His heart sped up a little, but his paws didn't so much as twitch. _Improvement._ He noted to himself. _I can do this._

He took a took a deep breath and stepped forwards. _I can do this, I can do this. It's just another cat. Imagine she's… uh… Crowstrike! Yeah, just an easy conversation with a Clanmate._ He nodded to himself, trying to slow his racing heart.

He swallowed. _Confidence! You can do this!_

Wavepaw approached her slowly, from the back so she wouldn't see how he was shaking.

"Breezepaw?" Her soft mew reached his ears.

 _Grrr. Forget about him._ He thought, but quelled the thought.

"Nope," another deep breath, "just me."

"Wavepaw," her mew was blank, almost uninterested.

 _Better than scared and angry._ He told himself. _Improvement. She'll come around; I know she will._

"Hiya, Lightningpaw," he smiled as gently and unthreateningly as he could.

She breathed out softly, sounding nearly relieved. _What, you think I'm going to attack you or something?_ A faintly amused part of him snarked rhetorically as another, lovesick part piped up, _I'd never hurt you! I love you!_

"So how's RiverClan been?" She asked.

 _Starting a conversation! Okay, okay, now remember, speak with confidence and smoothness._ He directed himself silently, not trusting himself to form an intelligible response.

"Well, after fourteen assassination plots directed at Snowstar, I think-" he grinned.

"What?! Assassination plots?" She had obviously believed him.

"Kidding. We've been pretty good," he nodded warmly. "I mean, other than Crowstrike pretending she's deputy, that is."

 _There, make some jokes but keep the conversation moving._ He announced to himself.

"Crowstrike?" Lightningpaw tilted her head, an invitation to continue.

"She was made a warrior a little while ago," Wavepaw told her.

"Ah," she nodded knowingly. "We have a cat like that too. Rosefire."

 _Finding common ground!_ He cheered silently. _I've got this!_

"She sounds delightful," Wavepaw employed his secret tactic; a smirk. "Well, I'm guessing Rosefire doesn't have a brother who flirts constantly with your sister like a starving fox."

Actually, he knew very well that Oakpaw and Mallowpaw had each taken an interest in one of Lightningpaw's sister. Ripplepaw had befriended Vixenpaw, Lightningpaw's sister, enthusiastically declaring they were littermates seperated at birth. _And Seednose may not have made any progress with Ripplepaw, but how could he know that, the way she leads him on?_

"Oh-ho, you guess, do you?" She purred, and Wavepaw quivered with delight. "You'd be wrong! In fact, mister 'I-know-it-all', Rosefire has _two_ brothers and they're _both_ after my sisters!"

 _Is that so?_ Pondfrost gasped in fake surprise. _Wavepaw sure didn't know that! Gosh!_

Wavepaw stifled a purr at Pondfrost's antics.

"Is there one after you?" He joked. "Or are you and Rosefire the star-crossed lovers of ThunderClan?"

 _Oh no, what if she likes she-cats?_ A little worry niggled at the back of his mind.

"It's unofficial," she quipped. "And how about you and Crowstrike? Have you announced it yet, or are you waiting to be made a warrior?"

 _Yeah right. You're the only for me._ He breathed to himself, but he didn't say anything except:

"Hilarious," he narrowed his eyes. "But seriously, I want to hear _all_ the ThunderClan gossip. Who are these toms after your sisters?"

His genuine curiosity was grossly outweighed by his desire to keep her talking.

"Well," she settled down, tucking her paws under her chest adorably, "one's name is Mallowdrop, and… I suppose it would be more accurate to say my sister's after _him_ since it would be a miracle from StarClan themselves if he did anything proactive _ever_ , but I think Vixenpaw'll set him straight. Oakpelt and Slatepaw, on the other paw, are obviously destined to be; they stare at each other all the time while they're 'hunting' and their crushes on each other are _so_ obvious."

Wavepaw nodded slowly, trying add an air of amused mystery to himself.

Pondfrost roared with laughter as he tried to be flirty. *****

"If only it was that easy for the rest of us," he sighed dramatically, shooting her a hinting look that he was fairly sure she completely missed.

Something glimmered in the golden folds of her eyes, but it vanished quickly, just leaving sunny ice.

"I'm not interested in a mate," her tone was blunt and hard. "Who needs some tom to tie them down?"

"Is that so?" He allowed an amused smirk to play across his face. "Then what _are_ you interested in, Lightningpaw?"

He savoured her name for a moment, noting with sweeping delight that she stammered for a heartbeat.

"I'm going to be leader of ThunderClan one day," she announced to him. "Just ask- ask Vixenpaw."

 _Oh, I will._ He murmured to himself, trying to make a mental note.

"I wouldn't doubt you could get there," he tilted his head amiably down to her. "You seem like a cat that wouldn't settle for anything."

"What do you know about me?" Her face dared him to try to find out.

"I know you believe me when I say that you'll be leader," he tried to make his eyes as round and magnetic as possible.

"Really. And why is that?"

"Because you're a good cat. You have something the rest of us don't," then blue fire, like he'd practiced in the puddles. "Determination."

"I- I-" she stammered, and he felt a surge of delight. "I have to go!"

 _I've got her. I've_ so _got her._ He thought to himself, wishing he were alone so he could dance around. _That she-cat is mine, mine, mine!_

His eyes glowed.

Wavepaw allowed himself to be envelopped by triumph and joy for a moment, ignoring Pondfrost's snide remarks. Eventually, he had to pull himself out of pleasant reveries as he heard the nasally mew of the ThunderClan leader ring over the area.

 _Ugh, I hope that decrepit old fossil kicks it soon._ He thought viciously to himself.

"Quiet down!" He heard Reedtail snap.

He turned to see who had incurred the fishy-breathed wrath of the elder, only to spot Lightningpaw sitting right next to Darkpaw, being harassed by the old fart.

He slipped over to the trio with the speed of a diving salmon.

"Reedtail, why don't you come sit by me?" He invited smoothly. "I have a great spot. The leaders haven't started yet, so we'll have lots of time."

"Okay," he grumbled, allowing himself to be led away as Wavepaw lightly laid his tail on his shoulders.

As he left, he threw a wink over his shoulder at the pair of she-cats.

He heard Darkpaw stammering incoherently with anger, drowning out any reaction Lightningpaw had, and he felt a surge of amusement and delight.

 _Today is a good day._

…

After Thornstar had finished babbling about his kits and the new warriors, things really started to get interesting for Wavepaw.

"Wait! I forgot something!" Thornstar yelped like a vole being poked with a twig.

" _Sorry_ , continue," Snowstar rolled his eyes.

 _Agreed._ Wavepaw silently concurred with Snowstar's loud vibe of impatience.

"RiverClan," Thornstar, suddenly deadly serious, stalked across the branch he was perched on until he was nose to nose with the fluffy leader. "Care to explain how it came to be that our patrols found scents in our own territory?!"

"RiverClan scents?" Whatever Snowstar had expected Thornstar to say, it clearly wasn't that. "In _your_ territory?"

"Yes!" Thornstar snapped.

"But… RiverClan hasn't been in ThunderClan territory for several moons!" Snowstar didn't even seem angry, just extremely confused.

"Stop trying to deny it! We found scents _deep_ in our territory!" Thornstar hissed.

"None of my warriors were anywhere near your camp!" Snowstar snapped. "We live on the other side of the lake!"

"Yes, he's right. Any cat would have to pass through our territories before they could reach yours, and I think I speak for both of us when I say that we've seen no cat," Spottedstar took a threatening step towards Snowstar, Ivystar mirroring her movements.

"Maybe you should patrol your borders better!" Thornstar exploded, undeterred by their threatening stances. "I know what I smelled!"

Wavepaw watched all this with an icy chill slowly sinking its fangs into his fur. _Scents deep in their territory? Like… in their_ camp _, perhaps?_

 _Wavepaw, you idiot, you're going to cause a war!_ Pondfrost snapped. _What have you done?_

 _Only what you told me!_ Wavepaw protested.

 _Oh, I am going to get an_ earful _tonight._ Pondfrost hissed to herself. _Pondfrost, what have you done? This is worse than the Birdwhisker issue, worse than the kits, worse- well, probably not worse than being at fault for the slow and painful death of-_

 _What are you talking about?_ Wavepaw demanded.

 _Nothing!_ Pondfrost shouted. _I- well, honestly… a war would be better than the utter obliteration of everything the Clans have ever known…_

 _When you put it like that…_ Wavepaw snarked.

"Are you saying that we're not doing a good job of protecting our borders?" Ivystar demanded, her voice colder than the peak of a blizzard.

"I'm saying that a RiverClan patrol didn't swim across the lake," Thornstar hissed.

 _No indeed, squirrel-cruncher._ Pondfrost remarked acidly. _Just one, fish-tail brain._

" _No RiverClan cats touched our borders_ ," Spottedstar's mew was low and dangerous. "Do not argue."

"I will defend my Clan!" Thornstar refuted her words with the vehemence of a mad cat.

 _This is very very not good._ He thought to himself. _Very bad. Snowstar's going to chew him up and spit him out._

"Thornstar, no RiverClan cats were in your territory!" Snowstar mewed, his voice impressively calm. "Perhaps you should just calm down and think rationally-"

"Don't tell me what to do!" The older leader yowled furiously.

"Hey," Wavepaw jumped as a voice came from right beside him.

"Darkpaw," he frowned at her.

The little calico inspected him. His pelt prickled under her unblinking amber stare.

"I've rethought my earlier statement," Darkpaw declared diplomatically.

"Which one?"

"I believe we may be able to help each other after all."

…

Wavepaw ignored Fallowspots hovering creepily around a group of ShadowClan apprentices, staring especially hard at one that had a familiar golden and black pelt, he ignored two apprentices, one ShadowClan and one WindClan sneaking around, snickering to each other.

He was on a mission, and he wasn't letting any cat distract him.

 _Of course, should Lightningpaw show up begging to be my mate, I may have to reconsider that policy._ He giggled like a kit to himself. _Now where's Breezy?_

"Fine," Lightningpaw's broken mew barely reached his ears.

"Fine," Breezepaw echoed.

They'd obviously had some sort of fight, but Wavepaw wasn't interested in what. As much as his paws were itching to chase after Lightningpaw and comfort her, he had to befriend Breezepaw for Darkpaw's plan to work.

He approached his enemy slowly, trying to suppress the urge to leap on Breezepaw and yank out pawfuls of his fur.

Eventually, Wavepaw managed to place himself in front of Breezepaw without murdering him.

However, the golden tom didn't acknowledge him in the least. If Wavepaw didn't know about Breezepaw's nasty and cruel demeanor, he might have thought that Breezepaw couldn't see him.

"Breezepaw," he impressed himself with the lack of venom in his voice as he spoke to his least favourite cat, second only to Fallowspots.

"Leave me alone," Breezepaw's bowed head hissed venomously.

"Breezepaw," he repeated insistently.

"Go _away_!" Breezepaw growled pathetically.

Wavepaw had a strong urge to whip out his claws and scar Breezepaw until he couldn't walk straight, but if he injured Breezepaw, Darkpaw would probably pull out his ears and feed them to the fish.

 _It's in every cat's best interest for me to befriend Breezepaw._ Wavepaw told himself.

 _You're scared of Darkpaw._ Pondfrost cackled. _You're a little scaredy-bunny._

 _Scaredy-what now?_ Wavepaw repeated.

 _Just something that my- some cat used…_ Pondfrost muttered.

"Talk to me," Wavepaw tried to sound soft and approachable.

Breezepaw finally lifted his head to stare Wavepaw right in the eye.

His wounded green eyes were cut deep with pain, so raw and vulnerable that Wavepaw was taken aback. _What's wrong with him?_

"Wavepaw?" Breezepaw gaped.

"In the flesh," he lifted a paw and flicked out his claws, inspecting them.

A little smile wormed its way across his face at the thought of Pondfrost's favourite expression, but he suppressed it, knowing that Breezepaw obviously needed a serious shoulder to cry on, not a joking fish-face with the voice of his dead sister who clearly had secrets in his head.

"Come to gloat?" Breezepaw snarled injuredly. "She's all yours. I don't care. I can't care. She can't just- she carved open my heart, and now she's just left me to bleed- bleeding- everywhere…"

"Drama queen," Wavepaw snarled contemptuously, unable to suppress an eye-roll. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Get up mouse-brain. Well, go on!"

Breezepaw blinked his watery green eyes, snivelling like a kit as he staggered to his paws.

"Why- why are you doing this?" He sniffled.

"I can't just look at a tom leaving his pride out in the forest for all the creatures to devour, now can I?" He looked away so Breezepaw wouldn't see how sincere he was.

"Now who's the drama queen?" Breezepaw quipped irritatingly.

Wavepaw looked down at him, struggling on the precipice of losing all control and attacking the frustrating, pathetic excuse for a cat in front of him. _Pretend he's… er…_ Wavepaw racked his brain for a tom he could actually stand. _Um. Fallowspots? No, that would make me want to kill him more. How about uh, Seednose? No… um. Pikepaw! Pretend he's Pikepaw._

A little quiver ran across his fur, and he relaxed, projecting the darker brown, bland fur of the medicine cat apprentice onto the shadowed golden fur of Breezepaw.

"Sorry if I've been a fish-brain to you," Wavepaw apologized to Pikepaw, remembering how he'd been nasty to the apprentice when he had been so torn up about his sister.

"Yeah, what was up with that?" Pikepaw asked in his monotonous voice.

"I-" he was torn. Pikepaw didn't know much about him besides the fact that he was his age. Perhaps the ice would melt between them if Wavepaw knew what he was going through.

"I…" He swallowed hard, making up his mind. "I didn't have the happiest kithood. My… my mother and my father… I don't know if you know them, but their names are Cloudfall and F- Fallowspots. They… Cloudfall and Fallowspots don't have the nicest relationship."

Pikepaw nodded understandingly.

"Cloudfall is the best mother a cat could wish for," Wavepaw declared vehemently, and Pikepaw didn't argue. "But… I think something happened between them. Cloudfall… she's just really _jealous_ , but I can't figure out why! Fallowspots always seems to have a burr in his fur, but I couldn't begin to guess why. My only theory is that Fallowspots might have cheated on Cloudfall with another cat, but… I don't know, Breezepaw! I don't know!"

He had been close to addressing Breezepaw as Pikepaw, but he managed to avoid it by a fish-tail. _Careful, Wavepaw, don't mess this up._ Pondfrost warned.

"That… sounds awful," Pikepaw managed, laying his tail comfortingly across Wavepaw's shoulders. "I'm really sorry."

"To make matters worse," Wavepaw sniffed, "Fallowspots is my mentor. I have to see him _every single day_ until I'm made a warrior. I just hope I'm good enough to become a warrior quicker than most. It hurts, Breezepaw, when your father doesn't care."

"I've got lots of problems, but a father isn't one," Pikepaw shared, sighing morosely. "That's not exactly mice and moonlight either. I hear some of the older warriors gossiping sometimes. 'Oh, Oatpad was always too friendly with the kittypets. Oh, remember when Oatpad would disappear out of training for moons at a time? Oh, _isn't she just awful_ , poor Breezekit, whatever shall we do'."

 _Why is he calling himself Breezekit? His name is Pikepaw. And his mother is Cherryfish, not Oatpad._ Wavepaw was confused for a moment, then realized he was acting like his brain was made of stones. _Oh wait, that's Breezepaw, not Pikepaw. But… I guess I never thought about who Pikepaw's father was… Cherryfish never talks about her time in the nursery. Not after what happened with Acornkit. Or Cin, or Sin, or whoever she is._

Wavepaw snickered through his fake sobbing, trying to melt Breezepaw's heart. And lo and behold, every thought was etched on Breezepaw's face. His green eyes went softer than moss as he regarded the new Wavepaw.

 _Yes! He fell so hard for it; what a fish-head._ He thought maliciously.

"Come WindClan! We must return!" The black and white WindClan leader yowled.

The other leaders called out similar summons directed at their respective Clans.

"Gathering's over?" Breezepaw asked in surprise.

"Yeah, but nothing important happened," Wavepaw couldn't let Breezepaw know that RiverClan and WindClan had been at odds; it would jeopardize Breezepaw's sudden trust in him. "Nothing at all. I'll see you around, Breezepaw."

Breezepaw nodded silently. _He's a little weirded out by it, but not so much that he'll remember it._ Wavepaw told himself. _Good. Okay. We're good._

 _You talk to yourself._ Pondfrost noted mockingly.

 _You're dead._ Wavepaw snapped.

 _Touch_ _é._ Pondfrost replied.

…

By the time they reached RiverClan camp, Wavepaw had heard about forty different cats complaining about Thornstar's ridiculous accusations. He was sick and tired of his overly aggressive Clanmates speculating about war brewing. He just wanted to collapse into his nest and sleep for a couple moons.

That's why when Snowstar spotted a shape standing in front of the entrance and called for the Gathering patrol to stop, Wavepaw wanted to claw off the pelt of whatever RiverClanner was causing the holdup.

That is, until the moon shifted out from behind a cloud to show the appearance of the dark figure.

Dark russet fur framed brown tabby stripes on a thick, sleek pelt over the physique of a cat that could only have been from strong descent. The most striking feature on the she-cat, however, were her golden, luminous eyes that shone brighter than the moon above her. They roamed over the Clan, searching for something that she seemed to be not entirely sure that she wanted to find.

 _Who. Is. That._ Pondfrost's voice had never had more ice in it. _She's dead. She's not even supposed to be in this Clan, either. White- Whitesh- she said that she was supposed to go to- this- but her eyes- that's not-_

Wavepaw ignored her rambling, his eyes stuck to the she-cat illuminated by the moonlight. She looked like she'd come from StarClan.

"Is this RiverClan?" She spoke with the tone of some cat who had seen far more than any cat ever should.

"Who are you?" Snowstar ignored her question.

"You must be Snowstar," the she-cat grinned toothily, lowering her head in a sweeping bow. "I'm honored; truly."

"How do you know my name?" He asked, but all the hostility had drained away with a single comment.

Wavepaw stifled a purr of amusement and admiration at how easily the she-cat, that couldn't have been much older than himself, manipulated the leader of RiverClan.

Then suddenly, like a bolt of lightning striking him, Wavepaw realized who the she-cat was.

 _Cin. Sin. The rogue. In the twolegs place._ Wavepaw thought. _Holy StarClan above; she's that rogue. But- does that mean- she's- is that Acornkit?_

"I know many things," the she-cat told Snowstar and the whole Clan. "I came from far; terribly far. I was told there were Clans that lived in harmony together around a lake, and that RiverClan ruled over all of them."

Snowstar nodded along with what she said. "Well, er, we don't exactly _rule_ over them, but we are the strongest."

 _She's_ good _._ Wavepaw purred out loud, terribly amused by how easily she manipulated Snowstar.

"What is your name, rogue?" Snowstar demanded.

"I am… I'm-" the she-cat bowed her head, as though summoning courage. "My name is Cinnamon."

Suddenly, a dark blur, faintly illuminated by the moonlight to reveal his identity as Pikepaw, burst away from the rest of the cats. His face was so hopeful that it felt like a sharpened icicle lancing through Wavepaw's heart.

"Acornkit?"

 **BOOM.**

 **Well. There ya go. Some speculation fuel.**

 **So the QOTD is: Who is Cinnamon? Go wild with this one. The crazier the better.**

 **Okay. SO I'll try to update this weekend, but I might fail. Over 5 000 words is hard to do in two days.**

 **Yeah, believe it or not, I don't write during the week, I start and finish(sometimes) the whole chapter in two days.**

 ***This was happening in real life. (My cackling at his pathetic flirting)**

 **So anyways, please review any confusion and bemusement at my nutty plottwist setup type thangs.**

 **:D**

 **~Pondfrost**


	38. Dark: Dreaming and Drowning

**Whew. Hello people. Sorry I'm late, I'm trying to get back on the updating track...**

 **KaiLover: :D Thanks! And do you? … you shall have to wait and see.**

 **Cascade of Raining Ice: Hmm, interesting theory. Like Ripple XD?**

 **Rainmist: ?**

 **Splash of Thunder in Mist: We shall see!**

 **Snowcrystal: Duh. It's so obvious.**

 **Starrysong: XD OOohkay, chill.**

 **Once more, the rest of my life is telling me it's important. And yeah, sometimes it is, but fanfiction's important too. So I'm not going to stop updating as often as possible.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own warriors. Disclaimer #2: Dark themes (Mention of suicide)**

Chapter 36.

 _My_ goodness _it is cluttered in here._ Ripple remarked, making a noise like he was settling down. _How do you keep everything straight? And_ wow _that's a lot of daydreams about Breezepaw. How much do you know about this cat, anyways?_

 _Enough._ Darkpaw snapped abruptly. _Can't you be quiet for a few heartbeats while I_ listen _to what's going on?_

 _Fiiiiine._ Ripple drawled. _Don't see why you'd want to, though. You're already a better fighter than all these apprentices._

Darkpaw ignored him, but her fur warmed a little at the compliment. It was strange to her how Ripple could spark more emotion in her in a heartbeat than the whole Clan could in a moon…

Even after Ashmask and the newly named Lostbird released Mudpaw from the medicine den, she still couldn't fully participate in training, wary of opening the gigantic gash on her side. She'd had a concussion that had prevented her from remembering nearly anything that had come before the accident with the fox so Feathermist had had her work cut out for her in rebuilding all of the lost training.

They had managed, but Poolpaw was so far ahead of her sister with Ravenwing carefully overseeing her training and her own natural talent that Mudpaw was often seen moping around the territory, avoiding talking to any cat. It cut Darkpaw to the bone to see her close friend depressed.

"Darkpaw, are you even listening?" Ivystar demanded sternly.

 _Oops._ She thought. _Nope._

"Sorry, Ivystar," she ducked her head, embarrassed.

"Can you tell me how you would challenge a rogue that you found inside our borders?" Ivystar asked, narrowing her pale green eyes at the little calico.

"Er… maybe attack them with the leap and hold so I-" she was interrupted by her sister.

"No no, first you should ask them why they're there!" Lionpaw exclaimed. "They might need help."  
"That's why I'd use the leap and hold; if they wanted to attack me, they wouldn't be able to, but they wouldn't be injured either and they would be able to talk," Darkpaw told her sister irritably.

"Now, Darkpaw, violence isn't always the answer," Ivystar chided, smiling warmly at Lionpaw.

"They might assume you are aggressive and that they must defend themselves!"

 _I don't think that violence is_ always _the answer. I just think it's a good substitute for_

 _getting shredded because you're a happy-go-lucky kit that assumes every cat is her friend._ Darkpaw thought, annoyed. _And how come you're leaping to Lionpaw's defense?_

 _You know Ivystar never had a mate, right?_ Ripple asked. _Nope. Apparently you didn't know that. Huh._

 _Don't rummage around in my mind without permission!_ Darkpaw snapped internally.

 _Anyways, Ivystar never had a mate. You think she might have wanted to be a mother at some point?_ Ripple asked rhetorically. _Of course she did. Kits are great when they're not killing off your true love as you watch helplessly from StarClan after she didn't tell you you were going to die since you broke off the relationship and got together with her sister- uh, anyways, Ivystar probably-_

 _Hang on, what's all that about-_ Darkpaw's curious interjection was interrupted by Ripple.

 _Hasn't any cat taught you it's rude to interrupt?_ He interrupted. _What I was saying was, Ivystar probably thinks of Lionpaw as the daughter she never had._

 _Why would any cat want her as a daughter?_ Darkpaw asked, disgusted.

 _When it's you as the other option…_ Ripple trailed off dryly.

Darkpaw didn't dignify his snark with an answer. Perhaps Lionpaw was more sociable, but Darkpaw knew that she was too selfish and self-absorbed to really be a good cat. _Or at least, a better cat than me._

She was trying to glare at her sister from across the clearing, but the shimmer on her golden pelt and her black paws confused her. _Breezepaw…_ Her mind whispered. Lionpaw turned her head and her golden eyes were glinting at her. _Lightningpaw!_ She suddenly thought, a little jolt running through her as she forced a shaky smile at her sister. _She looks like… a cat with Breezepaw's pelt and Lightningpaw's eyes._

 _Like their daughter._ Ripple murmured darkly.

 _Daughter. Kit. Mates._ The words thrummed in her head, clouding her vision slightly. _Breezepaw. Lightningpaw._

An image bore down on her, of sunlight beaming down onto Lightningpaw and Breezepaw, their tails twined, as Darkpaw was slumped over in a shadowy forest, her shoulders heaving as she sobbed. _No! That's not going to happen; she doesn't deserve him. He's mine. And I'm his. He just doesn't know it yet._

 _Whatever you say…_ Ripple said, amused.

"Darkpaw!" Ivystar snapped.

Jolting up straight, she shook her head quickly to bring her senses back to herself.

"Darkpaw, pay attention or leave," Ivystar growled, glaring at her.

"Bye," she said abruptly, turning around and walking into the forest.

"Darkpaw!" Ivystar yowled furiously after her. "You need to know this!"

"And I do!" She threw back.

Ivystar didn't say anything, either too far or too mad. _Who cares. I know it all anyways. Why doesn't Ivystar get that we've already learned it all?! Just make us warriors already!_

 _You can't just walk out!_ Ripple warned. _You'll never be allowed to go to the Gathering like this!_

 _I'll just follow the patrol._ Darkpaw snapped silently. _It's not that hard. Who needs permission? None of them understand._

 _Oh StarClan, when you sent me to do this, I didn't think I'd have to deal with an angsty apprentice who thinks she's better than every cat._ Ripple huffed to himself.

 _Go die._ Darkpaw snapped viciously.

 _Sorry, sweetheart, a little late for that one._ Ripple laughed harshly, his presence disappearing from her mind.

 _Good riddance._ She thought, a low growl building in her throat.

Finally, she let herself fall apart. Now that there wasn't any cat to see her, it didn't matter.

Sobs began to bubble out of her throat. She couldn't stand to be reminded of the broken, awful world. Ivystar favoured Lionpaw at every turn, her fight for Breezepaw seemed to more lost every day, and Mudpaw was hardly even a cat anymore, just a hollowed out shell that couldn't feel emotions. She wandered around like a ghost, looking perpetually weak and exhausted.

It broke Darkpaw's heart. Mudpaw had been so full of life, so innocent and beautiful. And now she was broken, and it was all her fault. The fox, the blood, and Mudpaw's awful scream echoed around Darkpaw's head day and night.

The day was filled with terrible thoughts and memories of the moment when Mudpaw's spirit had been broken, the moment when Darkpaw knew she couldn't protect her, couldn't stop any of it.

The night was filled with nightmares of the moment, featuring a horrifying cast of her dead siblings and mother and Mudpaw's broken body. All seven of them twisted and murderous, screaming it was Darkpaw's fault, it was all her fault…

She collapsed on the forest floor, sobbing and blubbering, all of her dignity shredded, her emotions in tatters. _StarClan, please, if there's anyway, let it be me. Let me replace her._ Darkpaw prayed, the words on her tongue but emerging from her mouth as broken cries. _Let me be the one to get hurt._

Every time she saw Mudpaw, it was just another agonizing reminder of her failure. Mudpaw could barely walk straight, the slash on her side still deep and unhealed. It wasn't infected, thank StarClan, but it had been more a moon and there was still no sign of healing. Ivystar wasn't sure she would ever be a warrior.

Some warriors had been speculating that she wouldn't survive leaf-bare in her weakened state. Darkpaw wanted to claw out their throats.

 _Or throw them in the ground and hope the shadows devour them._ She thought darkly, remembering the stormy night, the split in the ground, the squirrel skeleton. _If that's even possible. Did I imagine it?_

The curiosity was barely a pang, but it was the first emotion she'd felt in a _long_ time, and she welcomed it. _Will it happen again if I try?_

She screwed her eyes up, trying to remember the night exactly.

She had placed her paws facing away from each other… and then pushed? Her legs were shaking with the effort of trying to pull the earth apart, but the dirt remained peacefully still, not even a grain of sand moving out of pity for her pathetic attempt.

 _Of course it didn't work. I probably just hallucinated._ Darkpaw curled her lip. _There's no point. I'm just a ShadowClan apprentice. I'm not anything special; my destiny isn't to have some great romantic story with Breezepaw, it isn't a beautiful tale of friendship with my horribly crippled friend, and it certainly isn't some fantasy world where_ I have magic powers. _I'm just an especially weak ShadowClan apprentice who will live, then die, and no one will remember her._ She ripped each thought into herself, feeling the ice twist and grow, freezing colder than ever.

She hadn't realized that tears were welling up until they were spilling down her cheeks, slicking her fur down and freezing in the cold wind.

"Arrrgh!"

 _Crack!_

She looked down and there it was.

The same crack as before, but…

Bigger.

…

 _You have to go to the Gathering._

 _Go away._

 _You have to go to the Gathering. You have to._ Ripple repeated, sounding a little frustrated.

 _Leave me alone!_ Darkpaw thought, picturing herself standing over a dead Ripple.

 _Threats don't work, I'm already dead. They made quite sure. Had to kill me nine times. Took a while, but they did it. Persistent little buggers, Torn._ Ripple snickered. _Eh, I'm probably more useful now than I ever was. She would agree._

 _Who would agree? What are you nattering about?_ Darkpaw demanded, irritated by her lack of knowledge about anything that Ripple was prattling on about.

 _Not important._ Ripple said abruptly. _You have to go to the Gathering._

 _Not this again. I'm not going; who cares?_ Darkpaw glared at the ground.

 _STARCLAN CARES BECAUSE EVERY CAT IS GOING TO DIE UNLESS I GET THIS RIGHT!_ Ripple exploded.

Silence.

 _Uh, yeah._ Ripple breathed out slowly. _So. Gathering._

 _Fine._ A little in shock, Darkpaw gave up fighting him and simply turned away from the crack in the ground. _I'll go._

 _Ah, would've been good to know that cats listen to you when you start spouting what probably sounded like lunacy…_ Ripple remarked rather rancidly.

Darkpaw sighed heavily, wiping away the salty tears still hanging by the edges of her eyes. _Let's go, then._

 _Don't forget to make Breezepaw fall for you._ Ripple prodded.

 _Why do you care so much?_ She rounded on him.

I _don't care,_ StarClan _does. And since I'm technically part of them- I think? -I have to care._ Ripple informed her, creating more new questions than answers.

 _Real helpful._ Darkpaw drawled sarcastically.

 _Just go._ Ripple snapped.

 _Aye aye, captain._ Darkpaw sneered, setting off towards the island.

…

By the time she reached the island, Darkpaw had worked up a sweat and was breathing hard. A moon hadn't done much for her scrawny growth. Lionpaw, on the other paw, looked like an actual lion.

 _Stupid Lionpaw._ Darkpaw seethed.

 _Forget Lionpaw, go find Breezepaw!_ Ripple snapped.

 _Bossy furball._ Darkpaw shot back.

She sighed, heading across the Gathering clearing in search of a certain gold and black pelt.

Instead…

" _Darkpaw?!_ "

 _ARRRGH NOT HER AGAIN._ Darkpaw screeched in her mind, but there was no use. Besides, it would only work to her advantage to gain Lightningpaw's trust. Keeping the thought firmly planted in her mind, she pasted a smile of dry amusement over herself.

"You look _delighted_ to see me," she remarked dryly. "How's ThunderClan?"

"Same as ever. How's ShadowClan?" Lightningpaw said with a sigh.

"The same," Darkpaw nodded.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lightningpaw droned.

 _Was that a joke? I think that was supposed to be a joke…_ She realized.

"Er… ha ha ha ha!" Darkpaw squawked, far too late for it to be appropriate.

Lightningpaw smiled anyways. Not wanting to dwell on her awful reaction to the 'joke', she quickly added, "Well, Pinepaw and Ratpaw had their warrior ceremonies delayed because of a certain brilliant idea to go hunting on ThunderClan territory."

When Lightningpaw just looked at her, she added, "And my best friend-"

 _Too much! Stop! Argh, don't tell that shallow princess about Duskpaw!_ Darkpaw hissed at herself. _Don't tell her about Duskpaw!_

"Pinepaw and Ratpaw, huh?" Lightningpaw obviously sensed the awkwardness. "I think I might have been on the patrol that caught them. They were chasing squirrels into bushes and then acting surprised when they couldn't fit into the same holes the squirrels could."

" _Really._ Sounds like something they would do," Darkpaw rolled her eyes, hoping Lightningpaw wouldn't take it the way she actually meant it. "They barely made it back to camp before it started raining. Too bad they didn't get caught; soaked Pinepaw would be funny."

Lightningpaw purred in agreement. _Not a single thing to say, huh?_ Darkpaw bit her lip. _Ugh. I don't want to have to fill in the silence every time!_

Suddenly, her ears perked up. _Leaders._

"I think the leaders are starting," she muttered, exhausted of the conversation.

"Ugh," Lightningpaw snorted, and Darkpaw thought for a moment that Lightningpaw felt the same way about her until… "Thornstar is probably going to-"

"Quiet down!" Reedtail of RiverClan snapped at them. He looked vaguely familiar… but… "Some of us are trying to listen to the leaders!"

Suddenly, Wavepaw popped up behind the elder's shoulder.

"Reedtail, why don't you come sit by me?" Wavepaw invited smoothly. "I have a great spot. The leaders haven't started yet, so we'll have lots of time."

As he left, he threw a wink over his shoulder.

The pointless, dry conversation with Lightningpaw, the fury at Wavepaw's obvious progress with Lightningpaw after he totally failed at befriending Breezepaw and abandoning Darkpaw's plan combined caused all of the rage to boil over Lightningpaw.

"He winked at me!" _He winked at Lightningpaw_ , she silently corrected herself, knowing she couldn't give away her real fury. "The audacity of that tom knows no bounds!"

 _Calm down!_ She berated herself, breathing in deeply. _Calm. Caaaalm._

"ThunderClan will start!" Thornstar announced.

 _Your father was probably a mouse and your mother likely smelled of pinesap!_ Darkpaw jeered silently, remembering how pathetic he had acted at the last few Gatherings. _Go back to your mommy!_

 _Forget this hairball, go find Breezepaw!_ Ripple pressed.

 _Ugh, I'm going, I'm going._ She sighed, turning her paws away from the great tree.

She scanned the clearing for that familiar, moonlit pelt of sun, and there he was. Just looking at made her heart jump, but she steeled her nerves and put one shaky paw in front of the other, squinting in concentration.

"Breezepaw!" She exclaimed, hating how immensely enamoured with him she sounded. "I haven't seen you in moons!"

Then she was face to face with him, and she felt like she was floating. His head tilted a little as he grinned with the power of the sun and she was melting, falling, dying. And loving every heartbeat of it.

"It's only been one," he reminded her, but purred.

 _Felt like longer,_ her heart murmured to him.

"Hey Darkpaw, how've you been?" He asked.

 _Okay, just answer normally._ Ripple directed.

 _Don't need your help!_ Darkpaw snapped, feeling her tongue try to tie itself up.

"Clearly not as good as you!" She managed, bumping his shoulder. The connection send sparkles through her fur. "Look at you; all grown up. It's like standing next to a tree."

 _You sound like his grandmother._ Ripple jabbed.

 _SHUT UP!_ Darkpaw raged.

"Oh, come on," he rolled his eyes, but he looked rather pleased. "I'd say the same to you… but you haven't grown at all."  
"Oh, shut up," she snarled playfully, trying to keep the giddiness in her voice to a minimum. "I have too. Look, I can see you without tilting my head so far up that I break my neck!"

"Barely," he joked, making a big show of staring down his muzzle at her.

Their eyes connected, and it was taking all of Darkpaw's strength to stay on her paws. He examined her with bright eyes for a few heartbeats that didn't drag on nearly long enough, but Darkpaw soon sensed it was time to break the silence.

"So how's WindClan?" She blurted.

 _Dang it, you were getting somewhere!_ Ripple cried out like it was actually physically painful for him to see her ruin the moment. _Darkpaaaaaaw._

"They're, we're, uh, good," he stammered.

 _He referred to WindClan as separate to himself…_ she noted with a pang of uncertainty. _Why? Oh StarClan, he isn't planning to run away with Lightningpaw, is he?!_

 _I think you may be reading a little too far into that._ Ripple reassured her, snickering to himself.

"And how's ShadowClan?" Breezepaw offered.

"Wonderful," she felt a little devilish glee. "So many secrets and such delightful gossip."

He threw his head back and purred, and in that instant, Darkpaw realized something. _I can never let Lightningpaw have him. Never. If I have to take him away, if I have to kill her, ANYTHING if it means she can't have him… I love him._

The clarity was so bright it almost hurt.

"Wouldn't have pegged you as the gossip cat," he noted, and Darkpaw remembered they were still having a conversation, not declaring their undying love to each other.

"There's plenty you don't know about me... _Breezy,_ " she rounded her eyes, but still quirked one eyebrow, uncertain as to how he would react to the nickname that Wavepaw had given him.

 _It worked!_ She thought, ecstatic. He looked lost but regarded her as though she had just found him. Then suddenly, the whole look cleared away and it was replaced with a blank look, as though something had reminded him… or some cat. _It was her._

She couldn't stop her eyes from narrowing, remembering her opponent, but she quickly pasted a mask of pleasant interestedness over it.

"My denmate, Primrosepaw, has been after the deputy," she revealed, leaning in and hoping to make him forget her. "She's a real…"

 _Bend the truth. Make him jealous._ Ripple urged her.

"Romantic. Always trying to matchmake me up with my Clanmates," she looked away, hoping to mask her hopeful expression.

It was a lie, of course, but who said Breezepaw had to know that? A little bit of jealousy never killed a tom. She waited patiently for his reaction, but all he said was,

"I wish her good luck in her battle to win… what's his name? Crowflight or something?" Breezepaw joked.

"Ravenwing," Darkpaw corrected, feeling her heart sink at his lack of jealous reaction to the Primrosepaw comment. "Lizard-brain. That's what your name should be, Lizardbrainpaw. Suits you."

 _Forget about Lightningpaw!_ Her mind called out to him, but he said nothing except,

"Uhuh."

"Primrosepaw will never be Ravenwing's mate," she changed the subject easily. "He's like, a million moons older than her."

"And what if she suddenly ages?" He offered.

"I _hardly_ think that she ever would have-" She was interrupted, and as soon as she saw by who, her claws slid out a growl hovered in her throat, begging to be released.

 _Lightningpaw. Enemy. Lightningpaw. Kill her._ Her mind whispered. _Kill her, kill her!_

"Heeeey, Darkpaw," she smiled with all the sweetness of a badger. "Breezepaw, can I borrow you for a couple heartbeats?"

"Sure?" He sounded confused… but trusting.

 _So it takes her about THREE HEARTBEATS to do what takes ME about A MOON?! HOW IS THAT FAIR?!_ She demanded silently. _Breezepaw's mine, back off!_

 _Go to Wavepaw._ Ripple instructed. _Try again. He can befriend Breezepaw, he's about to have a weak moment._

 _But-_

 _Don't waste it! Quicky now, he's over by the great tree on RiverClan's side._ Ripple ordered, sounding like a leader.

She dashed over to where Ripple had pinpointed, and sure enough, there was the silver, back-stabbing lizard.

"Hey," she forced through her tightly clenched teeth.

"Darkpaw," he greeted, narrowing his eyes at her.

She inspected him for several heartbeats, waiting for him to be uncomfortable.

"I've rethought my earlier statement," she declared diplomatically.

"Which one?"

"I believe we may be able to help each other after all."

…

After giving Wavepaw the instructions to go befriend Breezepaw and not take no for an answer, she felt like maybe things weren't doomed after all.

 _Maybe I should go back to my own Clan, enough of this nosiness._ She thought to herself, stifling a purr.

She looked over her shoulder, spotting Robinpaw with another apprentice, who seemed to be from WindClan, judging by the smell rolling off of him. _He's Rabbitpaw, I think…_ Darkpaw thought, trying to place the familiar brown and white pelt in her memory. _Maybe Robinpaw's friends with him._

"I just want to talk to you!" A voice sounded from nearby.

 _Who is that? He was the one who came over asking about Pinepaw, right? But why? And who's he talking to?_ Darkpaw wondered. _It couldn't be Pinepaw, she's stuck at camp for hunting on ThunderClan territory…_

"And I told you, I don't know who you are!" A _very_ familiar voice greeted Darkpaw's ears. "Leave me alone, creep!"

"I- you don't remember me at all?" The first voice reminded her of Wavepaw slightly, but it definitely wasn't him, it was a cat much older. "Are you sure?"

 _Leave._ Ripple suddenly growled. _Go! Leave!_

 _What's gotten into you?_ She wondered.

 _LEAVE! You'll wreck everything! Quick, before you hear anything else!_ Ripple sounded like he was having a panic attack. _RUN!_

 _Okay, okay, I just don't get what's going on!_ Darkpaw told him. _I know that tom, he's the one who was looking for Pinepaw last Gathering!_

 _Or was he…_ Ripple said darkly.

Darkpaw shrugged off Ripple's strange behaviour and walked away from the gray and white tabby tom and Lionpaw.

…

"So who did you talk to?" Robinpaw asked, falling into step alongside her.

"Some apprentices from WindClan," she answered vaguely.

"Oh yeah? Me too," Robinpaw studied her and she felt a little uneasy.

 _He's hiding something…_ Darkpaw thought, unsure of exactly what 'something' might be.

"Well, it was fun," Robinpaw shrugged. "I like Gatherings, even if this one meant that we all got to listen to Thornstar go on a tirade about RiverClan."

"He what?" Darkpaw asked absently.

"StarClan, Darkpaw, did you even listen to him?" The brown tom purred in amusement. "You know, there are important things happening…"  
"There are always important things happening," Darkpaw said dismissively.

"War is brewing, and I don't think any cat's safe," his different coloured eyes were troubled. "At least I won't have to fight Rabbitpaw…"

"And I won't have to fight Breezepaw," Darkpaw added, not certain of where he was going. "Uh, who would be fighting who, exactly?"  
"You really didn't listen, did you," it wasn't a question. "Thornstar accused RiverClan of spying on their camp, claiming that he found scents right outside the camp."  
"Outside the camp?!" She was suddenly alert. "But- RiverClan's on the other side of the lake!"  
"Which Ivystar and Spottedstar helpfully pointed out," Robinpaw looked faintly amused by her outburst, but the amusement was quickly shadowed with worry. "Which Thornstar responded to by accusing us and WindClan of not have frequent or competent patrols…"  
"Oh StarClan," Darkpaw breathed. "I take it Ivystar wasn't pleased."

"Not exactly," Robinpaw bit his lip. "The Gathering ended… and I think ThunderClan's going to try to attack RiverClan."

"What?! No way!" Darkpaw protested. "He wouldn't!"  
"I don't know, Darkpaw, I don't know…" he looked downright terrified at the prospect of war. "Every cat knows that ThunderClan has always taken WindClan's side, and RiverClan and ShadowClan have had alliances in the past… but I think WindClan might fight with us this time. It would be a three on one…"

"That's not a fight, that's a massacre," Darkpaw breathed.

 _OH NO._ Ripple suddenly screeched. _It's happening! But- but it was so unlikely! I thought I guided-_

 _What? What's going on?_ Darkpaw demanded, thrown into panic by his sudden fear.

 _It's Mud- er, Duskpaw! You have to get to the lake! The spot where there's the little cliff, you know the spot!_ Ripple hissed. _Just run! Robinpaw won't be too bothered! If she- you'll- THIS IS VERY VERY BAD._

 _What's happening?_ Darkpaw demanded again, but quickly turned her paws away from the path leading to camp and instead heading for the spot that Ripple was describing.

She knew the spot. Apprentices were warned away from it because it was a little grassy hill that cut away sharply onto the lake, a deep cove with choppy waters. The spray from the waves on a particularly windy day like this one would coat the grass in a layer of slickness, ensuring slipping from a cat not cautious enough.

 _Hurry!_ Ripple snapped.

"Where are you going?" Robinpaw demanded, chasing after her.

 _Uh-oh, he's following me!_ Darkpaw snapped to Ripple.

 _Good, that's good, the future isn't going to- okay, say exactly this- 'Follow me, there's no time to waste!'_ Ripple ordered her, panic clawing its way through his voice.

"Follow me, there's no time to waste!" She called to Robinpaw.

 _Now if he says-_ Ripple was cut off by Robinpaw.

"Where are you going?" Robinpaw asked, genuine concern in his voice.

 _Good, good, this is good. We might not fail. Now don't stop running, you're almost there!_ Ripple screeched. _Say 'No time to explain, Mudpaw's about to do something she's going to regret.'_

The words sent a chill down Darkpaw's spine, but she repeated them to Robinpaw.

"What?" Robinpaw exclaimed, sounded horrified. "We have to hurry!"  
 _Ah, this tom has a little sense._ Ripple exclaimed. _You're almost there! There it is! Now don't spook her, she's volatile. I can't tell you what to do here, you have to handle yourself…_

The words to ask Ripple what she was doing died in her throat.

Mudpaw's silhouette was lit by the moon as she stood, still as stone, above the water.

Her paws were poised above the slippery grass, glistening in the moonshine.

"Duskpaw!" She cried.

"Darkpaw?" Mudpaw's voice was dark and blank. "Don't try to stop me. I need to."

"Mudpaw?" Robinpaw's uncertain voice moved slowly.

"Duskpaw," Darkpaw corrected, glaring at him. "It's Duskpaw."

Robinpaw nodded, not questioning her.

"What are you doing?" Darkpaw asked, the words dragging out of her throat like thorns.

"Fixing things," Mudpaw's mew was darker than the night. "It will be better for every cat when I'm gone. Poolpaw, Quailfeather, Vinestem, the lot of them. They don't care, so I'm going to disappear. I can't live like this, Darkpaw, don't you understand what it's like?! Walking feels like I'm dying, so I might as well!"

Terror throbbed through Darkpaw. _She's going to try to drown herself. Oh StarClan, she's trying to kill herself! Ripple, what's happening?!  
_ He was silent.

"Duskpaw," her voice shook. "Duskpaw, don't do this!"

"It's not Duskpaw," Mudpaw breathed raggedly. "My name is Mudpaw. Worthless as mud."

"You're not worthless!" Robinpaw protested.

Darkpaw shot a grateful look at him.

"Duskpaw, I know it feels like there's nothing here. I know you feel alone, broken," Darkpaw forced the words out of her throat, knowing they sounded empty and hollow. "You're not! You're Duskpaw, and _I care about you._ I don't want you to leave. You're going to be my deputy, remember?"

"That's never going to happen," Mudpaw's voice was hollow. "It will be better for every cat when I'm dead. They'll find me, they'll mourn, and they'll move on. Just let me go!"

"NEVER!" Darkpaw howled. "Duskpaw, you're my best friend! I love you! I don't want to lose you!"

She had broken down into ragged sobs at this point. _She doesn't want to live._ Ripple told her. _She might hate you if you try to stop her._

 _I DON'T CARE IF SHE HATES ME, SHE CAN CURSE ME TO THE DARK FOREST IF IT MEANS I DON'T HAVE TO BURY HER BY THE END OF THIS._ Darkpaw screamed at him.

"You can't die! If you don't- if you don't want to live for yourself, then at least do it for me!" Darkpaw cried, the ice in her chest feeling like it was melting and being replaced with fire, burning her up. "I care about you! I don't want you to die! Why are you trying to die?"

"No cat cares about me," Mudpaw stated hollowly. "I'm a cripple and no cat cares."

" _I CARE!_ " Darkpaw screamed. " _I CARE!_ "

"You're the only one," Mudpaw's voice softened a little. "No cat else cares."

" _YOU CANNOT DIE_ ," Darkpaw howled at Mudpaw. " _NO! YOU CANNOT!_ "

"Duskpaw, you have cats that care about you," Robinpaw took a step towards her. "Darkpaw, me, Olivepaw, Primrosepaw, Feathermist, we care."

"Really?" Mudpaw didn't sound hopeful.

"We care," Darkpaw repeated hoarsely.

"You care?" Mudpaw stared at her, green eyes welling with tears. "You care?"

"You need to come and go back to camp. We'll help you," Darkpaw promised. "You don't need to be afraid. We'll help. You can come with us, we'll take you to the medicine cats."

"Will I ever heal?" Mudpaw's eyes shone with pain. "Will I ever?"

"You'll heal. Your side will heal, your heart will heal, and we'll be by your side the whole way," Robinpaw told her, his voice raw. "You don't have to be afraid."

"I don't have to be afraid," Mudpaw repeated, sounding like she believed it a little more. "I don't have to be afraid. I'll heal. You'll be by my side. I'm safe."

"You're safe," Darkpaw repeated. "You're safe. You're safe."

"I'm safe," Mudpaw exhaled, her luminous eyes closing. "Safe."

She stepped forwards, and time seemed to slow down.

Darkpaw felt each beat of her heart.

 _No…_

And then Mudpaw slipped.

 _Splash…_

The sound echoed in her mind for a moment,

and

then

Mudpaw's scream split the air as she fell into the water.

 _NO!_

" _NO!_ " Darkpaw screamed.

She sprang into action, racing to the edge of the hill to where the slick grass cut away to frothing black water.

 _"DUSKPAW!_ " She howled, raw pain in her voice.

Barely taking a heartbeat to gasp in a breath of air, she jumped over the edge, diving towards the weakly fighting brown outline of her best friend.

"Darkpaw!" Robinpaw shouted after her, but she had already dived.

 _Splash!_

She crashed into the water, tail-lengths away from Mudpaw.

Perhaps it was the sheer adrenaline of the moment, but her paws seemed to instinctively know what to do. She churned her paws forcefully, pushing herself closer to Mudpaw with each stroke.

 _No._

She watched her best friend sinking down.

 _No._

 _SPLASH!_

Water cascaded over her as Robinpaw smashed into the water beside her.

"Duskpaw!" He called.

 _No._

She dived down into the water, the blackness stinging her eyes as she fought vainly towards the faint outline of Mudpaw.

And latched onto her scruff.

 _No._

 _Yes!_ Ripple finally broke his silence. _You can do it, Darkpaw, you can do it, you're almost at the surface._

The words shot through her, giving her golden, bright energy. _I can do it!_

She pushed harder, every nerve in her body alight with energy and burning.

As her head broke the surface, she heard a loud intake of air. _She's alive. I did it. I saved her._

 _You're not out of the tunnel yet._ Ripple warned. _You still need to make it to the edge of the water. It's on your right. Quickly now, my energy won't last forever._

 _You're giving me energy?_ Darkpaw asked him, barely able to see in the lashing waves.

 _I'm giving you my skill in swimming and my energy._ Ripple suddenly sucked in a pained breath. _Hurry! I'm running out!_

She fought harder against the waves.

Suddenly, some of the weight lifted off of her as Robinpaw joined her swimming strongly beside her. She sagged with relief, but continued to fight.

 _Almost there!_ Ripple urged.

Her paws brushed the stony floor. _I did it!_

Relief blasted through like hot air.

"Duskpaw?" She breathed fearfully.

"D- Darkpaw… you saved me…" Mudpaw coughed weakly.

"And don't go forgetting it!" Relief washed through her.

"Duskpaw, let's get you to the medicine cats," Robinpaw panted.

"Hi, Robinpaw…" Mudpaw murmured, sounding delirious. "I like your eyes."

"Yeah?" He purred, sounding so relieved that Darkpaw rested her head on his shoulder, breathing out heavily. "Come on, you can like my eyes back at camp."

"Sounds good like fish," Mudpaw giggled.

Darkpaw put her shoulder under Mudpaw as she swayed, Robinpaw doing the same, and they began the walk back to camp.

 _You did it._ Ripple told her. _You saved her._

 _I saved her._

 **AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. It's done. Fricking easy peasy to write how relieved she was since that was pretty much how I felt finishing the chapter.**

 **I could apologize for about a year for being so impossibly late, but I'll spare you.**

 **QOTD: Who do you ship Robinpaw with? (P.S. If you say Darkpaw, I'm mounting your head on a stick and parading it around fanfiction because DARKBREEZE FOR LIIIIIFE)**

 **Okay. SO. Duskpaw (mah bebe) tried to commit suicide. Darkpaw and Robinpaw stopped her.**

 **DarkBreeze fluff, teasing at the giant plottwist, stuff.**

 **I'm going to go meet my family. See ya.**

 **~Pondfrost**

 **P.S. Happy late Easter, my little bunnies!**


	39. Lightning: Moving on and Moving out

**Ayo my kitties! (Hallelujah music plays as the reader realizes that Pondfrost updated on time)**

 **Popping ahead about a week and a half warriors time for our next Lightning chapter!  
RRs!:**

 **Amberheart: Glad you're enjoying it :D**

 **KaiLover911: Oooho, I've got much more in store for y'all emotions.**

 **CloverTheBudgie: hehe indeed }:( don't you dare ship him with her.**

 **SilverMidnightMoon: Ah, excellent, thank you :D. Took me long enough…**

 **Books: :D Good. You get a cookie (::)**

 **Aaaaalrighty! MOOVing right along, les begin! Today, ladies and gentlemen, the first of my kittens moves ahead with their lives, and it's not who you think… Unless it is, in which case it** _ **is**_ **who you think it is- ANYWAY let's just start.**

Chapter 37.

" _What?_ " Lightningpaw demanded, shocked.

"You heard me right," Blackpool nodded.

"B- but we're only nine moons old!" Vixenpaw protested.

"And we haven't learned _nearly_ enough, and we couldn't possibly be ready to be _warriors_!" Slatepaw chattered worriedly.

"This is an assessment," Blackpool explained patiently. "It is likely you will fail. No cat has ever passed, but we have always tested the apprentices around their third or fourth moon of apprenticeship."

"Would you care to re-explain the rules?" Petalpaw asked sweetly.

Lightningpaw darted a glance at her. _Why wasn't she listening when he explained it the first time?!_

"Very well," Blackpool nodded, though his smile was a little tight. "You have until we come to find you to catch as much prey as you can. While hunting, you may also build a temporary camp in which to store your prey. Stealing is allowed and encouraged. You may fight other apprentices, but keep your claws sheathed. Once you pin them for three heartbeats, you may take one piece of prey from them."

"Does that include what you've already stolen?" Rainpaw asked, eyeing Lightningpaw.

"No," Blackpool answered, then continued. "Once we come to find you, you must have at least ten pieces of edible prey. That means any prey that got covered in sand or otherwise ripped up counts for nothing. We'd prefer if you didn't waste prey, since leaf-bare is coming and we don't want any unnecessary waste."

"And if we're at ten, what do we do?" Slatepaw demanded.

"Then you can try to steal from others, because remember, if more than one cat achieves ten, you all lose. You could just sit around defending your prey and hope no other cat catches ten," Blackpool told her. "If any cat succeeds, they will be made a warrior. This will test your decision-making, attentiveness to direction, hunting and fighting skill, and all the qualities you will need as a full warrior of ThunderClan. Any cat that can demonstrate each of these perfectly will be named a warrior. Any other questions?"

The lineup of Lightningpaw, Vixenpaw, Slatepaw, Rainpaw, and Petalpaw all shook their heads.

"Very well," Blackpool grinned widely. "Then all I can say is, good luck, and _GO!_ "

They all rocketed off in different directions, Lightningpaw immediately trying to map out ThunderClan territory in her head to get a good idea of where to set up her camp.

 _Try the abandoned two-legs nest._ Whiteshadow murmured.

 _Isn't that obvious?_ Lightningpaw demanded, already almost out of breath as she raced through the forest.

 _Too obvious; no one will suspect it,_ Whiteshadow told her. _You're almost there anyways. And there's a nest of voles in there._

 _Really? How do you know that?_ Lightningpaw asked.

 _Uh, can't you smell them?_ She pointed out.

Lightningpaw didn't bother replying; it was true. The vole scent rolled off of the abandoned two-legs nest and Lightningpaw ducked under the rotting wood. It was fairly dark in there, but her eyes adjusted quickly.

The rancid smell of rot was overpowering, but the complete shelter from everything was worth it. Lightningpaw screwed up her face, trying to breathe through her mouth to avoid taking in more gross smell than necessary.

 _Well, let's get right to it._ She told herself, bending into a well-practiced hunting crouch. _I want to be a warrior today!_

She spotted a vole right away and approached in carefully, not wanting to alert any of the creatures that one of their own was about to meet its untimely end.

 _Snap!_ A twig cracked underfoot.

"Fox-dung!" She exclaimed as the voles scurried to safety.

 _Patience, they'll return._ Whiteshadow reassured her.

She bit her lip, annoyed at the turn of events, but stalked away from the hole where the vole scent was strongest. _There's plenty to do in the meantime, I'll set up a camp._

Eyeing her surroundings, she padded over to a little overgrowth of brambles, intent on defending her little 'camp' with some spiky branches at her disposal. _This'll keep him out._

 _Them._ Whiteshadow corrected. _Don't think that your sisters are going to go easy on you. They want this just as much as you do._

Biting her lip thoughtfully, Lightningpaw nodded. _Imagine already being a warrior. It would be amazing! Like a dream!_

Whiteshadow was silent.

She finished dragging the spiky stems over the larger entrances to her makeshift camp and returned to the vole den that was now silent.

Squashing her irritation with patience, she crouched beside it.

As soon as a little pink nose pushed out, she tensed, every muscle itching to claw it. Resisting the urge, she stayed frozen still.

The vole nosed out a little further, now completely clear of the den. Excitement wriggled through her and she scooped it away from the den. It opened its mouth to let out a squeak of alarm, but Lightningpaw quickly crushed its spine between her paw and the earth.

It fell still, silenced forever, and Lightningpaw held back a cry of victory.

 _One down, nine to go!_ She exclaimed to Whiteshadow.

The she-cat was silent.

…

It was far past sunhigh and since the first vole, Lightningpaw had only found a mangy old crow that was probably too tough for even a starving cat to want.

"Ugh, who knew hunting could be this hard?" She grumbled out loud, casting a frustrated look at the empty vole den.

"Not me, I'm already at seven," a familiar voice bragged.

"Vixenpaw?" Lightningpaw gasped, spinning around only to find an empty den. "Wait, where are you?"

She heard her sister snicker, and the laughter had a cruel note in it.

"Well, I hope you've got _something_ , because I'm here to steal it," Vixenpaw giggled again, the same nasty tinge to it. "Heads up!"

At the words, Lightningpaw whipped her head up to see Vixenpaw's orange and white blur pounce onto her from a hole in the roof the brown and white she-cat had neglected to cover.

Lightningpaw let out a cry of surprise as Vixenpaw's outstretched legs crashed into her back, crushing her to the floor. "Hey!" She snapped at her sister, but it was too late. The surprise attack had beaten her already.

The moment three heartbeats were up, Vixenpaw stepped off of her neatly and bounded away to the little pile in the middle of the abandoned twolegs den before neatly snatching up the plump vole she'd caught earlier.

"See ya, sis," Vixenpaw sneered. "No hard feelings; it's just a training exercise. Have fun in the apprentice's den."

Lightningpaw stumbled to her paws, frowning. _Hardly fair! She's got seven? And now eight… fox-dung._

Gritting her teeth, she watched her sister's bushy ginger and white tail swish out of view.

 _Just means that I'm going to have to- eek!_

Her train of thought careened off course as a force carried her right off her paws, sending her flying. "What's going on?" She demanded, stumbling to her paws.

She caught a glimpse of gray fur in the corner of her eye before Rainpaw shot at her again, diving for her forelegs.

Before she even knew what was happening, her paws buckled beneath her and she fell flat on her face. _The move from our first training session!_ She hissed to herself, trying to regain her balance, but Rainpaw planted a paw on her back, and for the second time today, she was pinned and at the mercy of one of her fellow apprentices.

"One, two, three," Rainpaw counted, snickering. "That was almost _too_ easy. Your donation is much appreciated."

A growl rose in her throat, but she knew the rules; three heartbeats. Rainpaw could take her last piece.

"One measly crow?" Rainpaw burst into purrs. "Wow, haven't been lucky today, huh?"

"I had a vole," she growled, getting to her paws and shaking out her sandy pelt. "Until that backstabbing fox Vixenpaw stole it."

"Did she?" Rainpaw's mew sharpened with interest as he scooped up her only catch. "Well, be seeing you. Gotta pay a visit to your sister…"

"Wait!" She exclaimed as he bounded away. "What are you at?"

Too late. Rainpaw was gone, probably off to steal Vixenpaw's stolen vole. _Ugh! This isn't fair! Why are they all after me?_

The thought had barely crossed her mind when a paw swiped her side.

"Not again!" She yowled as Petalpaw swiped again.

She whirled around, fury sharpening her skills.

Lightningpaw didn't particularly care that she couldn't technically lose anything at this point, since she had no prey, but her anger at Vixenpaw and Rainpaw both besting her boiled over as Petalpaw launched a third attack.

She leaped at the dark gray and white patched she-cat, bowling her off her paws and crushing her beneath her own bulk.

Petalpaw let out an indignant hiss, but Lightningpaw pinned her easily, all of the she-cat's paws immovably held by Lightningpaw's.

"I win. Get out of here," she snapped, kicking her once more for good measure.

Petalpaw glared at her, and wriggled out from beneath her. As Petalpaw slunk away, Lightningpaw was struck by something that she hadn't completely recognized when the she-cat was pinned beneath her.

Petalpaw's blows had lacked the force of a cat of eleven moons, but she should have been able to beat her. Lightningpaw wasn't a bad fighter, but when they had first begun training, Petalpaw had shown extreme potential, beating even her mentor at some points.

It made no sense that Lightningpaw had bested her so fast. She closed her eyes, suddenly remembering how soft and fluffy Petalpaw was… how plump.

 _She's overweight…_ the realization struck her like her namesake. _But I've never seen her eating- oh StarClan._

Her brain finally connected the information, and Lightningpaw suddenly realized something.

 _Petalpaw is visiting the twolegs, isn't she?_ She swallowed, everything falling into place. _The strange scent she always carries, the way she never shows up for training and hardly ever sleeps in her nest, the way she doesn't ever eat anything at camp, yet never seems hungry, and now… her plumpness._

Her eyes went wide. _Petalpaw's a kittypet! Does Rainpaw know? I don't think so… but he seems to suspect something._

 _Poor Rainpaw._ She thought. _Didn't think I'd ever say that, but what if Slatepaw suddenly left to be a kittypet? How long is Petalpaw even going to stay in ThunderClan?_

She forced the thoughts away as she gathered her resolve. _I'm going to go find Vixenpaw and take back my prey._

 _Lightningpaw, maybe you should just hunt…_ Whiteshadow whispered. _Vixenpaw's probably fighting Rainpaw…_

 _So I should take advantage of it!_ Lightningpaw snapped irritably. _Why would I hunt? There's more than ten pieces of prey already been caught, so I've got to steal off of others or none of us are going to be made warriors!_

Whiteshadow sighed, sounding vexed.

 _What, do you want me to lose?_ Lightningpaw demanded when she said nothing.

Whiteshadow merely sighed again. Lightningpaw gritted her teeth, stalking out of the abandoned twolegs place, following the fading scent of Rainpaw and Vixenpaw, the two mingling.

 _Rainpaw must have followed Vixenpaw,_ she realized. _I'll just steal some of their prey while they fight…_

She hared along the trail, painfully aware of how the sun had made its way nearly to the horizon, warning her silently that her time was almost up.

Hearing the yowls of the fight before her sister and Rainpaw came into view, Lightningpaw rounded a corner and spotted them tussling in the underbrush, a pile of prey nearby. It was heaped high with an assortment of forest creatures, from squirrels to robins, that would attract any predator.

 _Yes!_ A thrill ran through her. _I can steal as much as I want!_

She carefully crouched, stalking over to the pile as Rainpaw and Vixenpaw continued to wrestle, seeming to be evenly matched. _This is almost too easy! It's like taking prey from a kit._

Lightningpaw reach a paw out to hook away the prize jewel, a fat hare, when the entire pile swayed and toppled onto her.

"Hey!" Vixenpaw screeched, finally noticing what Lightningpaw was doing, momentarily distracted from her fight. "Stop it, thief!"

She kicked Rainpaw away, leaping over to Lightningpaw and hauling her guilty sister right out of the pile.

"Oops?" Lightningpaw offered, grinning.

Vixenpaw glared at her and dropped her unceremoniously on the dirt. "Don't you dare try to- hey!"

Rainpaw, quicker than a WindClan cat, dipped his head down to snatch up four of her catches and dart away before Vixenpaw even reacted. Her sister's mouth hung open as she watched half of her work disappear right from in front of her eyes.

"Rainpaw, get back here!" She screeched, rage blinding her to her sister.

Lightningpaw quickly grabbed three pieces, momentary irritation prickling her fur as she realized that Rainpaw had taken four of the smallest creatures, knowing that he would be able to carry more and it would be worth the same.

Brushing it off, she dashed away with her prizes as Vixenpaw was left to shriek in rage, her only companion the vole that Lightningpaw had caught earlier, which neither of her attackers had bothered to take.

Snickering to herself, Lightningpaw headed for the twolegs den.

She suddenly heard Vixenpaw shriek in rage once more, for reasons that Lightningpaw could take a fairly good guess at. _Petalpaw or Slatepaw…_

Lightningpaw didn't want to stick around long enough to find out who, but that wasn't destined to be, apparently, as her other sister barrelled into her side, knocking her straight into a juniper bush. "Yowch!" She cried.

Quickly, she looked around for her prizes, but the last thing she saw was Slatepaw's triumphant grin as she dashed away with Vixenpaw's catches.

"Slatepaw!" She complained.

" _STOP!_ " The cry ran through the forest, startling the birds and shaking the branches.

Lightningpaw immediately froze, worrying that she'd broken the rules somehow, but Blackpool slipped out of the trees with a grin.

"It's sunset, and I hope you have done your best," he called. "No more hunting, stealing, or fighting! It's over! Your mentors will be coming around to see how much you've caught."

Lightningpaw collapsed to the ground, exhausted and frustrated.

"So, Lightningpaw?" Blackpool softened his voice to just speak to her. "What've you caught?"

"I caught a vole and a crow," she hissed.

"And what did you steal?" He asked.

"A hare, a squirrel, and a thrush," she replied, frustration evident in her voice.

 _And what've you got to show for it?_ She imitated Blackpool silently, then switched back to normal. _NOTHING, because my dirty fox sisters stole it all. And Rainpaw too._

"How many fights did you win?" Blackpool inquired.

"Two," she remembered Petalpaw's weak attacks and Vixenpaw trying to pull her out of the pile.

"And how much prey do you have?" His tone made it clear that he already knew the answer.

"None," she mumbled.

"Sorry?" he leaned closer.

" _None_!" she snapped, her temper igniting. "I have _no_ prey, okay?!"

Blackpool pursed his lips, his eyebrows drawing into a bit of a frown.

"Well, that's too bad," he shrugged. "But don't worry too much, no apprentices have ever-"

" _Yes_!" Rainpaw's triumphant shout echoed through the trees. "I've won!"

"Until now…" he added, looking thoughtful. "Strange. I wonder if Vixenpaw, Slatepaw, or Petalpaw have ten."

 _Vixenpaw definitely doesn't, not after I stole it. I'd bet my tail that Petalpaw hasn't, and Slatepaw might, but I don't think so._ She pondered. _So that means… great StarClan, Rainpaw's going to be made a warrior!_

She lifted her head, scrambling to her paws as Rainpaw, Vixenpaw, Slatepaw, and Petalpaw all came through the trees alongside their mentors.

"Congratulations, Rainpaw," Blackpool dipped his head to the gray tom. "You'll be made a warrior for this. I'm impressed; how much did you catch?"  
"Well, I caught eight bits of prey," Rainpaw puffed out his chest, triumph gleaming in his icy eyes. "But I knew that the rest of them wouldn't be that far behind. I went around to each cat's 'camp', and beat every cat. I stole one piece from each, and then followed the scent trail of the last cat who attacked them. It worked really well!"

"How much have you got in total?" Vixenpaw demanded, looking angry that she hadn't won.

"Sixteen," he replied smugly.

"Great StarClan!" His mother and mentor Hollybird gasped.

"StarClan indeed," came an amused voice from through the trees.

Thornstar strolled into view, looking casually amused by the proceedings.

"I'm impressed, Rainpaw, no apprentice has ever completed this challenge, at least, not on their own. I did, but so did Blackpool, isn't that right?" The golden-brown leader shot an amused look at Lightningpaw's fluffy black mentor. "I was so frustrated that the eight moon old apprentice upstart had managed to catch as much as I did, and stole my chance of becoming a warrior early, but I forgave him eventually, and now he's an excellent warrior."

"Huh," Lightningpaw momentarily forgot her annoyance at failing the assessment, interested to hear about Blackpool and Thornstar's apprenticeships.

"Well, anyways, we should get back to camp," Hollybird interrupted. "Thornstar, I believe you have a ceremony to perform."

"That's right," Thornstar grinned. "I'm proud of you, Rainpaw. You'll make a great warrior. Perhaps even leader, one day."

All of her fury suddenly came racing back. _It should have been me!_ Lightningpaw's pelt burned with rage. _I deserve to be a warrior, not that dusty gray fleabag! I deserve to be leader, not_ Rainpaw _!_

…

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath this rock for a Clan meeting!" Thornstar's excitement was evident in his voice.

All the cats in the camp swarmed to sit below the large rock, murmuring amongst themselves in confusion. Stormkit and Birchkit were only three moons old, and Cloudykit, Sunkit, Sweetkit, Pearlkit, and Rainbowkit were even younger. And as far as the Clan knew, Petalpaw and Rainpaw were still too young to be warriors.

"Today, I stand before you as a proud uncle," Thornstar announced. "As you know, my sister Hollybird's kits are shaping up to be fine warriors, but I don't think any cat realized just how fine until today. These apprentices participated in the traditional assessment, of which no cat has ever succeeded alone, and made history. Rainpaw, please come up to stand with me."

Rainpaw, his gray pelt gleaming and his blue eyes shining, hopped onto the great rock, standing shoulder to shoulder with the leader of ThunderClan.

"I, Thornstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon StarClan to look upon this apprentice as one who has devoted himself to the ways of a warrior, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn," Thornstar turned his proud gaze to Rainpaw. "Rainpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clanmates until the moment you join our ancestors?"

"I do," Rainpaw's voice quavered under the intensity of the promise, but he was confident.

"Then I by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name," Thornstar continued, smiling down at his nephew. "From this moment on, Rainpaw, you shall be known as Rainwater. StarClan honours your bravery and tenacity, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

The cats immediately crowded around the newly-named Rainwater, calling out congratulations and flinging his new name to the sky.

Lightningpaw and Petalpaw hung back.

"You'll be a warrior soon too, don't worry," Lightningpaw comforted the she-cat as she looked stonily at her gray brother.

"I don't think I will," Petalpaw spoke slowly, but with assurance.

"Don't talk like that!" Lightningpaw gasped. "Of course you will!"

"No… no I won't," Petalpaw closed her troubled green eyes softly, and when she reopened them, they were clear and calm.

"What do you mean?" Dread hollowed out Lightningpaw's belly.

"I'm leaving ThunderClan," Petalpaw told her.

"What?!" Lightningpaw gaped, but she really wasn't all that surprised. It had only been a matter of time. "But- but why?"

"I want to live as a kittypet," Petalpaw replied. "It's safer, and kinder. I've found a twolegs den that will take me in, they're kind and they have a she-kit that's really fond of me. There's no dog and they have a nice yard and they feed me and scratch my chin, and I love them."

Lightningpaw could only listen to her unbelievingly. _She's really leaving._

"You and Slatepaw have been good friends to me, but I need to do this, I really think this is what I'm meant to do," Petalpaw nodded to herself.

"Meant to live as a kittypet?" Lightningpaw repeated. "But- but Petalpaw, you-"

"I guess you should call me Molly now," Petalpaw shrugged. "That's what the twolegs kit calls me. It's pretty, don't you think? Molly. Well, she calls me a lot of things, it gets kind of confusing, but it's usually Molly or Molly-kins. Maybe 'kins' is a twolegs version of 'paw'."

Lightningpaw couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Molly?"

"Yeah," the self-dubbed Molly stood up. "I should go say good-bye."

"Don't you want to stay for a little while longer?" Lightningpaw begged.

"Not really, I'd rather get going," Molly turned back, her green eyes misted with sadness. "I'll really miss you, but I have to do this. I'm sure you'll see me around. I promise I won't get too fat."

Lightningpaw couldn't bring herself to muster even a little purr. Petalpaw- Molly -had always been there, hanging around Slatepaw or just quietly grooming herself. Things wouldn't be the same without her…

"Bye," Molly sighed, turning away to head towards Rainwater.

Lightningpaw's throat felt like it was trying to escape through her mouth, choking her a little as she sniffed.

She watched as the dark gray and white she-cat trailed over to her brother, talking in a low and serious tone. Rainwater recoiled in shock, his eyes going wide, and Molly quickly left him, moving over to Hollybird and Thornstar.

She couldn't bring herself to watch Hollybird's heartbreak first-paw, so she padded away, blinking away tears that gathered against her will.

"Petalpaw!" Rainwater's raw plea echoed over the camp, but Molly had already turned her paws towards the entrance.

A gray shape broke away from the gathered cats, and for a moment, Lightningpaw thought it was Rainwater, but quickly realized it was actually Slatepaw.

They seemed to speak for a moment, then Slatepaw rested her head on Molly's shoulder as they walked out of camp together.

Her stomach feeling like it just melted into her paws, Lightningpaw chased after the pair, a horrible thought running through her mind. _Slatepaw isn't going to become a kittypet too, is she?!_

"Slatepaw, wait!" Lightningpaw cried.

"What?" Her sister turned, confusion overlapping the cutting sadness.

"You aren't leaving too, are you?" Anguish tore through her words.

"No, no of course not!" Slatepaw exclaimed. "I'm just walking with Molly to the border."

Molly nodded, affirming the words.

Embarrassment warming her pelt, she backpedalled away from the pair.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I'll- um, I'll just go back to camp then…" she bumbled, crashing into a tree in her effort to escape the mortification of her mouse-brained assumption.

"You can come," Molly offered.

"No no, it's fine," Lightningpaw shook her head, embarrassment rushing through her. "I'll leave you two to talk."

She darted away, heading back to camp, embarrassed that she thought that Slatepaw wanted to be a kittypet.

 _Have a little faith in your sister._ Whiteshadow chided, sounding amused. _Slatecl- Slatepaw doesn't have any plans to be a kittypet._

 _I sure how not._ Lightningpaw thought, half to herself.

…

As she headed back into the apprentice's den, she realized something. _It's just me and Vixenpaw and Slatepaw, now. Wow, the den sure feels empty. Rainwater's going to sleep in the warrior's den, and Petalpaw- Molly's going to be with the twolegs…_

The thought sobering her a little, she settled down into her padded moss nest, sudden exhaustion from the packed day weighing on her.

As the last of the rays of sun disappeared into the horizon, Lightningpaw closed her eyes.

 **Heeey, pumped this one out in about a day, not too bad!**

 **Well, whaddaya think? I finally got to make one of the characters a warrior (AT LAST!) I mean, I guess Copperspots and Buzzardclaw, but ehhhh they don't really count cuz they weren't as important as Rainwater. BTW Sorry in advance if I continually refer to him as Rainpaw by accident, the muscle memory's making me write Rainpaw every time I write 'rain'.**

 **QOTC: What do you think of his name? Rainwater's one of my personal favourite warrior names; if you've been stalking me, you know I love names that are real stuff, ie. Snowflake, Blueberry, Blackbird, Wildfire, Mapleleaf, Rainwater, Snowstorm.**

 **Also, Petalpaw became a kittypet! Only Lightningstrike predicted that one, (Lightningstrike, you get a cookie!) Molly is Ivyleaf's cat (The author) one of my best friends :D. So before battle exploded, I sent her off to live with Ivyleaf the human so that I wouldn't be tempted to kill her.**

 **MWAHAHAH. There are plenty of others for me to slay. }:) No one's safe.**

 **So please leave a review, and I'm off to do some laundry!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	40. Breeze: Sunsets and Suprises

**Hey guys! Welcome back.**

 **So little-miss-genius(aka Pondfrost) messed up the timeline a little, but I think it'll be fine. I hope.**

 **RR:**

 **Willowbreeze: Erry week. Sometimes. Maybe. Fairly often. When possible. Eh.**

 **So, as most of you know, I always PM reviewers… which defeats the purpose of review replies. If you're a guest reviewer then it'll be in the rrs, because I can't reply directly to you.**

 **Anyways.**

 **Next up, Breezy!**

Chapter 38.

"Hurry up, Breezepaw, we've got to go!" Rabbitpaw exclaimed, bounding after the retreating tail of Swiftclaw. "Icestorm's calling!"

 _This might be our last patrol together._ He realized with a pang. _I might never patrol again with her until she's out of the nursery… but I suppose I'm happy for her. Besides, I can't wait to meet her kits!_

"Breezepaw," his mentor greeted him with a sharp nod, but her eyes were misty and soft, as though she too realized that their mentor-apprentice relationship would never be the same. "You know?"

He nodded silently and pressed his mouth closed, closing his eyes so she wouldn't see how upset he felt.

"Then let's enjoy our last patrol, hey?" Icestorm gave him a weak smile.

He nodded again, tears gathering around his eyes.

Jaypaw and Honeythorn bounded up to them, Leopardpaw and Larkfeather by their sides.

"Come on, Breezepaw," Jaypaw offered him a sympathetic smile. "This is going to be fun! It's not like she's _dying_ , you'll still see her all the time and stuff."

Honeythorn gave her apprentice an approving nod. Breezepaw felt a little relief ease his anguish. _That's right. She's going to be fine; everything's fine._ He reminded himself. _She's not exiled or anything, just expecting kits._

Every day, Breezepaw wondered more and more how he didn't realize her pregnancy earlier. Her belly became swollen, heavy with little kits, and often they skipped battle-training in favour of something calmer, like patrolling the lake. It had initially frustrated him, but now he was more concerned about her health than his training regimen.

"We're going to go patrol the RiverClan border," Icestorm told him, visibly making up her mind to not be emotional and teary during their last patrol. "Come on, then."

Breezepaw nodded once more, resolving to copy Icestorm and keep his cool.

Jaypaw bounced ahead, Leopardpaw chasing after her with a trill of excitement.

"Some cat's energetic today," Larkfeather purred.

"You were just like that when you were an apprentice," Icestorm teased.

 _Oh yeah, she was her mentor…_ Breezepaw remembered. _I guess that'll be us one day. When I'm a warrior._

"Don't tell me you're getting soft in your old age?" Larkfeather joked.

Icestorm drew herself up to her full height, blue eyes blazing with fake offense. "I am not _old_! Larkfeather, how dare you! I am so offended, I think I shall exile you."

Larkfeather cowered in mock fear. "Please, no, not the wrath of the mighty Icestar!"

"I'm not going to be leader, Breezepaw is!" Icestorm grinned at him, shouldering him towards Larkfeather. "He's a talented, uh, what are you good at again?"

Breezepaw pouted at his mentor, but he was inwardly happy that she wasn't upset or stony silent like he'd feared. It was heartwarming to see her in such a jovial mood.

"Excuse me, I have a talent for controlling squirrels, and for this awful slight, I shall set my army of squirrels on you," Breezepaw said with as much regality as he could muster out of such a silly claim. "And you will be covered in fluffy tails."

Larkfeather lost it and doubled over, purring so hard she didn't seem to be able to breathe. Icestorm joined her, wheezing out breaths of amusement. Leopardpaw, Jaypaw, and Honeythorn looked at them like they'd suddenly sprouted mushrooms on their heads.

The confused looks just made them laugh harder, and soon they were all collapsed into the heather, coughing out hilarity. Larkfeather was the first to stagger to her paws, but soon failed to maintain a serious face.

Suddenly Icestorm made a pained face. Breezepaw's grin faded, and he hopped to his paws, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Kits are kicking," Icestorm told him, smiling weakly. "I'm fine- yowch!"

She hissed in pain as she dug her claws into the ground, her stomach rippling slightly.

"Leopardpaw, fetch Morningpoppy," Honeythorn ordered the apprentice quietly.

The younger she-cat nodded, a fearful look passing through her green eyes briefly, before she darted away, heading straight for camp.

"Just keep breathing, Icestorm," Honeythorn commanded, not even a shiver of worry in her voice. "You're going to be fine. The kits are coming a little early, but you'll be fine. Morningpoppy will be here in a moment, and you'll be just fine. Just look at me, that's it."

Breezepaw's stomach felt like the bottom had swung out. Dread choked him, and he couldn't even manage a word. Jaypaw looked equally terrified, staring at Icestorm as though she could burst into flames at any moment.

"Get- Logfall-" Icestorm panted.

Honeythorn nodded soothingly, flicking her tail to Jaypaw, who nodded quickly, once. The gray she-cat shot off across the moor, faster than a gray bolt of lightning.

The momentary envy of Jaypaw's easy speed was drowned in eclipsing worry for his mentor. _She's going to be fine. She has to be. Has to be. She can't die!_

"I'm here!" Morningpoppy gasped, sucking in harried breaths.

"Icestorm's kits are coming," Honeythorn explained calmly. "I assume Leopardpaw told you?"

Morningpoppy nodded quickly, dropping the herbs clenched in her mouth, dropping onto the moor and tucking her paws beneath her chest.

"Is she going to be okay?" The words burst out of him, breathlessly.

"She's strong, and she's had no health problems," Morningpoppy told him gently. "They aren't that early, you know. She should have had a little longer, but she'll be fine. I'm sure of it."

He nodded, swallowing hard. _I was just adjusting to losing you as a mentor, I can't lose her forever!_ He looked down and saw that his paws were shaking. _I'm okay, she's okay, it's all going to be okay._

"I came as soon as I heard!" Logfall coughed out, collapsing beside Icestorm.

"You shouldn't have run!" Icestorm panted to him. "You know your lungs are delicate!"

"You're comforting me while you giving birth?" Logfall coughed again, but he looked at Icestorm, his eyes soft. "You're crazy, you know that?"

Icestorm huffed out a purr, and responded, "You need comforting! You crazy elder."

Logfall coughed out another purr.

Despite the dire situation, Breezepaw felt something loosen in his chest. _She loves him. He loves her. They're going to be great parents._

"Keep breathing, Icestorm, that's the way," Morningpoppy's voice was calm and sure, but her paws kneaded the ground, betraying her anxiety. "You're going to be fine. When you feel the next contraction, I'm going to need you to push as hard as you can, you got that?"

"Mmhmm," Icestorm screwed up her face, gritting her teeth. "Aargh!"

Breezepaw felt a chill of dread, but it soon subsided as the first slick bundle dropped onto the ground. Suddenly, Littlepaw was beside them, dropping another bundle of herbs next to Morningpoppy.

"Thanks," Morningpoppy gave her apprentice a short nod, before turning back to the kit. "Alright, Littlepaw, you take care of the first kit. Icestorm, one is out, you're going to have three more, it looks like."

Icestorm let out a wail of fear, and Breezepaw felt like running away as fast as he could.

"You'll be fine," Logfall soothed, his eyes the only thing betraying his terrified state. "You're going to be a great mother."

Icestorm swallowed, nodding, before letting out another cry of pain as the second kit was delivered.

"Breezepaw, lick this kit," Littlepaw ordered him, with more authority than he would have guessed. "I need to take care of the other one. She looks weak."

 _She looks weak. Weak? Will she survive?_ Breezepaw's thoughts thrummed alongside his quick heart rate.

"One more!" Morningpoppy exclaimed as the third kit slipped onto the moor. "Almost there, Icestorm!"

Icestorm shrieked as the last kit dropped onto the ground.

"You're done," Morningpoppy declared, bending to take care of the last kitten.

"You did wonderfully," Logfall purred, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. "We've got beautiful kits, we're parents, Icestorm!"

Icestorm lay still.

Breezepaw felt his heart freeze.

 _She's dead._

"She's fine, Logfall, she's just resting," Morningpoppy told him, exhaling softly in relief. "She'll be fine. Meet your kits!"

Logfall collapsed in relief, a cough working its way out of his mouth. Morningpoppy and Littlepaw carefully carried the four kits to Icestorm's peacefully rising stomach.

"Three she-cats and a tom," Morningpoppy sounded proud.

 _I wonder if she ever wished she could have kits…_ Breezepaw pondered, feeling strangely light and giddy now that Icestorm had her kits and was alive and well. _Icestorm's alive. She's alive and she's got four cute kits. Maybe I'll mentor one!_

"Logfall?" Icestorm murmured, coming to. "Is it over?"

"Yes, my love," Logfall nuzzled her softly, smiling ear to ear. "We've got four beautiful kits. They're so perfect."

Breezepaw agreed. Every little hair on the kits' pelts looked carefully arranged by StarClan, their eyes tightly shut as they mewled quietly.

The kits had an array of colours, a black and white she-cat next to a fluffy golden one, who nestled beside a dappled brown tom who wriggled, pushing at his silver and white tabby she-cat sister who mewled very loudly.

"How about Warblerkit for the loud one?" Logfall murmured, giving his silver and white daughter a swift lick on her head.

"Sounds perfect," Icestorm nodded, eyes shining as she regarded her new kits. "What do you think of Goldenkit for the fluffy one? She looks just like Honeythorn!"

Honeythorn purred, flicking the kit in question with her tail.

"I love it," Logfall rasped, beaming. "Let's name the brown tom Rufflekit. His fur's so strangely arranged! And what shall we name the black and white she-cat?"

"I've always liked the name Dandelionkit," Icestorm offered. "It suits her."

Logfall nodded, beaming with pride. "Warblerkit, Goldenkit, Rufflekit, and Dandelionkit. Beautiful names for beautiful kits. Icestorm… I love you!"

"I love you too, Logfall," Icestorm purred scratchily. "You're going to be a fantastic father."

 _Warblerkit, a silver and white tabby she-cat, Goldenkit, a long-furred golden she-cat, Rufflekit, a dappled brown tom, and Dandelionkit, a black and white she-cat. They're perfect._ Breezepaw thought, a smile spreading across his face. _I hope I get to mentor one of them._

…

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Tall Rock for a Clan meeting," Spottedstar commanded, seating herself upon the imposing rock. "As many of you have heard, Icestorm has given birth! She and Logfall have four kits.

"Unfortunately, this leaves young Breezepaw without a mentor. This is why I have called you here; to announce his new mentor. Seeing as it has been a spell of time since I last trained an apprentice, I have decided that Breezepaw's new mentor shall be myself. Meeting adjourned."

Murmuring broke out immediately, a few cheers and congratulations for Icestorm rang out, but the majority of WindClan was gossiping about how Breezepaw's mentor was going to be Spottedstar.

A rush of excitement barrelled through him. _The leader! My mentor?!_ He wasn't even sure how he was supposed to feel. _I'm going to have to be_ perfect _, all the time… but so there Jaypaw! You're not so special because the deputy is training you! The_ leader _is training me! Great StarClan, the_ leader _of_ WindClan _is_ training me _!_

"Congratulations!" A voice he hadn't heard all day called out jauntily. "I'm impressed! Spottedstar decided she wants a hand at trying to keep you unruly furball in line?"

"What's a hand?" Breezepaw asked, but shook it off, grinning at Scarletpaw. "Hi, Scarletpaw. What have you been doing today?"

"Swimming," she announced briskly, twitching her still-dripping whiskers as if to solidify her point. "You should come again! It was fun last time!"

"It was cold," he argued. "And it's just going to get colder."

Scarletpaw rolled her eyes playfully. "Pansy! When're you going to learn to live a little?"

Breezepaw shrugged, and turned to greet more cats coming up to speak with him.

"Breezepaw, Scarlet," Jaypaw greeted icily, calling the former rogue by her previous name. " _Nice_ to see you. Breezepaw, I believe Palepaw was looking for you?"

The way she said it left no room for arguments. _Darn it! I was going to ask Scarletpaw about the flower thing!_ Frustration zinged through him, but he brushed it off, shooting an agreeable smile at the pair of she-cats.

He padded through camp, smiling and greeting each cat that congratulated him on his way by. Oatpad cornered him briefly, all sickeningly sweet smiles and words about how proud she was and how much further he'd come than 'the other one', and he just said his piece and walked away, searching for Palepaw.

"Breezepaw," Palepaw inclined her head formally, but the sparkling look she gave him indicated otherwise. "Nice to see you."

"Er, you too?" It sounded more like a question. Breezepaw wasn't exactly sure what she wanted from him. Palepaw hadn't been very outspoken lately.

"I- I-" it was her turn to be embarrassed. "Um… Breezepaw, do you want to go for a walk with me?"

"Sure!" He smiled, trying to set her at ease.

 _What's up with her? It's like she swallowed a hornet nest or something!_ He reflected silently, shooting an unsure look at her out of the corner of his eye. She led the way out of camp, her tail flicking nervously, and she kept looking back to make sure he was still following her.

"So, Palepaw…" he began uncomfortably, blinking nervously. "Why did you want to go for a walk with me?"

"It's such a nice day, don't you think?" She declared evasively. "Um, I just- er- didn't want to waste what might be the last nice day we have before leaf-bare starts!"

As though she was satisfied with her well-constructed answer, she gave a little affirming nod. Breezepaw tilted his head at her, suddenly stopping.

They weren't very far out of the camp, but no cat inside the camp would be within earshot.

"Palepaw, what's going on?" He asked her directly, wishing he knew what was going through her mind. "Where are we going?"

Palepaw made a face like she knew he was going to ask, but silently started walking again.

Breezepaw, however, was fed up with secrets. "Tell me, or I'm not moving another whisker."

"You can be so difficult!" Palepaw huffed, but the look in her eyes unbalanced him.

 _What in StarClan's name- is she- does she think I- what?_ His mind raced, trying to sort through the stacks of thoughts rapidly bearing down on him at the tender affection in her eyes.

Palepaw suddenly looked away, coughing. "Yes, well, just follow me!"

Breezepaw was so startled by the sweet look in her eyes, he shut up and simply followed her as she trotted through WindClan territory.

 _Lightningpaw._ Something twinged inside him. _No! She was just a silly dream. She's from_ ThunderClan _, for StarClan's sake, I can't fall for her! Besides, I'm hardly an apprentice, it's way too early to think about a_ mate _, much less a she-cat from_ ThunderClan _!_

He focused on Palepaw as they walked, confused but fascinated by her odd behaviour. The sun began to sink in the sky, heralding a softer, darker blue glow that illuminated the moor.

"Hurry, we'll miss it!" Palepaw exclaimed, setting the pace quicker than the already speedy trot they had been going at.

"Are we racing the _sun_?" Breezepaw asked incredulously. "Palepaw, what in StarClan's name is going on?"

"You'll see!" The same look was in her eyes as she turned to him, breaking into a full run, Breezepaw stumbling along behind her. "But we can't miss it!"

They were almost at the lake at that point, and Breezepaw was even more puzzled as to what was going on.

Palepaw suddenly jerked to a halt, right by the lakeside, and sat, neatly tucking her tail over her paws. She turned to Breezepaw, her eyes starry.

"Look!" She flicked her tail to across the lake, where the ShadowClan/RiverClan border lay. "Isn't it beautiful? Just wait a moment…"

"Palepaw, what-" his mew was silenced by her tail lightly laying itself across his muzzle. "Great StarClan!"

His mew was muffled, but his wonder and amazement shone through.

The sun was just kissing the horizon, less than a whisker of space between them, casting an ethereal pink and orange glow across the whole sky, which the lake reflected, illuminating the whole landscape in bright, sweet colour.

"Wow," he murmured.

"I know, right?" Palepaw whispered, her eyes riveted on the sky.

As the sun dipped lower, the pink faded so slowly into purple that Breezepaw wasn't sure if he was imagining it.

Twilight began to envelope the sky, bringing rich purple and royal blue shifting across the sky, velvety colour spiralling at the pace of a frozen stream through the pinks and oranges.

"It's beautiful…" Breezepaw breathed. "Thank you…"

Stars began to twinkle in, one by one, just glimmering points of crystal in the thick blanket of night. Breezepaw suddenly found himself mouthing out a wish.

 _Let this last. Let this peace last. I don't want any war, or bloodshed, just a beautiful sunset, here with my friend, surrounded by silence. Please, StarClan, if you can hear me…_

Suddenly, the wind picked up, lifting some of the black dust that lay by the side of the lake and spiralling it through the air like liquid shadows, mixing and glittering in a beautiful dance. _Wind and shadows…_

Then, a wave crested and splashed, the noise barely a whisper in the silence of the night, water droplets riding into the wind, joining the blackened dust, glittering and spinning.

"It's amazing!" Palepaw gasped.

"It's more than amazing," a familiar but unexpected voice remarked. "I believe it's a sign."

"Littlepaw?" Breezepaw whipped around to face the medicine cat apprentice. "Why are you here?"

"Can't a tom enjoy a sunset?" Littlepaw made an amused huff. "Morningpoppy suddenly dragged me away from poppyseed sorting to declare that I needed to go to the lake. I thought she had finally dropped over the edge and gone completely crazy, but the wind picked up and I knew that it was drawing me here."

"Then what's it a sign of?" Palepaw inquired, sounding ever-so-slightly irritated.

"Wind, shadows, and water, uniting," Littlepaw flicked his tail towards the spinning creation of the water droplets, the black dust, and the strong breeze. "Uniting against what, I don't know. Perhaps-"

"How do wind, shadows, and water unite?" Breezepaw asked, confused.

Littlepaw rolled his eyes with more than a touch of condescendence.

"Not the elements, the _Clans_ ," Littlepaw declared, his paw swirling through the black sand. "WindClan, signified by the wind, ShadowClan, signified by this sand, and RiverClan, the water of course. They've united to do something, but _what_ is any cat's guess."

"WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan…" Breezepaw murmured to himself, sure he was missing something. "And ThunderClan! What about ThunderClan?"

"By the stars, that's it!" Littlepaw exclaimed, jumping to his paws. "Thanks Breezepaw, I owe ya one. I gotta go, this is- holy StarClan! It all makes sense! ThunderClan's going to attack the other three Clans!"

"What?" Breezepaw exclaimed, shocked by the audacious declaration. "That's not what I meant at all! But what about Light-"

But it was too late. Littlepaw was racing across the moor, probably going to tell Morningpoppy what Breezepaw had accidentally insinuated.

"But… wait!" Breezepaw called fruitlessly after him. "I…"

"Forget about him," Palepaw murmured, twining her tail with his. "I wanted to show you this-"

"I'm sorry, Palepaw, but I have to go!" Breezepaw pushed off her tail gently and sprang to his paws, leaping across the moor after the fading shape of the ginger and brown medicine cat apprentice.

Palepaw made a noise of protest, but Breezepaw was already shooting off across the grass, desperately chasing Littlepaw.

 _WindClan can't fight ThunderClan! They'll be massacred! Three on one isn't a fight, that's a slaughter!_ Breezepaw thought, already out of breath. _And… that would mean I have to fight_ Lightningpaw _!_ _And I promise, StarClan, I won't think of her, or talk to her, or_ see _her again, just don't make me hurt her!_

But Littlepaw had already gotten to camp.

 **I'm not going to whine at myself about how short it is.**

 **But I will say, how excited are you for the next set?! Not as excited as me }:) MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Poor little Breezy.**

 **So QOTC: Who would you most like to see die out of all the cats in all the Clans? No cat is off limits }:). QOTC#2: What do you think of Icestorm's kits? (Goldenkit-Fluffy golden she-cat, Rufflekit-Dappled brown tom, Warblerkit-Silver and white tabby she-cat, and Dandelionkit-Sleek black and white she-cat.) If Breezepaw were to mentor one, which do you think it would be?**

 **Alrighty! Sayonara, my dear readers, until next week!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	41. Wave: Escalation

**Better late than never, my dudes.**

 **SO so so today we're following Wavepaw.**

 **RR:**

 **Stormbreeze: Yeah, I like kits too. *cries inwardly because she liked the name Warblerkit* I don't know, I thought it was cute! Oh, whatever. I just like weird names. Um, Scarletpaw, huh. We'll see about that.**

 **Hey, what do you guys think of the new title page?**

 **So, let's kick things off!**

Chapter 39.

"Faster, Wavepaw, twist, duck, and-" Fallowspots cut himself off with a huff.

Wavepaw panted, flopping onto his side like a dead fish and went limp. _Get up._ Pondfrost ordered. He continued to lie there, sucking in breaths.

"Argh!" A short bursting cry of pain blew out of him as the she-cat he was facing off with slammed her paws into his side.

 _She's making fish-food out of you._ Pondfrost observed. _You need to shape up or you'll never be a warrior. If I had been like that, I would have been sent straight back to the nursery. Then again, I did manage to avoid it for a while…_

 _What are you talking about?_ Wavepaw demanded, confused. _You never trained; you're dead._

 _You'll know someday. But you're not ready yet._ Pondfrost replied cryptically, sighing as though he was boring her. _This is_ so _boring. Do something interesting with your life._

 _Excuuuuse me for not having enough drama to interest you._ He snapped irritably.

"Look out!" Fallowspots shouted.

Wavepaw rolled out of the way at the last second as his adversary leapt at him again. _Why is she so fast?! She's only been training for a couple days!_

"You're getting beat up by a rogue!" Flowerpelt scolded. "You have to be quicker on your paws or you're never going to make it in a real battle!"

 _You're not my mentor._ Wavepaw thought mutinously, whirling around and kicking out with his back legs and sending his opponent crashing into a bed of reeds. Unfortunately for him, she immediately sprung to her paws, darting at him and snapping out with her jaws and holding his forepaw tightly.

He tried to pull it back from her, but she held on tight. _Damn it!_ He slashed his other sheathed paw across her face, sending her reeling backwards and releasing his paw from her grasp.

He threw himself at her and pinned her beneath him. Or so he thought. In a heartbeat, she had wriggled out from beneath him and was raining blows on his head.

"Enough!" Fallowspots called. "Wavepaw! Shape up, or you're going back to camp and you'll be picking fleas out of the pelts of Flintwhisker, Plumeye, and Reedtail."

 _Reedtail._ The name made a shiver of disgust run through his pelt. _Fallowspots's father._

"Good work, Cinnamonpaw," Flowerpelt nodded to her apprentice, a hollow look in her eyes.

 _Maybe Duckfeather's death affected her more than I realized…_ Wavepaw thought, glancing at her apprentice.

"Good work today, Wavepaw!" Cinnamonpaw exclaimed to him, her voice clear and sure.

"Thanks," he grumbled, remembering all too clearly how she had beat him up in every aspect of the day's training. "You did well as well."

She smiled friendlily, but Wavepaw felt numb. _I'm bigger, faster, and I've been training for longer. She's a rogue that joined the Clan a quarter-moon ago. We're probably about the same age… so why does she beat me? The facts don't line up…_ _Pondfrost, what's going on?_

All he heard was the sound of her sighing. _You're no help._ He told her, gritting his teeth and turning back to Cinnamonpaw.

"What do you think of RiverClan so far?" He asked, switching his tail from side to side.

"It's very nice…" Cinnamonpaw trailed off, a hidden thought buried somewhere in the gleaming depths of her golden eyes. "I'm glad that Snowstar let me stay. I didn't want to go back… to where I come from."

"Which is where?" He asked carefully, knowing that too many careless questions would end with his ears shredded.

He remembered the dark alleys of the twolegs place, the sinister voices of Willy, Satin, Embyr, and who he now knew to be Cinnamon. He still hadn't told any cat about it. Cinnamonpaw didn't seem to be interested in speaking about where she had come from, instead choosing to focus on buttering up Snowstar, who almost immediately caved in letting her stay in the Clan to train as an apprentice.

Wavepaw knew that Fallowspots would be livid if he knew that his son and apprentice had run off to the twolegs place. He told himself that he had no reason to be suspicious of Cinnamonpaw, even if she refused to speak about her past.

 _That conversation didn't mean anything._ He told himself as they walked towards the camp. He couldn't even remember much of it, and he constantly reassured himself that it didn't mean anything.

Still, being around Cinnamonpaw gave him an odd feeling that he couldn't quite place. It felt like cobwebs clinging to his pelt giving him an unpleasant crawling sensation. He did enjoy her company, however. She was kind to him and seemed to have a talent for setting cats around her at ease, saying all the right things.

 _She's good at manipulating others._ Pondfrost corrected, a note of irritation in her ethereal voice. _And don't think you escaped the effect._

 _Of course not._ He allowed, but couldn't help a twinge of annoyance mixed with worry that shot through him. _But she doesn't do it to hurt others, just to make them feel happy. Isn't that a good thing?_

 _Not happy, complacent._ Pondfrost corrected again. _There's a difference._

 _Not a significant one._ Wavepaw grumbled.

"Are you alright?" Cinnamonpaw asked gently, but her eyes flashed with suspicious, so minute and quick that Wavepaw was certain he imagined it. "You look like you're… talking to someone."

"Heheh, really?" Wavepaw smiled uneasily, forcing himself to keep walking calmly. "You, of course!"

 _Don't tell her about me, she'll think you're crazy._ Pondfrost instructed him. _Or…_

 _Keep your fur on, I'm not telling any cat that I've got the voice of my stillborn littermate in my head preventing me from seeing horrible images of my true love._ Wavepaw snarked, knowing that it wouldn't help his uneasy feeling to name everything wrong with his life.

"That is very true," Cinnamonpaw grinned, easing his breathing a little. "I'm glad, too. Some cats apparently don't know how to carry conversations without bumbling around and stammering."

Something flashed in her eyes again, more akin to a memory of something… or someone. _She's hiding something._ He thought, but it suddenly didn't feel so important, a calm smoothness rolling over him like a clear pool of water, silent and still.

"So you like RiverClan, huh?" Wavepaw murmured, feeling slightly drowsy. "That's nice. You're going to stay forever… right?"

"Yeah," she nodded, making a pleased face. "I'm glad. You and I are going to do great things."

"Great things," he nodded too, mimicking her accidentally.

 _Wavepaw!_ Pondfrost snapped. _Stay awake!_

He shook himself slightly, his vision clearing a little and the foggy feeling dissipating. _What's wrong with me?_

 _It's that she-cat…_ Pondfrost hissed. _She's responsible._

 _Does she have powers or something?_ Wavepaw thought in alarm. _Magic? How am I supposed to resist them?_

Pondfrost sighed, sounding exasperated. Wavepaw felt a stab of annoyance. She came into his head, shouting warnings and foreboding predictions, then acted all haughty and irritated when he reacted like a normal cat!  
 _You're not normal, and pretending you are will only make things worse._ Pondfrost seethed.

"Are you okay?" Cinnamonpaw asked, gently stepping closer to him, her fur brushing his and sending little shivers all through his pelt, leaving the same complacent and silent feeling.

 _No, no, no! Why is she doing this to me?_ Wavepaw demanded silently, shaking his head again to clear it, not even sure why he was fighting it. _But it's nice not to have to worry about it all… no! A leader doesn't take an easy solution or wish to forget all his problems! He fights back!_

His ambition clearing the path towards clarity, he blinked hard, the feeling leaving once more, replaced with the stony chaos of the real world. _Fight it!_ Pondfrost urged.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Cinnamonpaw regarded him with doubt in her eyes. "Do you want me to call over Fallowspots? He could get Sheepbelly, and-"

"I have to go," Wavepaw stated abruptly, whipping around and stalking away.

The further he got away from the long-furred russet tabby, the calmer he felt. _I'm okay, I'm okay._ He took a shaky breath. He felt a little cold and numb, but… he almost missed the warm, quiet feeling that Cinnamonpaw created. It was soothing.

 _And_ wrong _!_ He reminded himself, but he couldn't help longing for the unending calm that he had felt. _No!_

Pondfrost was silent. Wavepaw clenched his teeth together, taking deep, shaky breaths. _I don't want to feel all cloudy and foggy. I don't. I don't want that._

With each word, he felt surer of himself, less spacey. _Okay. Okay. I'm okay. Now I'm just going to go back to camp, and…_

The clouds split open and water began to pour out of them. _A storm._

He was flung into the memory of the last time there had been a storm. _Lightning. Lightning. Lightning. Lightning. Lightningpaw… No! No!_

 _Go to her._ Pondfrost murmured.

 _Why?!_ He demanded.

 _I- you…_ Pondfrost sighed. _You have to trust me._

 _What will happen?_ He questioned, confused.

 _You have to trust me._ She repeated. _You have to trust that I know what I'm doing. I've always known._

 _What?_ He was puzzled.

 _BANG!_

Thunder cracked and lightning split the sky. The wind picked up, as though answering, and Wavepaw looked across the lake as the water rippled and splashed, quicker and quicker, until heady waves slapped the shore. Between blinding flashes of light, the land was bathed in darkness.

 _Okay._

…

Wavepaw darted over the WindClan-ThunderClan border, spotting the WindClan patrol further down the stream. He had slathered his pelt in mud that hid his scent and his pelt, which was a big advantage, even though it oozed over him in a disgusting manner that made him frustrated.

 _Just a little further!_ Pondfrost urged.

Wavepaw blinked rain out of his eyes as it beat down on his pelt, soaking him to the bone and splattering his carefully-groomed fur against his body.

He pressed through the underbrush, grateful for a brief respite from the unending downpour. He breathed heavily, trying to mask his pawsteps with silence, even as every twig in the forest rushed to meet his pad as it struck the ground.

Even though the weather was abominable and his fur was a disgusting mess, excitement zinged through him. He was going to see Lightningpaw again! Breathing deeply, he ducked below the last thicket dripping with water and-

nearly got caught by a sturdy gray tom guarding the entrance.

 _Eep!_ It took all his willpower to stifle a squeak of alarm and he ducked away as silently as he could.

Unfortunately, as he dodged away from the sopping gray tom, he slammed his paw into a puddle and loud splash resounded, fighting against the pounding noise of rain.

"Who's there?" The tom sounded young, though his voice was deep and smooth, even with the added tinge of uncertain abrasiveness. "Show yourself! Are you the RiverClan intruder?"

 _Just stay quiet._ Pondfrost advised. _I've always found it odd that cats say that. Why would the intruder reveal themselves? That's fish-brained logic._

 _Shh!_ Wavepaw shushed her. _He'll hear you!_

 _I'm only in your head._ Pondfrost replied with a hint of mutinous petulance. _You're just crazy!_ Her giggle held entirely too much lunacy to be easing.

"I'm just hearing stuff," the guard muttered to himself.

 _Probably a new warrior, holding vigil._ Pondfrost guessed. _That must be Rainwater… ironic name. Thornstar wasn't feeling very creative, huh?_

 _Rainwater? How do you know?_ Wavepaw demanded.

 _I'm from_ StarClan _, remember?_ Pondfrost snickered. _I have pooooowers, and maaagical abilities!_

Wavepaw rolled his eyes, creeping around the camp to a point at which the drop was steeper.

 _Anyways, he's going to… be a little interesting in a couple moons._ Pondfrost muttered. _Don't forget his name._

 _I already have._ Wavepaw answered, and that was the end of it.

The silver tom continued his careful descent into the camp, nothing more than a shimmering shadow of the night. He crept into the camp on silent paws, keeping a watchful eye on Rainwater as he picked his way through the camp.

The rain had beat most of the mud off his fur, but he was so soaked at this point his fur barely held any silver gleam, only dark gray and plastered to his bones.

Uncomfortable as it was, his current state was ideal for slipping unnoticed into the camp. He paused outside the apprentice den, taking a deep breath of ThunderClan scent.

Blinking the rain out of his eyes, he dodged into the den, careful not to disturb any cat. Swinging his head around in search of Lightningpaw's distinct pelt, he noticed there were less apprentices in there before. A couple of nests lay empty. _Oh. Pondfrost was probably right; new warriors._

Spotting his love, he carefully hopped over the lashing tail of a ginger and white she-cat that he recognized as Vixenpaw, Lightningpaw's sister, he settled into one of the empty nests that smelled vaguely of a she-cat and kittypet food.

 _Kittypet food?_

He shrugged, figuring there was probably a good explanation, and just watched Lightningpaw silently.

Similar to Cinnamonpaw, she had a calming effect on him. Though, unlike the fluffy russet tabby, he felt like his mind sharpened and his goals crystallized. _Make Lightningpaw realize I'm perfect for her. Become deputy, then leader. Take over all four Clans and lead them in perfect harmony with Lightningpaw by my side._

The thought took him by surprise, but as he thought about it, he realized that his life would be complete if it came to fruition. _All the Clans, awaiting my command. No cat would go hungry. No cat would die or fight. Everything would be perfect. Lightningpaw and I could have kits._

He began to picture a couple bundles of fur next to older versions of himself and Lightningpaw. _Two kits would be nice. Not too many, but more than one._ Focusing on the image, he narrowed his view in on the kits. _Maybe a silver and brown one, and a golden one. Their names could be… Moonkit and Sunkit? Maybe. I could name them Moonnight and Sunlight if I were leader… which I would be, of course._

 _They could be our deputies._ He smiled at the tender thought. _And we would keep all the Clans safe. Wavestar, Lightningstar, Moonnight and Sunlight. A perfect family._

It was at that moment he realized that Pondfrost's hovering presence was absent. However, none of the awful images that had previously haunted him were there either.

Just him and his imagined family playing together by the lake, in a field, through the trees… _Please let it be true. Please let it come true. I don't care what I have to do… anything. Please._

…

Soon, he knew he would have to leave. He could sense that the sun would begin to come up at any moment.

Silently, he crept out of the camp, avoiding the snoozing form of the previously alert guard. _Wow, didn't think you'd pull it off._ Pondfrost muttered, sounding entirely insincere.

Wavepaw made a face, annoyed. As he scampered through the undergrowth of the ThunderClan territory, he couldn't help a little yawn that escaped his jaws.

Making a sudden decision, he headed deeper into the thickets, approaching the ShadowClan/ThunderClan border. He enjoyed the pre-morning breeze on his fur as he hopped over the stream that separated the two forest-dwelling Clans.

Sighing to himself, he plodded across ShadowClan territory. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him from staying awake through nearly the whole night and walking all the way around the lake in a day.

He hid from a ShadowClan patrol in a bush, waiting for entirely too long, his heart thrumming with worry, as they marked the border and left once more.

He continued his journey, only pausing a couple times to avoid the odd patrol.

It was nearly halfway through the day when he finally made it back to RiverClan.

As he crossed the border, he sighed in relief, before collapsing from exhaustion. He knew he should stand up, but he was just so tired… surely no cat would mind if he shut his eyes for a couple moments…

…

"Where have you been?" An accusing voice demanded, shattering his slumber. "What do you think you're doing, sleeping in a lump of reeds?!"

"I- I-" he blinked drowsily, peering up at his accuser through lidded eyes. "I'm just having a 'lil snooze…"

A furious hiss broke out of the lungs of whoever had disturbed him. Wavepaw snapped out of his sleep-induced stupor long enough to haul himself to his paws and make eye-contact with the cat who had awoken him.

 _Oh._

Fallowspots's burning green eyes pierced Wavepaw's, conveying every heartbeat of rage he was so obviously feeling. _Oh._

Oh _._

He heaved a sigh, flattening his ears in preparation for an angry rant. And boy, was he _not_ disappointed.

"You're the most irresponsible, laziest, most-" spittle flew from Fallowspots's rapidly jiggling jaw, and Wavepaw flinched away from it. "I can't _believe_ you! You skip training, fall _asleep_ on the border, disrespect you superior, and-"

His rage was so all-consuming, it consumed his words too.

"You're- I can't- I'm going. If you think you're so perfect in every way, then how about you _train yourself_ , good luck without me," Fallowspots whipped around, and storming away.

Wavepaw chose the most inopportune moment to roll his eyes.

The heartbeat before, Fallowspots spun back around, and Wavepaw's eyes rolled upwards… _Oh_ no _…_

"YOU DISRESPECTFUL, UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BRAT!" The words exploded out of Fallowspots with so much force, Wavepaw swore he could feel it ruffle his fur.

 _Yeesh._ Was his only thought.

Wavepaw had a sudden flash of fear, worried that Fallowspots was going to leap at him and claw his pelt into shreds, but the gray and white tabby simply whipped around and stalked away. _Oh thank StarClan._

Nibbling on his lip, suddenly very awake, he walked back to camp, sighing to himself.

Pondfrost lectured him on not angering Fallowspots, but Wavepaw shut it out. He wasn't interested in another pointless rant about respect and not being rude to Fallowspots because _futures are important blah blah blah._

As he entered the camp, he was struck by how deserted it seemed, all of the cats out on patrols and busy with their duties. _I should be out there._ His pelt prickled with guilt. _I shouldn't have gone to Lightningpaw…_

Pondfrost was silent.

Wavepaw padded slowly through the camp, guilt collecting in his heart as he walked. _I made a mistake. I shouldn't have done it. It was too much to go last time, the Gathering should have warned me. I was so, so stupid!_

He dropped to his belly in the middle of the camp, furious with himself.

 _What am I doing? I'm going to ruin everything!_

 _Not everything._ Pondfrost comforted. _Just most things._

 _What do you mean?_

Confusion throbbed through Wavepaw.

That was when he heard the scream.

 **Oh yes I did.**

 **MWAHAHAAHAHAHAHA.**

 **So! QOTC- THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, PLEASE ANSWER EVEN IF YOU DON'T USUALLY:**

 **Would you rather have shorter (3000~) chapters every week, the same wonky schedule as now, or longer (6000~) chapters every two weeks? (Oh, also, whaddaya think of the title page? Made it myself :D)**

 **Please answer! See ya later :D**

 **~Pondfrost**


	42. Dark: Poppylead

**WAKE UP WAKE UP I'M UPDATING THE STORY!**

 **WOOOOO I have no idea why I'm so hyped for this, but you damn well better be just as psyched. Talkin' to you. YOU. Yeah. You.**

 **RR:**

 **Stormbreeze: I used to be exactly the same way, honestly XD. But since new prefixes and suffixes are constantly appearing, I think it's only a matter of time before a Warbler~~~ happens ;).**

 **Thanks to Shadowdapple for the giant clump of reviews, it makes me really happy to see more people enjoying the chapters :D! We're almost at three hundred! *Pauses to scoop brains off the floor* I love you guys! As a treat for (me…) I'm going to put enough fluff to stuff a mattress for a T-rex in this chapter. And of course, if we're talking ShadowClan, you know what ship it's gonna be. ROBINDUSK!**

 **Also a little special thing that happens for mother's day, that I swear to God I didn't plan to have match up so perfectly today...**

Chapter 40.

"Hurry up, Duskpaw, we're gonna be late!" Darkpaw called cheerfully to her friend as they raced through the pines. "Robinpaw told us to meet him at the border by dawn, and the sun's almost up!"

Mudpaw panted behind her, the sprinting wearing on her energy.

Even though the weak sunlight filtering palely through the shady pines did nothing to combat the chilly leaf-fall breeze, Darkpaw felt warmer on the inside then the hottest of greenleaf days. As soon as Mudpaw had confessed her feelings to Darkpaw and Lostbird, her wound had begun to heal, almost as though once she'd decided she wanted to heal, she did.

"You know- I can't- run very well!" Mudpaw huffed, tripping over her paws and flailing into a bramble thicket.

Darkpaw winced as a screech of pain and indignation split the sky, Mudpaw furious at falling into the bush. "No excuses, you need to get back into the rhythm of _training_ instead of being a lazy-bones all day."

Mudpaw stumbled free of the plant's tendrils, little thorns and juice splatters on her fur. "Ugh, just when I got it clean! This is so annoying."

Darkpaw rolled her eyes coldly, but a grin was etched on her face and showed no signs of fading. "Yeah, well, suck it up, your queenliness."

Mudpaw turned to lick off a patch of berry juice and shrugged. "Hey, this isn't half-bad!"

"Ugh, don't get too attached to them, I think Robinpaw said something about swimming," Darkpaw baited.

" _Swimming?!_ " Mudpaw demanded. "I'm not- won't- why would-"

Darkpaw grinned again, her friend's outrage amusing.

"Keep your whiskers on, I was kidding," she jostled Mudpaw's shoulder in a friendly manner. "I'm sure Robinpaw has a surprise that involves something other than turning into a fish-face."

"Thank StarClan," Mudpaw shuddered.

They trotted through the damp forest in amiable silence, even Ripple cooperating and not ruining the moment with morbid jokes or rude statements. Soon enough, they reached the border with RiverClan, the reeds swaying softly in the leaf-fall breeze.

"At last!" Robinpaw exclaimed. "I thought I would have to wait until the next leader of RiverClan was named! StarClan above, next time move faster than the average dead turtle."

"Sheesh," Darkpaw rolled her eyes, exchanging looks with Mudpaw. "Tell me how you really feel. We're here now, so what was it you were so _desperate_ to do?"

Robinpaw shuffled his paws. His different coloured eyes darted around the clearing, never landing on either of the she-cats. "I… I just wanted to hunt."

"Okaaaaay?" Darkpaw drew out the word, looking suspiciously at him. "Today? Why so particularly?"

"No reason," Robinpaw made a face. "Just wanted to talk to you two… you're my friends, and I think it's time I told you."

"Told us what?" Mudpaw wondered, searching Robinpaw's face. "Robinpaw, you're acting weird. What's up?"

A silence hung over the trio as Robinpaw debated his words.

"So… as Darkpaw knows, Primrosepaw hasn't exactly been speaking to me," Robinpaw cast his eyes downwards. Mudpaw made a sad noise, and Darkpaw nodded, tilting her head understandingly. "And that's because of a certain… thing… about me."

"Which you never told me what…" Darkpaw trailed off as Robinpaw shushed her.

"Um… so…" Robinpaw shrugged. "Well. You know how Lionpaw and Olivepaw are kinda… y'know?"

Darkpaw nodded, Mudpaw looked a little surprised, but she shrugged too and nodded.

"I kinda… fell for some cat too… but there's a problem," Robinpaw exhaled slowly, clearing choosing his words carefully. "They're from WindClan."

Darkpaw's eyes snapped wide open. _WindClan? Breezepaw's Clan?_

Mudpaw gasped, about to say something, but Robinpaw hushed her, continuing.

"I obviously can't… but I need you guys to know about it, before you find out about it from Primrosepaw," Robinpaw sighed. "So… here it is. We've been meeting every other half-moon, three tail-lengths from the lake, but last time, Primrosepaw kind of… caught us. So I'm… not really meeting them anymore."

Darkpaw made a sympathetic face, but she was secretly a little relieved. _I'm glad. I don't want any cat to get in trouble for meeting a cat from another Clan._

"I'm sorry…" Mudpaw winced. "But you can't meet a she-cat from WindClan unless it's at Gatherings, and you definitely can't be _mates_ , and-"

"It's not a she-cat," Robinpaw interrupted. "It's Rabbitpaw."

"Oh," Mudpaw's eyes rounded, but she said nothing more. "You like… toms?"

Robinpaw nodded silently. "Um, she-cats too, though… I don't know what to do! I don't want to stop meeting Rabbitpaw because of Primrosepaw, she shouldn't get to decide anything for me, but it's against the code to be with a cat from another Clan, and Primrosepaw might not hate me if I found a she-cat…"

So many conflicting thoughts were running through Darkpaw's mind, she didn't even know where to start. _WindClan is wrong… but Primrosepaw shouldn't tell Robinpaw who he can and can't love… if only Rabbitpaw were ShadowClan, it would all be okay, but he's not… and if I tell Robinpaw that it's for the best that they can't be together, what if he thinks I'm like Primrosepaw? I'm not! I just… I guess I'm a hypocrite… because of Breezepaw…_

"What do you think?" Robinpaw asked nervously, his eyes troubled. "Seriously, say something!"

Mudpaw blinked hard. "I- I- you- you- um. Okay. You are- still my friend."

Robinpaw completely deflated, looking so relieved it was almost painful. "That's enough."

Darkpaw blinked hard, feeling a little detached from the situation, but smiled softly at Robinpaw. "You know I'll support you no matter what. I don't care how you are, you're still Robinpaw, and I like Robinpaw."

Robinpaw exhaled, relieved. "Thank you."

"If Primrosepaw can't see that-" Darkpaw began angrily.

"I don't want to talk about her," Robinpaw sighed, turning away. "I just wanted to tell you so that there weren't any secrets. Neither of you have a secret WindClan crush, right?"

Darkpaw's blood ran frozen cold for a moment before she realized he was joking and gave a nervous purr.

"'Course not, don't be ridiculous," she chuckled.

"Yeah, me either," Mudpaw rolled her bright eyes. "Robinpaw, you don't have to think about Primrosepaw or any of that, let's just go hunting."

Darkpaw nodded in agreement, and Robinpaw shot her a grateful look out of liquid amber and blue eyes.

The trio set off, away from the RiverClan border, before Mudpaw suddenly hissed 'wait!' to the rest of the patrol, and they all froze.

"Frog," Darkpaw murmured, flicking her stubby tail in the direction of the little amphibian, careful not to disturb any of the overhanging reeds.

Robinpaw nodded, wordlessly creeping around the swampy opening and together, Darkpaw, Mudpaw, and Robinpaw surrounded the small, slimy shamrock green creature.

They closed in on the blissfully-unaware-of-the-impending-death-swamp-dweller, each of them barely a mouse-length away, when Robinpaw leaped directly on top of it.

At the very same time, the frog bunched its ungainly flippers beneath itself and launched away from the sturdy brown tom.

Unfortunately for Robinpaw, he was a heartbeat to late.

Unfortunately for the frog, its chosen direction was actually Mudpaw's muzzle, and the brown tabby opened her maw at the perfect crystalline moment.

Her mouth snapped closed on the frog the instant it touched her tongue.

"Wow, that frog was _really_ eager to be eaten," Darkpaw quipped, Robinpaw and Mudpaw already in hysterics at the impressive failure of the frog's survival instincts.

"Sorry Robinpaw, but even with a hundred moons of training, you'll never beat the innate skill of a frog randomly leaping into your mouth," Mudpaw giggled.

"How _did_ you do that?" Robinpaw gasped for breath in between spouts of uncontrollable purring.

"Mind-control," Mudpaw replied, making a ridiculous paw-motion, trying and failing to appear mysterious and intriguing. "I shall teach you, but you will have to pay me tribute of fifteen bird-whiskers every day."

"Birds don't _have_ whiskers!" Robinpaw exclaimed, setting Mudpaw off again.

"Ex _act_ ly," she replied, sucking in breaths, tears of hilarity in her eyes.

Robinpaw rolled his eyes, but he was snickering too hard to appear cynical and sarcastic. Darkpaw's heart felt warm and full at their merciless teasing of each other. _What if they were mates? Oh, don't think that, they're much too young._ She chided herself. _But they're just so cute…_

 _Hmm._ Ripple made a noncommittal noise.

 _Oh, yeah,_ you _._ Darkpaw wrinkled her nose.

Ripple made another noise, sounding insulted.

"Come on, let's see if Duskpaw's frog-catching tactics will work a second time," Darkpaw suggested, but Robinpaw and Mudpaw were too caught up in their own world.

 _Oh for StarClan's sake,_ she thought, watching them with a little smile. _They're being too adorable to be mad at… but we seriously need to catch more than one brainless frog._

"Come _on_ ," Darkpaw exclaimed, a little more forcefully this time.

"Fine, fine, keep your whiskers on," Mudpaw huffed, rolling herself into a sitting position, but making a little gasp of pain as her side obviously hurt. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

Robinpaw's concern was warded off by a quick flick of Mudpaw's tail. His eyebrows creased, but he said nothing, probably realizing that any suggestion of cutting their hunting trip off early would be met with unsheathed claws and end in his ears in shreds all over the swamp.

"I want to try for a squirrel," Darkpaw suggested.

"Those would probably be over by the ThunderClan border," Mudpaw theorized, and Robinpaw shook his head.

"That's pretty far to walk, and Dus- er, _I_ am not really up to a long walk right now," he stammered, and Darkpaw shook her head softly, grinning, at his failure to hide his concern for Mudpaw's energy levels.

The comment didn't escape the brown tabby she-cat in question, who pursed her lips and gave Robinpaw a searching look, but her green eyes were softer somehow. _Maybe this whole 'I don't need protecting' act is just that… an act._ Darkpaw pondered.

"Well, then why don't we try for-" Mudpaw's suggestion was cut off by a fierce _toc toc toc toc toc toc!_

The sound reverberated around the forest for several moments before the trio was finally granted the ability to speak again.

"What in StarClan's name was that?" Robinpaw was the first to break the odd silence following the fierce knocking noise.

"Not sure…" Mudpaw replied, looking in the direction of the noise, trying to ascertain the source.

 _Woodpecker._ Ripple supplied.

 _How do you know that?_ Darkpaw demanded silently.

"It's a woodpecker," she told Robinpaw and Mudpaw.

"How do you know that?" Mudpaw echoed her previous thought.

"Erm, I think Sandywind was talking about them," Darkpaw rambled, "he said something about them being the only bird he could catch because they were always making noise."

"Huh," Robinpaw accepted the explanation, but looked at her with a hint of questioning in his eyes.

"It's a bird, so it's prey, right?" Mudpaw determined.

Darkpaw shrugged and nodded. Robinpaw also flicked his tail in agreement.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Mudpaw demanded, setting off towards the trees.

The other two exchanged glances but followed the strong little she-cat.

Soon, they came to the base of a tall pine tree where the noise was loudest. _That's where the woodpecker is. You have to be careful catching it though, they can be dangerous._

Darkpaw nodded, and the other two cats gave her odd looks, and she covered with a quick smile, realizing she had been physically responding to something that neither of her companions could actually hear.

"Um, so this is where the bird is," Robinpaw decided. "Who's going to climb the tree? I fall out of every tree I've ever tried to climb, and- sorry Duskpaw - Duskpaw's not in good enough shape to climb a tree."

The brown tabby opened her mouth to disagree, but glanced along her flank ruefully at the just-healed slash the fox had inflicted on her, and closed her mouth again.

"Then I'm going to do it?" Darkpaw swallowed down a rising lump of worry in her mouth. "Okay, I'm sure it will be fine. Pines are easy to climb, r-right? And if I fall, I'll only fall a couple branches, not _all_ the way down to the forest floor, the _hard_ forest floor…"

"Right!" Mudpaw agreed cheerfully. "You'll be fine. Imagine how impressed Sandywind will be!"

Darkpaw gulped. _Yeah, sure he would be. If I weren't a lying toad…_

 _You'll be fine,_ Ripple snickered. _Who would have thought, the full-of-herself, pride-filled little ShadowClanner would be the one to have a crippling fear of heights, and-_

 _Shut up!_ Darkpaw raged silently. _I'm not full of myself, or pride filled, and I'm_ certainly _not afraid of h-heights._

Bracing herself for the no-longer stable slickness of the pine branches, Darkpaw leapt onto the first one, swaying a little as she regained her balance.

"See? I'm f- fine," she grinned nervously.

Robinpaw and Mudpaw nodded encouragingly, and Darkpaw felt brave enough to leap to the next one.

Taking a deep breath, she summoned enough courage to leap up a couple more branches. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut before looking up at where the wood-pecker roosted, blissfully unaware of the cat ascending the tree with the ambition and intention of murdering it.

Darkpaw licked her licks nervously, fluffing her fur out, and clambered up another branch.

Her paw suddenly slipped and she let out an 'eep!' of fear, before feeling her fur get hot with embarrassment as Mudpaw and Robinpaw glanced up at her curiously.

"You alright up there?" Robinpaw asked quizzically, tilting his head in a puzzled fashion.

"Y-yeah!" Darkpaw let out a purr of fearful laughter that lasted far too long to sound natural.

Mudpaw looked disbelieving, but Robinpaw shrugged.

Clenching her teeth in determination, Darkpaw forced herself to leap up another branch.

That was when she made the mistake.

She looked down.

It was a dizzyingly long way to the ground, much further than she'd assumed, and the gaps between each branch were far too big for her safety to be assured. _Oh…_

 _no._

And she fainted.

…

"Hello," a sweet and soft voice greeted her as she awoke.

"Wh-where am I?" Darkpaw blinked, screwing up her face as bright light greeted her throbbing head. "What's happening, who are you? Am I in StarClan?"  
"You're a quick one," the she-cat smiled. "That's good."

"Am I _dead_?" Darkpaw demanded, swinging her head from side to side, trying figure out what was happening. Sure enough, the sparkling landscape of what she had always assumed StarClan to look like greeted her.

"No, no, of course not," the she-cat purred, a beautifully high and bright tinkling sound. "You're still very much alive, thankfully."

"Who- who are you?" Darkpaw's eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light and she studied the she-cat in front of her.

It was like staring into her reflection in a puddle, save for a few things.

This she-cat had no white patches marring her perfectly dappled tortoise-shell pelt of dark ginger and pure night.

And where Darkpaw had short and stocky limbs, this she-cat's paws were small but elegant and looked like they had been carefully created to give the impression of a she-cat who could dip her paw into a pool of water and not create a single ripple.

Her tail was short like Darkpaw's, but it was thin and softly waving in the breeze.

Her fur didn't look as greasy and un-groomed like Darkpaw's did, even after vigorous licking, but rather sleek and shimmering, each hair carefully arranged.

Her eyes were also different. Though they too were shaped like small leaves, deep set and shadowed, they sparkled with light amber and sweetness instead of Darkpaw's shadowed gaze.

"You- you're-" Darkpaw spluttered.

At first glance, the two looked identical, but with closer inspection, it became clear that they weren't the same cat, but rather this she-cat in front of her was…

"Your mother," the she-cat tilted her head and smiled.

And for the second time that day, Darkpaw fainted.

…

"All done?" The same she-cat from before hovered over her. "Please stop fainting, it's rather inconvenient when I'm trying to talk to you."

Darkpaw blinked her eyes open, realizing that she'd just fainted again. _I need to stop doing that. Cats will think I'm some delicate flower._

"Okay, so let's try this again," the she-cat sighed. "Nice to finally _properly_ meet you, Darkpaw, I'm your mother, Poppyseed."

Most cats, when meeting the mother they never had, would probably have many questions.

Not Darkpaw.

Her mouth hung open, gaping wide like a fish.

They just stared at each other, silence hanging over the clearing.

"Oh," Darkpaw breathed.

Poppyseed collapsed in laughter, obviously having trouble breathing as tears streamed down her face, purring so hard she wasn't even able to get a single word out.

"Um…" Darkpaw blinked rapidly, not processing.

 _But this isn't what she looks like, she's a big gray cat…_ her subconscious murmured. _At least… that's what she looked like in the nightmares…_

Poppyseed suddenly sobered, looking Darkpaw straight in the eye. "That's how your fear pictured me. A ghost, a cat that blamed you for her death. Part of the reason I'm here, is to tell you… you're wrong. I couldn't be happier that at least one of my kits survived. I love you, Darkpaw, and I'm _so_ proud of the cat you've become."

Darkpaw smiled, a comfortable warmth settling over her as a heavy weight that she'd bore for so long lifting off her shoulders, leaving her feeling lighter than a feather.

"I would die a thousand times for you to survive," Poppyseed murmured, blinking hard to clear the tears out of her shimmering light amber eyes. "You're my kit, I couldn't let you die."

"I wish you had survived," Darkpaw murmured.

"I do too," Poppyseed smiled softly, but it was bittersweet. "I do too. I know that it was my destiny though, and I'm glad I at least get to see you grow into an amazing she-cat in her own right."

Darkpaw purred, even as her heart stung. "I… can I meet my father?"

Poppyseed's eyes flashed with a thousand emotions, pride, sadness, anger, love, rage, anguish, and acceptance.

"He's not in StarClan," she murmured.

"What- why?" Darkpaw managed.

"Have you ever heard of the Lynxfang?" Poppyseed whispered.

"Yes…" Darkpaw whispered, her terror at where this was going washed away by a memory.

 _"Tell us a different story this time!" Olivekit begged._

 _"Tired of hearing about the great battle already?" Maplenose asked, amused. "Alright, but if I tell you this story, you must promise not to be afraid."_

 _"Afraid? Pfft, I'm not afraid of anything," Primrosekit snickered._

 _Darkkit felt annoyed at the young she-cat as she sat outside the back of the elder's den, a rotting hollow log that had been continually patched up after storms. The litter of three and Lionkit had left her behind once more, creeping away as she was still sleeping to find a story from Maplenose._

 _Darkkit had followed them, angered by their casual ignorance of her. Maplenose was telling them a story that Darkkit had never heard before._ Probably because she doesn't want to give me more nightmares. _Darkkit thought, scowling._ I can handle anything, I don't know why the whole Clan treats me like a tulip.

 _"This is the story of the Lynxfang," Maplenose whispered dramatically._

 _Darkkit couldn't see her, but she assumed that the elder was probably doing her trademark theatrical gestures and intensely widening her eyes._

 _"Lynxpaw was just like any ordinary apprentice, ambitious and brighteyed, but one day it all changed," Maplenose recited. "His mother, Petalstream, died in a skirmish with ThunderClan, and his father, Badgertooth was thrown into a furious rage, turning violent and cruel. Eventually, ShadowClan banished Badgertooth, but Lynxpaw never forgot his father's hatred for ThunderClan and his mother's dying screams as the swarm of ThunderClan cats clawed the life out of her._

 _"Now kits, never forget, the warrior code says we must never kill another cat unless it is absolutely necessary for our survival. Lynxfang was soon made a warrior for his ruthless skill in battle, a young she-cat Pop- er, Lilacpaw following behind him, named, um, Lilacflower, and they fell in love. Unfortunately, Lynxfang's absolute loathing for ThunderClanners poisoned his mate as well, and together, they would murder ThunderClan cats every moon, a single tooth missing from each cat's mouth."_

 _The kits gasped in horror and disgust, but Maplenose continued._

 _"But Lilacflower soon realized what they were doing was wrong, and begged Lynxfang to stop. Lynxfang seemed to agree, but soon, the mother of a young ThunderClan she-cat that Lilacpetal had befriended turned up dead. Lilacpetal and um, Deershadow had met at the Gathering and realized they were both expecting kits, though Deershadow was a moon into her pregnancy already._

 _"Deershadow's mother, Marigoldheart, was murdered, and one tooth was found missing from her mouth."_

 _"So Lilacflower's mate killed her best friend's mother?" Primrosekit asked, perplexed._

 _"Indeed," Maplenose replied gravely. "Lilacflower was driven into an anguished rage, and gave Lynxfang an ultimatum; stop killing ThunderClan cats or she would never love him again._

 _"Lynxfang was too full of rage, and attacked Lilacpetal. The she-cat, though pregnant, was able to defend herself, and a ThunderClan patrol, alerted by the screams, found them fighting. Lilacflower, though being a tiny cat, was so full of anger and pain that she was able to hold off the powerful tom long enough for the ThunderClan patrol to arrive. The ThunderClan patrol thought it was best to stay out of it, but Deershadow happened to be on the patrol, and attacked Lynxfang with the intention of avenging Marigoldheart. Unfortunately, Lynxfang had become one of the strongest cats in all the Clans, and even as strong warriors, Lilacflower and Deershadow's pregnant states weakened them significantly. They were unable to kill him with their bare claws, but Lilacpetal knew his one weakness. Lynxfang was deathly afraid of heights, and fortunately, there was a nearby cliff._

 _"Together, the two queens drove Lynxfang off a cliff," Maplenose murmured, softening her voice from the intense whisper of before. "And Lilacflower-er, petal, was broken-hearted, carrying the kits of her dead love. The she-cats broke off their friendship, knowing that after Lynxfang's reign of terror, ThunderClan and ShadowClan would need many moons to heal._

 _"Lynxfang was never seen again, Lilacflower and Deershadow pronouncing him dead, and ThunderClan and ShadowClan forming an uneasy pact of peace," Maplenose announced. "Lilacpetal and Deershadow had their kits happily, and that is where the story of Lynxfang ends."_

 _"Is it real?" Robinkit asked breathlessly._

 _"Ha ha!" Maplenose squawked nervously. "Ha ha! Real? Ha ha! No, of course not!"_

"It _was_ real…" Darkpaw breathed.

"The fact that 'Lilacpaw''s name kept changing from Lilacflower to Lilacpetal didn't tip you off?" Poppyseed asked dryly. "Every word."

"StarClan above," Darkpaw gasped. "It's- he's- you're-"

"Lynxfang was your father," Poppyseed breathed in softly, her light amber eyes swimming with unshed tears. "And his mate's name isn't Lilacpetal or Lilacflower… it's Poppyseed. Poppyseed and Lynxfang, the terrors of ShadowClan. I bet in a few seasons, the story of the Lynxfang will be nothing more than a tale to scare kits into staying in their nests."

"You loved him," Darkpaw breathed.

Poppyseed nodded, swallowing hard. "I- I couldn't help it. He could kill a thousand cats and I wouldn't stop loving him. It was my curse. But he loved me too, and he knew that I would destroy all of ThunderClan to keep it that way… until I broke."

"You- you and Deershadow are real?" Darkpaw gaped, a hundred possibilities running through her head. "But I don't know of any ThunderClan cats named Deershadow…"

"Maplenose changed the names to protect our identities," Poppyseed murmured, tracing her sleek tail through the grass in front of her. "The reason you were never directly told the story of Lynxfang -your father- was because of just that. She didn't want to risk forcing you to live knowing your father… he… he was a murderer."

Darkpaw nodded, sniffing. Though it was freeing to finally hear all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, answering many questions she'd had, she had a nagging feeling she was missing something.

She shrugged it off, figuring she was imagining it.

"I wish I could have met him," Darkpaw whispered hoarsely.

"Me too," Poppyseed's voice was raw. "Me too."

Darkpaw's lower lip quivered, sobs threatening to spill out of her.

"Was he really that bad?" She murmured, the words hurting her, but she needed to know.

"He- Petalstream's death _destroyed_ him," Poppyseed whispered. "He relied on her so much, he loved her so much, and he blamed ThunderClan _so deeply_ for her death… he never got to tell her how much he loved her, one last time, and it shattered him until he would never be put back together…

"Badgertooth was no help either. All that StarClan-forsaken maggot did was make it worse. The moment when Lynxfang needed him most, he was broken too," Poppyseed swallowed, tears balancing on her lashes. "I tried to be there for him, but it wasn't enough… _I_ wasn't enough. Maybe if we'd had kits earlier, something else for him to love and take care of, he wouldn't have… done what he did."

Darkpaw held her breath. _It_ is _my fault, if I had been born earlier…_

"It is _not_ your fault," Poppyseed lashed, anger glimmering in her eyes, but it wasn't directed at Darkpaw, it was directed at herself. "If anyone is to bear the guilt of what came to pass, it is I. I didn't let him in, I was so afraid of what it could mean for _me_ and _my_ health… I couldn't trust him; I should have trusted him."

Darkpaw searched her mother's light amber eyes, unsure. _But… she shouldn't blame herself for Petalstream's death or Badgertooth's neglect, or Lynxfang's actions… and I guess I shouldn't either._

"It's no cat's fault," Darkpaw breathed, crystal realization dawning on her. "You couldn't stop him, kits or no kits. Petalstream's death is what caused this, not your ability to trust him, and Petalstream's death was ThunderClan's fault."

Poppyseed laughed humorlessly. "Do you know who killed Petalstream? It was a whole patrol, but one cat in particular. I didn't realize it at the time… but Maplenose was wrong. Do you know why I cut off my friendship with F- Deershadow? Not because of any worry for our Clan's current relationship, I cut it off because _she_ was the one. Just an apprentice, though she was almost a warrior, and she did it."

"Did what?" But Darkpaw knew.

"She murdered Petalstream. Ripped the life away from her," Poppyseed clenched her teeth together. "I didn't know until after we killed Lynxfang, when she told me, consumed by guilt. But that guilt wasn't enough. She should suffer for what she did. She killed Petalstream and destroyed Lynxfang _twice_ , dooming you to a life without a father, me to what I might have survived had Lynxfang been there, beside me, and-"

"Deershadow?" Darkpaw felt rage slowly grip her insides. "She killed Petalstream?"

Poppyseed nodded silently.

" _She's_ the one with the blood on her paws," Poppyseed murmured coldly. "She is at fault for it _all_. Lynxfang, Petalstream, Badgertooth, and the countless ThunderClan warriors."

Darkpaw sank her claws into the grass.

"She's still alive?" Darkpaw demanded.

Suddenly, a ripple passed over Poppyseed, and her face melted into a mask of soft gentility. "But it wasn't her fault."

Confusion washed over Darkpaw. _But she just said…_

"Don't think about it, I just wanted to meet you," Poppyseed murmured. "Deershadow is innocent, she was only defending her Clan."

The same calmness felt like it was pushing into Darkpaw. "Oh- I- I guess…"

Poppyseed smiled at her, and Darkpaw smiled back, her breathing easing.

"I love you, Darkpaw, never forget it," her mother stated. "You won't turn out like your father, I promise."

Darkpaw blinked happily at her mother, but suddenly, everything felt like it was tipping sideways, and the whole world went dark.

…

"Darkpaw? Darkpaw!" Mudpaw's alarmed mew greeted her as she came to. "StarClan, Darkpaw, I thought you were dead!"

"Not- yet-" Darkpaw muttered, staggering to her paws, when she suddenly lurched and dropped back into a soft mossy nest. "Um, where am I?"

"The medicine den," Ashmask grumbled. "You fell out of a tree, Robinpaw and Mudpaw had to carry you back. Took them a long time, and Mudpaw opened her side again, so now you're both confined to the medicine den for the rest of the day, maybe longer for Mudpaw."

"Oh no!" Darkpaw gasped, leaping to her paws. "Duskpaw, are you okay?"

"Fine," Mudpaw grumbled, licking her flank. "I don't know what the big fuss is about, I'm not _dying_."

Ashmask made a huffing noise and returned to his herb stores, tidying the already-immaculate den.

"Darkpaw, you were having nightmares again," Lostbird told her bluntly. "I had to give you a poppyseed to ease your sleeping."

"A poppyseed, huh?" Darkpaw was amused by Lostbird's unintentional reference to her mother's name and a little annoyed that the ginger medicine cat brought up her night terrors in front of Mudpaw. "Thanks?"

Lostbird made a face, annoyed by the calico, and strolled out of the den.

"Oh, the great medicine cat hath abandoned us!" Darkpaw moaned theatrically, flinging herself down into her nest and slinging a paw over her forehead dramatically. "How shall we survive?"

Mudpaw purred with amusement at her antics and Darkpaw grinned.

"Oh, thank the stars!" Robinpaw exclaimed as he came into the den, dropping the frog that hung from his jaws. "Darkpaw! I thought you were dead!"

"Along with everyone else," Darkpaw huffed, but didn't protest as Robinpaw pressed his head against her cheek. "Oh for StarClan's sake, I'm _fine_ , I just fell. It wasn't even that far."

"It was at least ten fox-lengths!" Robinpaw exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

Darkpaw clammed up, not wanting to reveal to Robinpaw and Mudpaw that she was afraid of heights. _They look to me for protection, I can't let them know I'm afraid of something…_

 _That's a load of fox-dung._ Ripple snorted.

 _Excuse me?!_ Darkpaw demanded.

 _That's a load of fox-dung, didn't you hear me?_ Ripple sneered. _Robinpaw is more than capable of handling himself, and while it's true that Mudpaw or Duskpaw or whatever you want to call her looks up to you, she doesn't need_ protecting _. You should tell them the truth._

Though he was being a fox-heart about it, Darkpaw couldn't deny that his words held more than a hint of truth.

Darkpaw looked up to find Robinpaw and Mudpaw still awaiting an answer.

"I fell because I fainted," she admitted, sighing in embarrassment. "I'm really _really_ scared of heights."

And suddenly, as Robinpaw and Mudpaw snickered in relief, telling her they were never going to stop teasing her about it, a memory came to her in a flash.

 _Heights._

 _Deathly afraid of heights._

 _'I'm really_ really _scared of heights.'_

 _Deathly_

 _afraid_

 _of_

 _heights_

Lynxfang.

 _Just like Lynxfang._

 **Badabing badaboom.**

 **Heck yes that just happened :D.**

 **So quick recap, Robinpaw is indeed bisexual, Robindusk is the cutest ship of all time, Rabbitpaw and Robinpaw were actually a couple for a brief amount of time, Darkpaw meets her mom for the first time ever, and also kinda finds out that her dad was a murderer with a weird obsession with ThunderClan.**

 **So, the QOTC: Who is Deershadow?**

 **The only things you know- ThunderClan she-cat. Well, there's other stuff hidden in the chapter too that will give you more hints, but that's what I'm giving you for free. Let's see how many kitties connected the dots. Darkpaw sure didn't XD. There's literally only one cat it can be once you have all the clues, actually, but pshah.**

 **ALSO: *Confetti* Thirty follows! Woop woop! I just keep imagining this classroom full of people I've never even met peeking over my shoulder as I sit at a desk, typing away at a new chapter. XD It's beautiful.**

 **So the big original plottwist creeps nearer, but there's plenty of secondary carp to keep us busy 'til then!  
Don't forget to wish your mom a happy mother's day! BTW that was the 'Mother's Day' special thang, Darkpaw finally meeting her mom in a place other than twisted nightmare land.**

 **See you next week :D**

 **~Pondfrost**


	43. Lightning: Hopeless

**Welcome welcome welcome, to this week's episode, er, chapter! Nearly a week late in true Pondfrost fashion :D.**

 **RRs:**

 **Stormbreeze: Yeah, I know about the whole pearl thing ;-;. I just love the prefix, and the general rule I use is manmade=no, natural=ok. I know they would have no idea about pearls though T-T. And I was wondering who would figure out the joke in the name. The clue is in the title. Literally ;).**

 **Iron: Ayo, you guest reviewers are pretty damn smart. ;) I thought I was being sneaky** **…**

 **Stormbreeze's other review: Huh, you're right. Hmm. Odd how some cats look like their grandparents.**

 **:( I cracked the screen of my computer… I'm really annoyed and upset. It's important to me and I haven't even had it that long. :( Anyways...**

 **Moving forwards a couple weeks for chapter :D.**

 **SO THIS CHAPTER is going to be… ehem…** _ **very**_ **interesting.**

 **Dark dark darkness and dark themes in this chapter, so if you're sensitive, you've been warned.**

Chapter 41.

Lightningpaw awoke softly to the twittering of birds and shimmering amber and gold sunlight gleaming on the floor of the den, her soft moss nest cradling her as she sprang to her paws, energy surging through her and excitement for the day's challenges bursting inside.

Feeling happier than she had in awhile, she trotted out of the den, licking her lips as she fantasized about a succulent piece of prey with which to begin what she could feel was going to be the best day of her life. _I don't even know why I'm so excited…_ Lightningpaw thought to herself as she swaggered out of the apprentice's den to join the rest of the Clan in the camp.

 _Hmm._ Whiteshadow murmured.

Lightningpaw wrinkled her nose at the mysterious she-cat's sour attitude as she surveyed the camp, the wide grin spread over her muzzle fading as she observed her Clanmates.

They sat in tightly huddled groups, casting narrow-eyed glares around at the grass as though it had offended them somehow. Some cats stood alone, seeming peaceful, but their rapidly flicking tail-tips and hunched postures conveyed their anger.

Thornstar and Shadefur were nowhere to be seen, which only appeared to be aggravating the Clan even more. Birdtail paced rapidly, sinking her claws into the ground, Owlclaw crouched by the edge of the camp, watching the entrance suspiciously, even Redflower looked very alarmed, her tail lashing like it had a mind of its own as she spoke in rapid, hushed tones to Blackpool, who frowned at some unseen enemy.

 _What in StarClan's name is going on here?_ Lightningpaw wondered, staring at the furious Clan.

"Lightningpaw!" Blackpool strode over to her briskly, feigning a little smile but his deep blue eyes were angered. "You overslept."

"I know, Blackpool, but I-" her excuse fell away under his accusing blue glare.

 _What's got his tail in a twist?_ She wondered, searching his face.

"Go to the nursery; clean out the nests and watch the kits while the queens go on patrol," Blackpool's normally understanding and calm blue eyes pierced her with icy coolness as he snapped the orders out.

"What's going on? Why is every cat-" her demand was instantly silenced by Blackpool's eyes turning cold as chips as ice. "Okay, _fine_."

Flattening her ears in annoyance, she stormed away from her mentor, fuming with angry thoughts at his lack of compassion or civility and his refusal to answer her demands about what in StarClan's name was going on in the ThunderClan camp.

"Oh thank StarClan," Fawnshade rushed out of the nursery, her fur matted and her eyes wild. "Lightningpaw, watch the kits, I have to go make sure- I have to- I'm going on patrol."

The confused brown and white she-cat opened her jaws to protest, but Fawnshade abruptly whipped around and stalked out of camp.

"Lightningpaw!" Leaffur at least looked calmer than Fawnshade, but her light amber eyes were deeply troubled. "Would you be a dear and watch Stormkit and Birchkit for me? They're a real pawful sometimes…"

Leaffur purred nervously, but Lightningpaw just sat there in stony silence.

"Um, thanks," the queen offered her a quick smile that did absolutely nothing to set the apprentice at ease as she dashed out of camp after Fawnshade.

 _What has gotten into everyone?_ Lightningpaw wondered.

She sighed, inhaling deeply, before ducking into the nursery. _Smells like fish. Odd…_

"Lightningpaw!" Stormkit exclaimed, rushing to greet her. "Yay!"

Though the Clan was acting odd, at least the kits were still bundles of positive energy. A soft smile spread over her face and she crouched so she was on the same level as the sturdy little gray she-cat.

"Hiya Stormkit!" She greeted. "And Birchkit, of course!"

The miniature copy of his mother hobbled over to her, limping slightly and holding his left forepaw with odd delicacy. "Hi Lightningpaw."

"Oh, what's wrong?" She studied his forepaw, nothing obviously wrong with it, but he tucked it behind his other forepaw, licking his chest embarrassedly.

"Nothing… my paw just got hurt a bit," he replied, pouting.

Lightningpaw nodded, stifling a purr. _If only my problems were as small as a stubbed paw._

"Your eyes!" She exclaimed, finally noticing the slight difference in the two kits.

"Yeah!" Stormkit squealed, hopping closer to Lightningpaw and opening them widely so she could examine them. "See? They're not so kit-blue anymore!"

Stormkit's glowed yellow with excitement, the same shade as the sun, whereas Birchkit's were bright green, thoughtful and sensitive.

 _They're so cute!_ Whiteshadow exclaimed in her head. _Er… forget I said that._

Lightningpaw purred, the tense mood of the rest of the camp forgotten. Stormkit growled playfully, pouncing on Lightningpaw's striped tail, wrestling with it. Birchkit joined, flicking his tail from side to side as he prepared to leap onto Lightningpaw.

"Hi," a little kit tottered up to her.

Lightningpaw smiled down at the kit, before her smile froze then shattered. _No…_ the form of Fawnshade's littlest kit, Pearlkit, peered up at her with gigantic blue eyes and an innocent smile. _Her…_

"Hello," Lightningpaw forced herself to speak softly, but she couldn't help it as her lip curled in disgust, revealing her pointed teeth.

The cream and silver she-cat's siblings scampered over to stand with her and stare up at Lightningpaw. She forced herself not to growl or reel away from their soft kit-scent.

"Who are you?" Rainbowkit demanded bravely.

"Lightningpaw. Your half-sis- half-si-" she felt like she was choking on the words. "Lightningpaw. I'm Lightningpaw."

Cloudykit nodded thoughtfully but Sunkit just stared off like he was spacing out. Sweetkit ducked her head shyly. _They're so weird…_ Lightningpaw thought, reeling away from them. _What's wrong with them? Maybe it's because their birth never should have happened…_

The thought sickened her a little, but she didn't let it show and plastered a bright grin over her face that seemed to scare Sweetkit a little, and she backed up. _Good._ Satisfaction pinged through her, even as a part of her felt bad.

Stormkit and Birchkit padded over to join her beside the litter of five, looking at them with strange expressions on their faces, like they'd just eaten a piece of crow-food.

They stared each other down for a moment, before turning away to play moss-ball with each other. Lightningpaw lingered for a moment, her gut twisting as she regarded the kits.

Eventually, she turned tail and joined Stormkit and Birchkit, helping them bat the soft moss from one side of the nursery to an other.

She started getting into the game, whisking it away from the kits and wrapping her tail around it in fancy tricks. Happiness slowly eclipsed the previous uncomfortable air that hung in the nursery.

That is, until…

"Some cat! Dawnsplash! Come quick!" Rainwater screeched as he burst into camp.

Lightningpaw sprang to her paws from her position by the nursery entrance. _Some cat's in trouble! But who?_

"What is it?" The cream and ginger medicine cat burst out of her den, her paws working at the ground in front of her nervously.

"It's- it's-" Rainwater was panicking so hard he couldn't even speak. "It's Fawnshade! Her kits are coming, and it's going horribly, horribly wrong!"

 _WHAT?!_ Dread cascaded over Lightningpaw, horror seizing her and she froze, paralyzed and terrified. _SHE'S EXPECTING_ MORE _KITS?! SINCE WHEN?! It's only been a moon since she gave birth to… them… so she couldn't possibly be- great StarClan._

Lightningpaw abandoned the game of moss-ball, rushing out of camp without a word of goodbye to the kits. In another situation, she might have paused to ask some cat to watch them while she went out, or perhaps have waited for another moment to decide what the best course of action was, but such deep panic was shaking her, she wasn't thinking straight.

 _Fawnshade's having kits. She's not even… she isn't…_ her thoughts were far from linear as she rushed after Rainwater and Dawnsplash, her stomach feeling like it had sunk into her paws and sloshed around with each leap and bound.

"Fawnshade!" A terrified cry tore free of her throat as she reached the clearing where Fawnshade lay.

"L- Lightningpaw?" Her mother weakly turned to look her in the eye.

Fawnshade's normally bright and peaceful amber eyes were replaced with cloudy, uncertain shards of brown.

"I'm here, I'm here!" Lightningpaw exclaimed, pressing herself against her mother's heaving flank. "You're okay, right? You're going to be fine?"

Her inflection ricocheted out of control and her questioning was cut off with a shrill squeak. A sob burst out of her mouth, but she repressed it, staring at her mother.

Fawnshade lay on her side, barely even moving, only her sides heaving as she fought for each breath. Shadefur stood grimly in a shadowed patch of the clearing and Thornstar was tucked against Fawnshade's side, panic in his wide eyes.

"Fawnshade!" He gasped, ever the caring and worried mate.

"Get out of the way!" Dawnsplash cried, the noise so forceful both Thornstar and Lightningpaw staggered back. "I have to see her!"

The medicine cat darted to the queen's side, nosing her and pressing against her slightly swollen stomach. Lightningpaw suddenly noticed every little detail of her mother's physique that she had missed in the past moon. Swollen stomach, stiff paws, everything suddenly seemed clearer.

"Fawnshade, why are you having kits?" Despite posing seemed to be a nonsensical question, Dawnsplash's mew was steady and her blue eyes were dark.

"I- I-" Fawnshade's gaze darted over to Thornstar and she choked out another word. "He-"

"Save your strength!" Thornstar urged, but his eyes held a confusing glint of menace.

Fawnshade heaved in another breath, shifting onto her other side, and Lightningpaw reeled away in horror, her eyes widening to twin moons. A set of fresh scars was carefully incised over her flank, pink and red with bare flesh. They were too perfect, too uniform to be thorn scratches or accidental. No… some cat had inflicted these with absolute care and delicacy.

Dawnsplash's blue eyes went wide, the pupils dilating and taking over most of her eye, panicked and terrified. Dawnsplash obviously knew exactly how these scars had come to be, but Lightningpaw had no idea.

"He… he made me-" Fawnshade's weak mew was cut off by Thornstar jumping forwards with a nervous purr.

"She's delirious; doesn't know what she's saying," he exclaimed, but the venomous look he sent to Fawnshade left no room for doubt in Lightningpaw's mind.

 _He did it._ The realization had been settling in, but it hit her with a badger's weight when she finally accepted it. _He hurt her like this. He's making her have more kits. Fawnshade didn't stop loving Owlclaw, Thornstar's forcing her to be his mate!_

In an awful way, the realization brought relief to her. Fawnshade still loved Lightningpaw's father; it wasn't her fault. The kits were wrong, born of an awful link.

"Thornstar, I think you'd better go," each word dripped out of Dawnsplash's mouth with terrifying, claw-sharp precision.

"I-" The leader's panicked mew was cut off by Fawnshade's stronger voice.

"No, he stays," fire returned to her fierce amber eyes, and she staggered to her paws, even as another contraction rippled across her flank. "Thornstar, I am not going to survive this."

The statement finally broke Lightningpaw and she opened her jaws to let out a pained cry, but her mother silenced her by turning the furious gaze onto the dark brown she-cat.

"And it is, in every way, your fault," despite the absolute rage pent up behind her words, her mew was nearly calm, straightforward and precise. "I am going to die because you forced kits upon me when you couldn't face the fact that _I chose Owlclaw_. I don't love you; I never will. But to save my own pelt, I pretended.  
"I pretended I could forget him and start over with you. I almost fooled myself, in fact." She purred bitterly, locking eyes with Thornstar mercilessly. "Until it started. You aren't a normal cat. Normal cats are happy in their lives; normal cats accept and move on. But you wanted to hurt me, _punish_ me for choosing Owlclaw. And that's what these scars are, to you.

"These scars are a necessary evil, in your mind, a necessary evil to show me that you were the right choice. You even told me, once, as you hurt me," Fawnshade accused, advancing on him, her voice cold. "You told me 'Fawnshade, I'm doing this because I have to!' 'Fawnshade, I'm doing this because I love you!' 'Fawnshade, _this is something I have to do_.'"

Each word felt like a thorn stabbing into Lightningpaw's heart, but she was paralyzed, frozen and bound to listen to every single word as all the festering evil that had been hidden for so long was finally exposed to light.

"And so you hurt me every day," Fawnshade's voice shook with pain and fury, but she continued, not even pausing. "But that would be tiny compared to forcing me to have your kits. I told you, I didn't want more kits, I told you I wanted things between us to stop. But you didn't listen. So I pretended more. I pretended to be the happy, loving, _caring_ mate you always wanted and now, will _never_ have. Because you're a _monster_ , Thornstar, and I hope you rot in the Dark Forest."

Thornstar staggered backwards as their eye-contact finally broke. He looked about ready to flee, but Fawnshade suddenly collapsed onto her side and choked out more words.

"Don't you dare take a step out of this clearing," Fawnshade hissed, lower and crueler than Lightningpaw had ever heard. "You leave, and I'll _flay_ you. You're going to stay in this clearing, and you're going to watch. I'm going to give birth to these kits that _never_ should have been born, and I'm going to die, and you. Are. Going. To. _Watch._ "

The venom in her voice terrified Lightningpaw, but the effect it had on Thornstar was genuinely horrifying. He broke down, frozen still but shaking ever so slightly, his eyes trained on Fawnshade.

Fawnshade heaved another breath, contractions seizing her body as she convulsed in pain, a tiny, frail kit finally dropping onto the floor of the clearing.

Dawnsplash snapped into action, nipping open the birthing sac and cleaning the kit, licking its fur the wrong way to catch air and store it.

Fawnshade continued to convulse, not finished yet. Dawnsplash set the kit on the earth and rushed to Fawnshade's side, feeling her stomach.

"They're all dead," the medicine cat's voice was stony, grim. "Even if she's strong enough to give birth to them… they're going to be dead before they're even alive. And she's never going to survive this."

Hearing the most optimistic and cheerful cat in the Clans pronounce a writhing, convulsing queen to be dead shook Lightningpaw.

"They can't be dead," Thornstar breathed. "My poor kits!"

Fawnshade made a low, wheezing noise. Lightningpaw didn't know what she was doing until she had raised her head and locked eyes with Thornstar once more. She was _purring_.

"These are _not your kits_ ," Fawnshade growled. "This kit has no family. _No_ family at all would be better than _you_ , you monster. This kit is going to grow up _hating_ you for what you did. You took away her mother, and with her, her father as well. She will _never_ forgive you, and it will destroy you."

The words were less like a threat and more like an omen. Thornstar's eyes were wide with terror and panic spiked his fur.

"She's stronger than that!" He growled. "She'll be stronger than you, and she'll love me. She will be a tiger… she will be Tigerkit."

" _NO!_ " Fawnshade howl rocked the clearing as her eyes flamed with absolute, unceasingly furious wrath. " _This is not your kit._ She is nothing to you; you have _no_ say. She will not be _Tigerkit_ -" Fawnshade spat the name with more venom than a thousand adders, "she will be _Beekit_. Weak, small, and _pathetic_. But she will sting you, over and over again until _you. Drop. Dead_. And I will laugh."

Thornstar backpedalled into a tree, shaking with horror as Fawnshade convulsed again and again, growing weaker with each one.

The tiny kit began to mewl, a horrible wailing cry that was taken up by her mother, then Lightningpaw, then Thornstar. Dawnsplash comforted the kit, but Beekit was inconsolable.

Fawnshade suddenly lay still, all the fury and rage flooding out of her body.

"M- mother? Is that you?" She breathed, staring at something invisible to the bystanders. "M- mother… I thought I'd never see you again, after he… Marigoldheart, I'm coming…"

And she lay still.

Deathly still.

Dead.

"She's dead," Lightningpaw choked out, grief closing around her throat.

"No…" Thornstar's mouth opened, letting the word escape him before anguish slammed over him. "NO!"

Lightningpaw felt numb and freezing cold.

Not a shred of compassion for the snivelling wreck that had previously been the ThunderClan leader touched her heart. He deserved every heartbeat of it.

Thornstar's sobs shook the clearing, when suddenly he was silent.

When he raised his head, his eyes were clear and dry.

"Shadefur," he near-purred. "Please gather a patrol."

The deputy blinked, even his stony demeanor slipping for a moment as he processed the unorthodox request.

"Wha- yes sir," Shadefur nodded sharply, setting a firm expression over his face.

The clearing was deathly silent, Lightningpaw hardly daring to breathe too deeply in fear of setting off Thornstar and making him turn on her, but she couldn't help it as her shoulders silently shook with sobs, Fawnshade nothing more than a lifeless bundle of fur by the edge of the clearing. The kit began to cry once more, but Thornstar ignored it.

Lightningpaw forced herself to close her heart to the tiny, striped kitten. It looked just like her, but with golden fur and black stripes, like a tiger. _Or a bee_ , she told herself, directing her gaze away from the wailing kitten, icy guilt pouring into her heart.

Dawnsplash eyed Thornstar for a heartbeat, then rushed to the kit's side, grooming and comforting it. This time, it nosed towards her stomach, searching for milk. _It thinks Dawnsplash is its mother…_ Lightningpaw realized with a pang. _But its mother is dead._ My _mother is dead._

"Here is your patrol, sir," Shadefur announced, sweeping into the clearing with Redflower, Blackpool, Lightningpaw's sisters, Rainwater, Birdtail, Heatherclaw, Halfear, Owlclaw, and… it looked as though he had brought all of ThunderClan, save Leaffur and the kits, and Rowanwind and Tanglescar. Dawnsplash was too focused on the kit's needs to spare the patrol a glance, but Lightningpaw didn't need her to confirm what a sinking feeling in her stomach was already telling her.

This wasn't a hunting patrol.

And it wasn't a border patrol.

It was a battle patrol.

 _He's going to attack._ Lightningpaw realized. _But who?_

 _Oh StarClan._ Suddenly, something clicked in her head; the frequent RiverClan, fishy, reed scents left all over camp. The tense mood of her Clanmates. Thornstar and Shadefur's often disappearances from the camp. _He's going to attack RiverClan. He's not going to wait until next Gathering to challenge them, he's going to try to teach them a lesson…_ the icy realization made her numb. _I'm going to fight. My first battle; I should be excited right? But… Fawnshade…_

Dread pooling in her stomach, the patrol set off silently. It seemed that Lightningpaw alone had been unaware of the storm brewing between ThunderClan and RiverClan, the rest of the patrol silent as stones, stepping lightly as though a single misstep could set off an explosive battle.

 _What if I get hurt? What if I_ die _? What if my sisters die? Oh StarClan, I can't lose any cat else… first Fawnshade, now this…_ Lightningpaw's heart seized in panic. _This could be the end of my life. I could die. Die. In battle. I'd never talk to Vixenpaw again, never share prey with Slatepaw, I'd never see Breezepaw again…_ the last thought flung the last of her reasonable thoughts down an abyss of panic. _Never_. The word echoed hollowly.

"Dawnsplash, why?" She managed to choke out to the ginger and cream medicine cat as the latter fell into step with her.

She turned to the sweet she-cat expecting comforting words and kindness, but Dawnsplash's shimmering blue eyes were icy. "You'll be fine," Dawnsplash replied tersely, staring off into the distance with a petrified expression.

Lightningpaw stared at her in shock as she moved ahead to catch up with the rest of their Clanmates. Not taking that little as an answer, the dark brown she-cat moved quicker to catch her.

"Wait, but-" she silenced herself at the hard look in the medicine cat's eyes. Tactfully changing the subject, she asked as gently as she could with the panic racing through her: "How's Beekit?"

Dawnsplash looked torn, but eventually she replied. "I think she'll pull through."

"Really?" Lightningpaw was shocked; a kit born an entire moon early should be far too weak… "But how?"

"I- I'm not sure," Dawnsplash admitted, but with a theorizing look in her eyes, she elaborated: "But I suspect that it may have been a problem with the kits. Beekit took all the nutrients and left none for her siblings; she would have caused the early pregnancy, since she was probably almost at the right size to be born. Her littermates though… they weren't being properly sustained and they weren't anywhere near ready to be born."

Lightningpaw nodded, digesting the information with a sickened feeling. _That kit's already a killer. Fawnshade_ and _her siblings. What kind of cat will she turn into?_ Then a more compassionate part murmured, _it's going to be so hard for her… but she deserves it. She's half Thornstar, after all, and he is a vile excuse for a cat. I hope his death is slow._

The darkness of the thought worried her, but didn't really surprise her; after all, she had just watched her mother die. _I'm entitled to a little darkness,_ she thought, grinding her teeth.

 _This is… going to be bloody,_ Whiteshadow murmured. _Is there any possibility you can turn around and go back to camp right now?_

 _No! I'm no coward; I'll stay and fight beside my Clanmates,_ she vowed. _I'll defend them until my last breath._

 _Even Thornstar?_ Whiteshadow posed the question calmly, but dark undercurrents slided through her tone.

Lightningpaw had no answer for her.

…

They tracked the RiverClan scent all the way to the border, every step making Thornstar twitchier and more wild-eyed, which in turn created a terrified but solemn air that hung over the Clan like stormclouds just waiting for the correct moment to explode in lightning and rain.

 _Lightning and rain…_ the words echoed in the young, dark brown she-cat's head.

"Are you ready?" A young tom's voice made her turn sharply, almost knocking heads with Rainwater's expectant and concerned face.

"Of course," she snapped, turning away again. "Aren't you?"

For some reason, his concerned, soft demeanor made her remember the dark night of her dream, the rain and the gray fox, the giant cats… and Rainwater's, then Rainpaw, declaration of hatred for her. It made her scowl deepen. _Why's he acting all concerned now?_

Suddenly realizing his tone had been much too soft for a cat that supposedly hated her, he coughed and turned away, his icy blue eyes hardening and darkening.

"Jus' asking," he muttered, speeding up to walk with Lightningpaw's mentor Blackpool.

Lightningpaw bit back a hiss, annoyance spreading over her fur. _What a considerate and kind tom, being an absolute_ jerk _to me on the day my_ mother _died._ Rage boiled under her skin. _What gives him the right to be all concerned and soft-eyed when he's the reason most of this happened?!_

 _That makes no sense and you know it,_ Whiteshadow rebuked. _This is Thornstar's fault, and Wa- er, uh… Shadefur's fault._

 _Why is it Shadefur's fault?_ Lightningpaw asked, but before she got an answer, an awful thought struck her. _I was awful to Fawnshade before she… gave birth. She needed me so much more; after Owlclaw must have abandoned her… I did too… but it wasn't her fault in the least. Oh StarClan! Fawnshade, I'm so, so sorry._

A sob bubbled up in her throat and her eyes stung, but she forced the emotion down, sealing it deep inside her heart. _It's not the time to get teary and emotional. I'm about to be in a fight for my life, I can't be tearing up._

Whiteshadow sighed. _You're allowed to be a cat once in awhile; and cats have feelings too, you know. You're not just a warrior; you're also a cat that's far too young to bear the loss you have. You can't try to force yourself to be silent._

Lightningpaw ignored her, steeling her heart against the flood of pain.

They approached the pine-scented border that separated ThunderClan from ShadowClan, but Thornstar didn't even pause before striding straight over the border into enemy territory. Worry shook Lightningpaw; this was the last pawful of dirt over the patrol's grave; there was no turning back now.

 _Oh Fawnshade, are you in StarClan yet? Are you watching us?_ Lightningpaw sent a quick prayer to the Clan of the stars for safety and quick claws, deeply wishing that she would not be injured in this battle.

 _You've only been an apprentice for four moons, of course you're going to be injured,_ Whiteshadow huffed. _But you won't be_ crippled _, or even dead. You're going to be fine._

 _How do you know?_ Lightningpaw demanded, but the she-cat was silent.

Sighing deeply, she stepped heavily, already tiring from the long trek across multiple territories. How exhausted would she be before the battle? Would it even happen?

Biting her lip, Lightningpaw ousted the images of her broken body dropped among the reeds and tried to think back to her battle training. _Front claw slash, leap and twist, roll, dodging, leading with shoulders, headbutts, knocking them off balance, hitting the tendons in their legs, belly-rake, staying out of unfamiliar territory, forcing them to fight in close corners in which ThunderClan cats are superior…_ she swallowed hard. _How am I going to remember all this in the fight? But I know so much; maybe I'll finally be able to use the hold-and-fling that Blackpool's drilled into us._

Hope renewed, she sped up, almost falling into step with Thornstar, but forcing herself to lag behind to avoid any contact with the now-unhinged leader. _I hope he dies in this battle._ She thought viciously.

 _He's got three lives left,_ Whiteshadow reminded her.

 _I know, I know…_ Lightningpaw agreed absently-mindedly, before suddenly freezing. _Wait, no I don't. How do you? Only medicine cats are supposed to be able to tell how many lives a leader has left._

Whiteshadow was silent once more.

Frustration at the lack of understanding swirling around in her mind made her blood boil. What right did Whiteshadow have to be all high and mighty and knowledgeable? She was just a random cat in her head.

 _You're from ThunderClan, right?_ Lightningpaw questioned, trying to keep her mind off of the impending battle.

 _Uh… sure,_ Whiteshadow made a noncommittal noise.

 _I'm not stupid,_ Lightningpaw snapped, _I know what a flat out lie sounds like._

Whiteshadow huffed, but said nothing more.

Fed-up, Lightningpaw sank her claws into the pine needles below with each step, hating how unfamiliar the surroundings were. ShadowClan scent hung thickly, dark promises of unwelcome, even the pine trees doing their part, the leaf-fall wind whistling through them ominously. _This is wrong,_ Lightningpaw thought uneasily, biting the inside of her cheek. _I don't understand why_ now _is suddenly the right time to attack RiverClan. They live all the way across the lake; I don't understand how they could be spying on our camp every night._

In the past few quarter-moons, the scents had appeared more often, laced around the camp but most noticeably in the apprentice den. Lightningpaw had been consistently waking up late, nightmares haunting her every night of rain crushing her, lightning stabbing into lakes and rivers, sending electrical currents shooting through them. Every night, she felt numb and cold as every cat she knew screamed and begged, her position by the lake ensuring that she was unaware of them.

But the most frequent element of these night-terrors was eyes, eyes with icy blueness staring at her, watching her. They sent shivers up her spine, and no matter how hard she tried, she could never look straight at them. They would twist and disappear, taunting her.

Brushing away the memories of the eyes with a tail flick, she continued to focus on her pawsteps, studying the undergrowth.

Suddenly, a shadow seemed to twist and move. _What?!_ Terror spiked her fur. She halted, staring at it, but it revealed nothing, still as shaded and silent as ever. Letting out a sigh of tension, she thought, _Must've just imagined it…_

But she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, different than the dream…

"Is it just me, or does it feel like something's watching us?" Vixenpaw murmured, striding beside her.

"This place gives me the creeps," Lightningpaw agreed, breathing out in relief that some cat else felt the same way. "Something, or some cat…"

"You don't think…" Vixenpaw suggested, but it fell away as Thornstar halted the patrol.

"We are almost in RiverClan territory," the brown tom announced calmly. "We will strike instantly, like a storm, and show no mercy. If RiverClan believes they can just walk into our camp and spy on us, they thought wrong!"

There was an awkward pause, and a couple cats threw out some half-hearted cheers. _No cat wants to be here…_ Lightningpaw thought uneasily. _It may be the way of the warrior to battle for honor… but surely this could be solved with diplomacy?_

"I don't like this one mouse-tail," Vixenpaw muttered, voicing Lightningpaw's thoughts. "This isn't right; we shouldn't storm them like this. I agree that they shouldn't have been in our territory, and they need to be taught a lesson, but… this feels _really_ wrong. I don't think StarClan wants this."

Lightningpaw nodded, swallowing hard. _This is necessary,_ she told herself, but darker thoughts crept in. _At what price?_

"For ThunderClan!" Thornstar screeched, racing into RiverClan territory, and let out a fierce battle cry.

A RiverClan hunting patrol that had been calmly sitting by a stream that meandered through the territory jerked their heads up, eyes widening as they spotted the furious leader, the rest of the battle patrols on his heels.

"RiverClan!" One of them shrieked.

 _A battle cry?_ Lightningpaw felt confusion stab her in the hazy mist of terror, before it suddenly fell into place, an icy chill washing through her, numbing. _They knew we were coming? But how?!_

The 'shocked' patrol was suddenly tenfold the size, sleek, silver and white cats slipping out of the reeds like a minnow between currents, surrounding the ThunderClan patrol. _They're everywhere!_

Suddenly, another fierce cry shook the air. Another, horrifyingly familiar, scent washed over them. _ShadowClan._ Lightningpaw realized.

The pine-scented cats flooded over the border, fur bushed out and eyes blazing.

 _ShadowClan and RiverClan?! We'll never win!_ Lightningpaw gulped, paralyzed with fear, her legs stiff.

"Think you can just wander over our territory and get away with it?!" A sturdy silver tom stepped forwards menacingly, his thick muscles flexing as he did so.

 _I wouldn't want to get into a fight with him!_ Lightningpaw thought worriedly, then panic flooded her again. _But it looks like I'm going to have to!_

Thornstar stood in the centre of the two Clans, his thin pelt on end and his eyes fiery. "You will fall!" He screeched madly, pouncing on a cat, and the air exploded in fighting cats.

 _It's started!_ Adrenaline blazed through Lightningpaw, terror thrilling through her fur.

Swallowing, her throat feeling like sand, she pounced on the nearest cat, a thick-set brown she-cat. _Briarpaw,_ the name echoed in her head. _Wavepaw's sister; Ripplepaw's sister… she gets called names because she eats a lot._

The details swirling through her head, she tried to claw the she-cat, but pity and worry halted her claw midway through the swipe. _I can't hurt her!_

Briarpaw growled ferociously, charging her bravely, but understanding glittered through her green eyes, making her halt a little ways before she got to Lightningpaw. _I have to fight her!_ She told herself, but she couldn't bring herself to strike the she-cat. _But… I'll just fight some cat else._

But every time she approached any cat, she remembered the Gatherings, little pieces of knowledge she didn't even know she possessed springing up. _I can't hurt these cats!_

She finally found a cat she didn't know, a big brown tom with a thin tail, his eyes dark and claws sharp. _He's probably a young warrior; I can beat him! I hope…_ Lightningpaw thought, attacking heavily, her broader shoulders knocking the tom off balance.

Unfortunately, he could apparently balance on two paws as he swung sideways, sweeping her off her paws. She fell hard on her side, pain shooting through her.

The brown tom reared up, his claws glinting in the afternoon sun. _His claws are unsheathed!_ She realized with a shot of panic. _Of course they are, you feather-brain! This isn't training!_

She tried to attack again, using a move Blackpool had shown her, but he countered it easily, giving her a stinging slash across her shoulders.

They ended up rolling through the reeds, all sneaky tactics and well-thought out strategies blasting away in the heat of the battle, only pure strength fighting for control between them as they grappled.

Fortunately for Lightningpaw, he was not broad-shouldered like her or particularly muscled.

Unfortunately for Lightningpaw, he was at least four moons older than her and was easily pinning her and dealing staggering blow her face, chest, limbs.

By the time they broke apart, she was panting hard, all of her aching and singing with pain. The tom drew his lips back in a fearsome snarl despite his bleeding cut on his muzzle.

Lightningpaw stumbled backwards and lost her footing on the reeds, tripping over her own tail into a stream where the RiverClan patrol had previously been fishing calmly.

Icy panic overtaking her, she was immensely grateful when a windy scent rolled over the metallic smell of blood and fury. _WindClan! They've always been friends to ThunderClan; it's an even battle now!_

Feeling her strength renew, she attacked the ShadowClan tom once more, hope racing through her veins.

She crashed head-first into the scrawny body of a WindClan apprentice, who she recognized as Jaypaw, one of Breezepaw's best friends.

"Jaypaw!" She gasped, her gaze sliding over to the brown tom who smirked at an untold joke. "Let's fight him off together!"

The gray she-cat stared at her, confusion muddling her gaze, before her icy blue eyes narrowed with cruel understanding and fury.

"I'm not on your side," Jaypaw chuckled bleakly, her gaze dark with hatred, deeper than any Clan feud could make it.

"Wha-" Lightningpaw's cry of confusion was cut off as Jaypaw whirled around and kicked her so hard with her back-legs that she was sent flying back into the stream. "Yowch!"

Jaypaw and the ShadowClan tom attacked her together, raining claw-sharpened blows all over her, leaving stinging cuts. Lightningpaw tried to fight back, but she knew it was useless. She couldn't win a two on one.

 _WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan, all fighting together to crush you._ Amusement ran through Whiteshadow's voice, completely contrasting the awful situation. _This isn't going to end well._

 **Ehehheheheeheh.**

 **So with that, the forty-first chapter is concluded. Hehehe. So battle has finally exploded, and it looks like ThunderClan's gonna get their butts handed to them. We shall see }:).**

 **QOTC: What kinda cat is Beekit gonna turn out to be?**

 **The battle didn't make you forget the big plottwist in this chapter, did it? (Lol actually not even that big, but whatever…) Thornstar's an abusive a-hole that forced Fawnshade to have his kits TWICE and now Fawnshade's dead because of it. And there's another devil-spawn in the picture.**

 **Hmm…**

 **Until next time, dear readers!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	44. Breeze: Floating Oats

**Hellololol :D**

 **Iz meh. Pondfwast.**

 **Yeh. This chapter's shorter than a six-year-old, I'm sorry, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.**

 **RRs:**

 **Mistleaf: Unfortunately, I am unable to include Lynxfang in the story because there is already a Lynxfang, and it would make things far too confusing. I am not accepting OCs at the moment, but I can make an exception if you'd still like Brindlecloud to be part of the story. You could change the name of the tom as well, to something similar, but I don't want to put a second cat with exactly the same name into the story.**

 **Stormbreeze: Mm, Whiteshadow's not the most socially adept. Haha, BUT I WANNA ANSWER EVERYTHING.**

 **Favourite kin of Firestar- Hollyleaf and Ivypool**

 **POV comment- That was intentional ;)**

 **Prefix comment- Yep, it's really sad. It does frustrate me A LOT when people use them as prefixes, but suffixes is actually acceptable, so I use them lots. Ex: Scorchwind, Runningwind**

 **Have I read Shattered Sky- Yes, I have. I really liked it; I thought the first books of VoS were slightly lacking, however SS made up for it.**

Chapter 42.

When Breezepaw awoke, the whole Clan was bustling with activity.

 _Why is every cat so energetic?_ He wondered, padding out of his den with an enormous yawn. _I'm exhausted..._

Jaypaw bounced up to him, an uncharacteristic grin spread across her face. _Even her?_ He suppressed a purr of confused amusement.

"Are you ready?" The gray she-cat demanded, hopping from foot to foot.

"Ready?" Bewilderment slid over him. "Ready for what?"

Jaypaw rolled her eyes dramatically, shaking her head like he was the most fluff-brained cat she had ever met. "The _battle_ with ThunderClan!"

Breezepaw's drowsily lidded eyes snapped open wide, terror suddenly bristling his fur. "ThunderClan?! Battle?! When did this happen?!"

"Uh, last night," Jaypaw reminded him, but he was as clueless as ever. "Littlepaw came into camp, saying he'd had a sign, and then he and Morningpoppy talked for a while, then Spottedstar and Honeythorn conferred with the, and then- Oh, that's right! You and Palepaw were by the lake!"

Breezepaw's mind whirled, trying to sort the sudden influx of information. _That's what- the sign- the lake, wind, and dust… Littlepaw interpreted that as an attack from ThunderClan. But surely he was wrong? … great StarClan, what if I have to fight Lightningpaw?!_

He suddenly jumped aside as Sunnyfur and Larkfeather wrestling in the sand, flipping and spinning across camp, their paws nothing but sheathed blurs. _Holy StarClan, they can fight!_ Admiration shot through him, before an icy chill whispered across his fur as he imagined Lightningpaw beneath Larkfeather's deft blows. _What if she's injured?_

Honeythorn led a patrol into camp, several fat rabbits hanging from their jaws. He saw Copperspots and Scarletpaw hauling a heavy hare behind them. _Wow, that's a lot of prey!_ He thought, excited a little by the impressive haul, when a dark thought struck him. _So that every cat will have energy to fight…_

"They've been up since before dawn hunting," Jaypaw told him, eyeing a particularly juicy rabbit that Nightpool dropped onto the rapidly growing fresh-kill pile. "I wanted to go with them, but Honeythorn told me to save my strength. No fair, since Scarletpaw got to go too, and besides, I couldn't sleep anyways; too excited."

Breezepaw nodded absently, glancing at the patrol as they split up and started grouping to practice battle moves.

Palepaw padded out of the apprentice den, fluffing up her fur against the brisk wind of leaf-fall. When she spotted him, her pale green gaze lighted with affection.

Uncomfortable, Breezepaw looked away, embarrassment searing his fur. _Why does she do that?_ He wondered, his fur hot.

"Hey Breezepaw," Jaypaw snapped, catching his eye. "Don't you want to go greet Palepaw?"

His mouth opened and closed like a fish, but eventually he managed: "Uh, yep. See you around."

Breezepaw walked slowly over to Palepaw, unsure of why Jaypaw had been so insistent that he greet Palepaw. Shrugging it off, he offered her a slightly forced smile.

"Hi Breezepaw," she smiled sweetly, her eyes wide and earnest.

"Hi," he squeaked, shuffling his paws.

Awkward silence hung between them for a moment, before Palepaw exclaimed, slightly too loudly, "Why don't we go get something to eat?"

"Okay!" He nodded too vigorously. "Let's go then."

They padded over, tails flicking, to the fresh-kill pile. They both bent to take the same rabbit at the same time and bumped heads. Breezepaw jerked back like the connection had stung him.

"After you," he stammered, taking a step back.

Palepaw looked at him curiously, but the same warmth was in her gaze. _Uh…_ Breezepaw's fur heated once more.

She deftly flicked out a rabbit, and he followed suit, clenching a scrawnier piece of prey in his jaws and pulling it out.

"Let's go sit in the sun," Palepaw suggested shyly. "We should enjoy it while it's still here."

Breezepaw nodded again like his head was on a string.

They trotted in silence to a patch of sun that lay near the edge of the camp, the golden light spilling over the packed earth delicately. Settling down, he dropped his rabbit and tucked his tail over his tail neatly.

"You picked such a small piece!" Palepaw exclaimed, noting his choice of meal. "That'll never feed you!"

Breezepaw shrugged noncommittally. The idea of fighting Lightningpaw had spoiled his appetite. _I couldn't hurt her… but I can't betray my Clan! What am I supposed to do?!_

"Yeah, you're right," he realized as he polished off the last of his rabbit, and felt the claws of hunger wrap around his stomach once more.

"I can share," she murmured, pushing her half-eaten rabbit over to him.

He fought the urge to curl his lip at the open flesh of the dead animal and leaned down, delicately taking a bite, feeling the juicy innards fill his mouth.

Suddenly feeling sick, he swallowed quickly, grinning fast at Palepaw to hide his discomfort. She smiled back, and he felt awkward.

"I think the mentors are looking for us for training," Palepaw directed her gaze to the entrance of the camp where Nightpool, Swiftclaw, Copperspots, and Honeythorn stood.

 _Yep, but where's Icestorm?_ He wondered privately.

"Icestorm?" He called tentatively.

She poked her head out of the nursery curiously.

 _Nursery._

He suddenly remembered with a flash of unhappiness. _She's not my mentor anymore… she had kits._ He looked around for the familiarly flecked pelt of the leader, and his mentor.

 _Where is Spottedstar?_ He wondered, calling out:

"Spottedstar? Are we training?"

The leader appeared, stalking out of her den with a harried look in her eyes. "Not right now, Breezepaw, can you just go with the other mentors? I have to talk with the medicine cats. There's so much to do before-"

The last part seemed to be mostly aimed at herself as she disappeared into the medicine den.

 _But I'm supposed to be training with my mentor!_ He thought, trying not to show his discomfort as he padded, alone, over to the neat pairs of mentors and apprentices. _She's too busy?! What kind of excuse is that?!  
_ Grumbling in annoyance, he fell into step with the rest of the group as they were brought by the warriors to a patch of grass that was thin and sunlit, ideal for scraps.

"Alright, mentors and apprentices, review the basics," Honeythorn ordered, padding across from Jaypaw.

 _What about me?_ Breezepaw cried internally, but stayed mutinously silent, waiting for some cat to take notice and pay him attention. _Doesn't any cat care that my mentor couldn't be bothered to train me? Apparently not!_

Anger burning in him, he stayed perfectly still, waiting for the inevitable moment where some cat took notice and helped him. But no cat did. _What am I supposed to, fight a heather bush?_

Halfheartedly slashing a paw through the air, his thoughts were anywhere but on the training. _This is ridiculous! What if I get injured in battle because I don't know the proper moves?! It'll be all their fault!_

They continued this way for a while, anger building inside Breezepaw, but still, no cat noticed him.

…

By the time they had reached camp after the intensive training, Breezepaw was burning with pent up fury. _They're so blind! Ugh! I hate them._ A scowl had insistently planted itself on his face, not budging until they apologized.

Which they never did.

He was relaxing by the apprentice den, trying to shake off his mood to no avail, when a cat burst into the camp, eyes wide.

He was an unfamiliar, dark brown tom with vibrant green eyes, looking like he'd seen a Dark Forest cat, his chest heaving as he drew in breaths and his eyes wide.

 _What happened to him?_ Breezepaw wondered. _He looks familiar…_

"ThunderClan's attacking our camp!" He pleaded, the fishy scent rolling off of him filling in the rest of the blanks. "You've got to help us!"

Spottedstar burst out of the medicine den, Morningpoppy and Littlepaw on her heels.

"Honeythorn, Swiftclaw, Sunnyfur, Tumblestep, Oatpad, Larkfeather, Nightpool, apprentices, Copperspots, Buzzardclaw," Spottedstar rattled off quickly. "To me! We're helping RiverClan; this is what StarClan meant!"

The brown tom looked confused but immensely grateful as Spottedstar raced out of camp after him.

Breezepaw found himself swept up in the rush of warriors as they careened out of camp to the fishy warriors' aid. _But- Lightningpaw!_ His mind cried worriedly.

He glanced at the warriors rushing along side him. They all had mirrored expressions of worried adrenaline, excitement rushing through the patrol. _They're all convinced this is the right thing; but it isn't! I believe ThunderClan, if they say they found scents, they found scents!_ Breezepaw's mind was a whirl of worry.

"Come on, Breezepaw, don't chicken out now," Scarletpaw teased, appearing beside him, but worry flashed through her bright amber eyes.

 _What's she so worried about? She's a brilliant fighter…_ he wondered. _Maybe it's that weird problem she has with RiverClan…_ whenever the water Clan was brought up in conversation, she would flinch or grimace, so briefly he almost wondered if he imagined it each time, but the predictability of an uncomfortable reaction to the mention of their neighbours made him certain that the little twitches were not figments of his imagination.

These thoughts whipped away as the whole battle patrol flew across the border that separated the Clan of the moors from the Clan of the river. _This is it, there's no turning back now,_ his heart pounded. _I have to fight. Fight Lightningpaw, or her sisters, or her friends, or her Clanmates… what if I injure someone she cares about? I could never forgive myself…_

He crashed headfirst into a thickly muscled black ThunderClan warrior, his eyes like icy chips of blue snow. _Eek! He's enormous!_

Adrenaline zapping through him, he leapt onto the tom, slashing with his front claws in an effort to injure, but the tom knocked him aside easily with a frown.

Undeterred, Breezepaw charged again, aiming for the tom's sturdy shoulders this time. The black-furred warrior didn't hesitate to deftly sweep the WindClan apprentice's paws out from under him, throwing him off balance, before pouncing upon him and flinging him away.

Breezepaw crashed into the reeds, landing hard on his side and the air shooting out of him. _Ack!_

He thanked StarClan the tom didn't go after him again, instead rearing up to face off with a mottled tabby that smelled of pine sap and strategy. _Whew,_ he breathed a sigh of relief, before launching himself into battle against a young-looking gray tom, his green eyes blazing with effort.

They faced off, both waiting for the other to make the first move, before suddenly the gray tom flew off balance with a yowl of surprise, the triumphant face of Leopardpaw appearing behind him.

Breezepaw heaved a sigh of relief as the spotted golden she-cat pounced on the tom, who Breezepaw had now recognized as Rainpaw, an apprentice a couple moons older than Lightningpaw.

Breezepaw attacked the gray tom with Leopardpaw, but felt that he was doing much less, since Leopardpaw seemed to be fighting with the strength and speed of, well, LeopardClan. She pounced, whipped, kicked, and slashed in a whirlwind of gold and cream. Rainpaw didn't stand a chance as Leopardpaw easily pinned him and dealt blows with the force of a badger to his muzzle, his head, his shoulders, his flank. Breezepaw felt a momentary stab of pity for the poor tom as he was held at the mercy of Leopardpaw, who wasn't showing any.

Eventually, Rainpaw wriggled free and charged away, flailing through the reeds like a kit running to its mother after a scary nightmare. Breezepaw suppressed a purr of sadistic amusement, instead choosing to find another target, only to come face to face with…

 _Lightningpaw._

He felt himself mouth her name, but no sound escaped him.

Their eyes locked in the midst of the battle, green meeting gold, so much passing between them without a single word.

 _I can't hurt her,_ his heart ached. _I would fight off any cat._

Their eyes suddenly tore away when Lightningpaw was thrown over by a tiny cat attacking her. _Darkpaw_ , another part of him realized.

The fury in her eyes was palpable, much deeper and darker than any ordinary battle could make it. But… she was only defending her Clan, and he had to respect her for the that.

However, watching Lightningpaw attacked by another cat woke protective instinct buried deep inside him, and he charged Darkpaw, his shoulders crashing into her side and knocking her away from Lightningpaw.

"Darkpaw, what are you doing?!" He demanded, then felt the ridiculousness of the demand, knowing she was only doing what any loyal cat would; fighting for her Clan.

"She was attacking you!" The tortoiseshell defended herself heatedly, shooting a scowl at Lightningpaw.

 _Uh, no she wasn't._ But Breezepaw didn't say that; if he did, she would know that he wasn't fighting as he should.

"Thanks, I guess," he muttered, trying to sound sincere and failing miserably.

By the time Darkpaw had finished looking at him with a confused expression, Lightningpaw had fled, probably off to fight some other cat.

 _Why isn't the battle over yet?_ Breezpeaw wondered, staring around the clearing. ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan were all fighting ThunderClan fiercely, yet the warriors of the woods were also attacking ferociously, notably the leader, who was surrounded by enemy warriors but holding his own, any cat that got to close to the tom was flung off in a whirl of claws and bared teeth. Breezepaw, despite himself, felt a stab of admiration for the leader's deft and forceful blows to the three cats circling him.

This admiration disappeared like fine mist in hot sunlight as he saw what was really going on. Spottedstar, Ivystar, and Snowstar all circled the hefty tom like a pack of foxes cornering an apprentice, but Thornstar lashed out at them with a glint of pure madness in his eye that terrified Breezepaw.

 _What is wrong with him?_ he wondered, worry shooting through him at the apparent unstable state of the ThunderClan leader's mental health.

Snowstar, Ivystar, and Spottedstar tightened the ring of leaders around Thornstar, which only added to his unstable state, his yellow eyes blazing and twitching like a dying animal.

"Come on, Breezepaw!" Darkpaw urged. "We can't just stand around watching, we've got to fight off these cats."

He nodded half-heartedly, charging into battle against a hefty dark gray tom. _Why do I keep choosing the biggest toms?_ He wondered frustratedly as the deputy of ThunderClan, Shadefur, slammed a paw into his face and made him go flying.

"Come on, Breezepaw, I know you can fight better than that!" Darkpaw exclaimed, dodging around Shadefur only to get crushed as he dropped backwards onto her.

 _No you don't! Is this a game to her?_ Bitter resentment stung him, but he continued to fight, leaping onto Shadefur's unguarded belly with a fierce yowl and unsheathed claws.

He got in one or two good swipes before Shadefur kicked out with his back legs and twisted to rake Darkpaw's belly. The little tortoiseshell twisted out of the way just in time to save herself from a serious injury but not fast enough to avoid a glancing blow off her side that welled with blood immediately. _Wow, he can really fight!_ He thought to himself. _Not the time! Come on, you gotta help Darkpaw!_

Breezepaw leapt back onto Shadefur, tightly gripping the tom's hefty shoulders with dug in claws to avoid being flung off for the hundredth time that day. As Shadefur tried to unhook the apprentice's claws from his thin coat, Darkpaw shot forwards as fast as a breath and raked Shadefur's stomach with glinting claws.

Shadefur roared in pain, bucking and turning even faster than before, and Breezepaw lost his balance on the tom. It was too late for Shadefur, however, as Darkpaw took the momentary distraction to bite into Shadefur's belly as hard as she could.

Letting out a horrible cry of pain as Darkpaw hung on insistently, like a dead tick, Shadefur grabbed her with his forepaws and yanked her away from his chest.

An awful ripping noise permeated the already-battle clouded air, silencing some fights but doing nothing to others. Shadefur's belly fur was a clotted mess of blood and open flesh, horrifying to see, but something else had drawn Breezepaw's attention.

A familiar cry of pain reached his ears, tugging his attention away from the wounded deputy.

What he saw made the battle cries quiet, as though they were under water.

His cuts stopped stinging and jostling for his attention.

Two cats grappled in battle, clawing out clumps of fur and slashing into skin, but it was fiercer and darker than any border skirmish.

 _Cloudfall and Oatpad._ The names appeared in his mind as though they were sent from StarClan. _But Cloudfall's from RiverClan, why are they fighting? WindClan's supposed to be on RiverClan's side!_

They spun and twisted, snarling at each other and dealing such staggering and wounding blows, there was no doubt in his mind that they meant to do anything but kill each other.

Breezepaw was fixed on their battle, so he was the only cat who saw, as they rolled closer to the edge of a deep, rushing river.

The frequent storms had caused flooding, so it was swelling over the banks like a curious kit leaving the nursery for the first time.

They rolled closer.

The water lashed angrily and the wind picked up, only agitating the choppy waters.

And even closer, their angry yowls drowning out the sound of the rushing water.

And then, time seemed to slow down,

as Cloudfall flung her opponent off her, and then

Oatpad

fell

in.

 **Shabinga boom.**

 **SO.**

 **Place yo bets in the reviews now, think Oatpad's gonna drown or some cat's gonna save her?**

 **Anyways, sorry that chapter wasn't as long as normal, fight scenes aren't all that interesting to write, believe it or not. These next couple chapters are gonna be** _ **quite**_ **interesting, so now would be a really bad time to quit reading. Unless you're gonna be late for school or something, future readers.**

 **See you next week!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	45. Wave: Don't Cry Over Spilled Cream

**Holalalalalala peeps**

 **Chapter 43 is upon us.**

 **RR:**

 **Stormbreeze: I've actually got plans for that ;). You'll see. And what do you mean by kits?  
SF123: Like I said, you guest reviewers are pretty smart…**

 **The guest review flame: Yeah, I hope I die too. Living forever would probably suck.**

 **So now, dive in (haha I so funny) to Wavepaw's chapter!**

 **Warning: Mildly graphic wounds depicted.**

Chapter 43.

Wavepaw trotted back through RiverClan territory, feeling sunlight warm his pelt. Twitching his whiskers, he felt immensely pleased with himself. He had gone to visit Lightningpaw once more, though there hadn't been a storm.

He remembered with a dry taste in his mouth the lashing current of the lake as he attempted to cross, how just before he passed out, the waves had suddenly turned. He felt the exhaustion of last night's excursion weigh on his paws, but it had lessened now that the waves did not fight against him.

 _And_ why _do you think they don't fight against you?_ Pondfrost posed the question innocently, but her words resounded with deeper meaning.

 _Because… uh…_ Wavepaw was at a loss for words. The waves hadn't hurt him, they had felt almost companionable, trustworthy. _Um. Because StarClan sent them! So I could cross the lake!_

Pondfrost huffed. _Not quite._

But as Wavepaw waited for her to expand on that cryptic statement, he realized that she had no plans to. _What do you mean, not quite?_

She was silent again, seeming to deliberate.

"Ugh," he snorted out loud, knowing there was no cat around who could see him.

"Hi Wavepaw," a silky greeting emanated from the reeds and Wavepaw whipped around, almost tripping over his own tail in the process.

"H- hi Cinnamonpaw," he blurted, shuffling his paws in embarrassment. "What brings you so far from the camp?"

But suddenly that didn't seem so important. His vision felt a little hazy. _Where am I, again?_ He wondered, though he didn't particularly care.

"Oh, just walking," she murmured, stepping a little closer to him. "I was hoping I'd run into you, though."

Her scent wreathed around him like a trap, pulling him away from reality. _She was?_ He felt strangely light and giddy.

"Oh yeah?" he slurred.

She nodded. Everything about her, from her posture, to her words, to the very way she'd groomed her fur suggested she'd done this before. But something was different about this one.

"I- I-" she stammered, and the spell fractured a little.

Cinnamonpaw's golden eyes flashed with confusion and a hint of worry. He pulled away from her, searching her face. _Does she have some sort of power from StarClan?!_ He wondered worriedly.

 _Not all powers come from StarClan, brother._ Pondfrost murmured.

 _Then from somewhere else?! Like where?_ Wavepaw felt panic root into his chest, and he backed away from Cinnamonpaw. She opened her jaws to protest, but he was already dashing back to camp.

By the time he made it back, his chest was heaving and his paws ached, but his mind had cleared, none of the fuzzy feeling remaining. _She creeps me out. I'd better avoid her as much as possible… but her eyes…_ the golden flash reminded him of a certain ThunderClan she-cat.

When he returned to camp, he found Pikepaw rushing towards him with a slightly worried look.

"Have you seen Acornpaw anywhere?" He demanded, breathless.

 _Still insists on calling her that, huh?_ Wavepaw bit back a hiss of irritation. Though much of the Clan had suspected that the she-cat was in fact the missing kit of Cherryfish's litter, no cat voiced their speculation save for Pikepaw. Even when Snowstar decreed she would keep her rogue name with the addition of 'paw' to it, Pikepaw had stubbornly refused to address her as anything other than 'Acornpaw'. Cinnamonpaw didn't seem altogether bothered by it, though she didn't have any memory of the rogue attack or being stolen, so Wavepaw wasn't certain.

"She's near the ShadowClan border, by the muddy stream," Wavepaw informed him, then demanded: "Why are you looking for her, anyways?"

"I thought of something she might remember!" Pikepaw exclaimed, dashing out of camp.

"What?" Wavepaw asked, but the brown and white tom was gone.

 _Whatever._ He wrinkled his nose and moved towards the fresh-kill pile. Picking up a thick pike and twitching his whiskers at the irony, he made his way over to his sister.

"Heya, Briarpaw," he greeted her, then noticed how she was eyeing his fish hungrily and added, "Would you like to share?"

"No thank you," Briarpaw mewed quickly, avoiding his eyes. "I'm not hungry."

Her belly rumbled audibly.

"You _sound_ hungry," Wavepaw remarked amiably, trying not to upset her.

"Well, I'm _not_ ," Briarpaw snapped, turning away.

"Bryes, wait!" Wavepaw instinctively used her kit nickname.

She glared at him sideways, awaiting whatever he wanted to say.

"Is this about Ripplepaw?" He asked quietly.

Rage flashed through her green eyes. "Not everything is about her, _okay_?!"

Wavepaw recoiled, hurt. "I just want to help!"

"Well, maybe I don't need help!" Briarpaw hissed, and whipped around to run out of camp.

 _What's with her? Jeez._ Wavepaw curled his lip, frustrated with her refusal to let him help her. _I'm starting to get worried about her._ As he dug into his food, he pondered what could be eating at Briarpaw. _Seednose again? I thought she was over him… but maybe not? Or is it something else? Pondfrost? You want to actually be useful for once?_

 _I…_ Pondfrost mumbled.

 _Great._ Wavepaw sighed. _Do you not care about your sister? Or will it 'effect the future negatively'?_ He put on a stuffy accent in his mind in an attempt to imitate Pondfrost.

 _Shut up,_ she mewed coldly.

 _Whatever,_ Wavepaw grumbled. _I wonder…_

…

"Wavepaw!"

He snapped his head up, suddenly worried that Fallowspots was going to order him into more rigorous training. _Please no!_ He thought desperately, thinking of the last few training sessions that had generally ended in shouting matches and insults.

"Oh… hey, Pikepaw, what's up?" Wavepaw relaxed as the banal brown tom padded over to join him. "Oh, and did the Cinnamonpaw thing work out?"

"No," Pikepaw sighed, settling beside him with a morose expression, before brightening up. "But I did think of something I've been meaning to talk to you about!"

"Really?" Wavepaw was mildly intrigued; what could Pikepaw possibly need to talk to him about? "What is it?"

"Well, Sheepbelly was telling me about how to interpret omens and prophecies, and told me about a prophecy he received on the night you were born!" Pikepaw exclaimed, his blue eyes flashing with excitement. "It was… er, what were the words again? Um, something about thunder… no wait, lightning, I believe. Then something about gusts- no, breezes-"

"What in StarClan's name are you talking about?" Wavepaw interrupted, not processing a single one of his words.

"Sorry, sorry, here's what I remember," Pikepaw screwed up his face in concentration and recited with an ominous tone: "Lightning will strike, breezes will spin- uh, twist, waves will splash, and the ground will split, and then the Clans and the stars will, uh, rip each other to shreds."

"Oh my," Wavepaw was speechless.

 _Close,_ Pondfrost muttered, snorting.

"That sounds… violent," he mewed slowly after a moment, ignoring Pondfrost.

"Yeah," Pikepaw and Wavepaw sat in silence for a few moments, before Pikepaw said: "Do you suppose the 'wave' part is about you?"

Wavepaw's eyes widened. _A prophecy about me?_ Something twinged at the back of his memory, singing for attention, but Pikepaw continued.

"Because Sheepbelly- um… I don't actually know if I should be telling you about this," Sudden trepidation rang across his face. "I just thought that maybe if you knew, you might want to… you know, help stop this whole 'tearing apart' business."

"I thought you said 'ripping to shreds'?" Wavepaw asked.

Pikepaw waved his tail impatiently. "Something like that. I just wanted to ask you if you knew any cats with names like ground or lightning or breeze?"

Wavepaw clammed up. _I can't tell him I know cats named Lightningpaw and Breezepaw, that will just lead to more questions, and that could end in him finding out about me swimming…_

"Are you sure?" Pikepaw watched him closely, more intelligence gleaming in his pale blue eyes than Wavepaw thought he was capable of.

"Mhm," Wavepaw nodded, pressing his lips together.

Pikepaw eyed him for a few more heartbeats with the barest hint of distrust in his eyes before shrugging and padding back to the medicine den.

 _Well that was strange._ Wavepaw thought to himself, finishing off his pike and picking up the remains to bury outside camp. _Wonder if he had too many poppy seeds to eat or something._

 _Hmm._ Pondfrost made a noncommittal noise.

Wavepaw huffed at her as he buried the bones of his pike. _You're super useful today._

 _I'm not here to be 'useful', I'm here to save the future of the Clans._ Pondfrost snapped. _Which you seem to have no investment in, the way you continually infuriate every cat around you for nothing other than your own enjoyment and maintain a bitter attitude towards nearly everything despite most cats being nothing but nice to you._

Wavepaw curled his lip in annoyance. _I don't want to deal with this right now, just leave me alone._

 _You are so stubborn! Do you not realize the impact of your actions?! Do you not realize how this could change_ everything _?! Do you not realize how crucial every word you speak, every interaction with every cat, every moment is?!_

 _It can't possibly be_ that _important._ He snorted derisively, patting dirt over the last of his meal. _Why don't you just relax for once?_

Pondfrost made a sound of fury, but before she could start another hissing rant about 'futures' and 'destruction', Fallowspots came up behind Wavepaw, from the ShadowClan border.

"Eep!" Wavepaw cried out in surprise, leaping away from his father like he was a blaze tearing through the territory, before sitting in an attempt to reclaim his dignity.

"What's got your tail in a twist?" Fallowspots snickered, grooming his own ruffled gray and white tabby pelt.

"Nothing, nothing," Wavepaw quickly replied, internally groaning.

 _Well, if I have to suffer through training with Fallowspots, I'd better try to make it as painless as possible._ Wavepaw told himself sternly. _Don't anger him. At least it seems like he's in a good mood. I wonder why?_

Fallowspots shrugged, still slicking down his ruffled pelt.

 _And why's his pelt all messy?_ Wavepaw chewed his lip absentmindedly, thinking.

"Well, come on," Fallowspots sighed, finally smoothing out the last of the sticking-up fur so his pelt was finally as perfectly groomed and gleaming as ever.

Shrugging, he followed his mentor and father to a section of RiverClan territory that he had never seen before. That surprised him at little, for he had thought that in their multiple tours, they had seen every mouse-length of the territory. _Where are we?_

"This is a training ground that was used by Sleekstar and her predecessors for secret RiverClan battle moves, however it lost use after Scarletstar, the leader that preceded Sleekstar, saved an apprentice from a cottonmouth snake and lost her second last life," Fallowspots told him.

"Who are all these leaders?" Wavepaw asked, confused.

Fallowspots huffed in annoyance and elaborated: "The last leader I know of was Ripplestar, then came Scarletstar, then Sleekstar, and now Snowstar."

"Okay," Wavepaw nodded, and he heard an intake of breath from Pondfrost.

 _Ask about Scarletstar,_ Pondfrost murmured, emotion slipping into her voice.

"Who was Scarletstar?" Wavepaw asked, confused at Pondfrost's request.

"She was just a leader of RiverClan at one point," Fallowspots waved his tail dismissively. "No cat important."

 _I see…_ Pondfrost murmured.

"Anyways, back to what I was saying. After Scarletstar was bitten by the cottonmouth, they discovered the pools of water they had been using had been infested by snakes, venomous and nonvenomous alike. Scarletstar decided it was too dangerous for training and this area of the territory was all but forgotten," Fallowspots intoned, but Wavepaw was still hung up on what Pondfrost had said.

 _Why do you care about some musty old RiverClan leader?_ He asked.

 _I don't, it's just… I just wanted to know what happened._ Pondfrost said carefully.

 _I thought you were some mystical StarClan cat that knew everything, why does one random RiverClan leader matter?_ He pressed.

 _Some things are too well hidden by the past for even I to see. Silver memories have a tendency to fade from the fabric of time quickly._ Pondfrost replied, her words adding more questions than answers.

"Wavepaw!" Fallowspots snapped. "Pay attention!"

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized. "What were you saying about Scarletstar?"

"Sleekstar," Fallowspots corrected, "continued Scarletstar's rule of not allowing any cat to go to this part of the territory. It wasn't until a brilliant young tom named Snowpaw came up with the idea of freezing them alive in leaf-bare."

"Snowpaw?" Wavepaw tilted his head. "Did he become Snowstar?"

"You'll see," Fallowspots grumbled, then continued. "So they carefully moved as much snow as they could into the trees above the snake-pond. Eventually, in the thick of leaf-bare, they uncovered the snake-nest and dumped all the freezing cold snow onto them. The snakes were frozen in the snow, which soon turned to ice, and eventually died."

Wavepaw nodded absentmindedly, still not sure why it was necessary for him to know all this history.

"So Snowpaw was made a warrior, Snowsmash, and-" Fallowspots was cut off by Wavepaw.

"And Sleekstar made him her deputy," Wavepaw finished, bored. "I _know_ all this, you don't have to-"

"Oh really? Then how did Sleekstar die?" Fallowspots challenged, irritated.

"In a battle with rogues when they stole Acornkit," Wavepaw answered easily, then stopped.

 _How do I know that?_ He wondered, realizing he wasn't sure of the answer. Then the name Sleekstar dropped him back into a flashback of the fight between RiverClan and the rogues, shortly after he was born.

 _She died in the battle… Willy killed her. Willy- Willy is the cat from the twolegs place… and the cat that killed Sleekstar._ Fury shot through him. _Wait…_

More memories of the twolegs place spun through him, an older she-cat with dark ginger fur, a young she-cat with rust-coloured fur, a young ginger tom… _Willy, Satin, and Sin… no, not Sin, Cin… that's who she is. Cin, Cinnamon, Cinnamonpaw._ The revelation struck him. _Willy and Satin's daughter? Cinnamonpaw… she… she's part of the rogues that stole Acornkit. She's- she can't be Acornkit- Pikepaw was wrong._

The realization took his breath away.

" _Wavepaw_!" Fallowspots snapped. "If you think you already know everything there is to know about the history of the Clans, feel free to just _walk_ away now."

"Thanks, I will," Wavepaw retorted, whipping around and storming through the reeds. He ignored Fallowspots hiss of annoyance, too caught up in his own thoughts.

 _Pondfrost, who is Acornkit?!_ He demanded futilely.

 _I can't tell you,_ Pondfrost's mew betrayed her frustration and sorrow.

 _Then at least answer me this: Is Cinnamonpaw Acornkit?_ He asked directly.

Pondfrost deliberated for far too long.

 _Fine! If you don't want to be useful, I'm going._ He snapped.

 _Where?_ Pondfrost inquired snidely.

 _ARRGHH WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP FOR ONCE?!_ Wavepaw finally lost it. _YOU'RE ALWAYS IN MY HEAD, CLAIMING TO BE THE KEY TO SAVING THE CLANS BUT YOU NEVER HELP ME AT ALL AND YOU'RE JUST ANNOYING AND USELESS SO BE QUIET._

Pondfrost was silent.

…

Wavepaw was walking back to camp when he heard it.

A pained shriek split the air.

 _I know that voice._ A sinking feeling began in Wavepaw's stomach when suddenly an unfamiliar cat rushed up to him.

"Which way to RiverClan camp?!" They demanded.

"Why do you wanna know?" Wavepaw asked suspiciously.

"Don't ask questions! There isn't much time!" The urgency in the she-cat's voice stirred Wavepaw into action.

"That way," he pointed with his tail.

"Don't go too close to the ShadowClan border," she warned before rushing off into reeds.

 _Odd._ He thought, wondering what she wanted with RiverClan, but another screech of pain and a low voice brought him back to the present.

Panic seizing him, he pricked his ears, trying to figure out where the cries of pain were coming from. It took him several moments and a brief heartbeat of denial, but he soon realized; _the ShadowClan border._

A sharp intake of breath; muscles tensing; then he was running. _I've got to stop this. I never liked her, but she can't die. I don't want any cat to die…_

And screeching, so much noise in a cacophonous symphony threatening to shatter his eardrums.

 _No, no, no! The world's falling apart!_ It took him several moments to realize what was going on. The overpowering ThunderClan scent certainly helped. _ThunderClan is attacking?! Why?! The… scents… this is all my fault! The scents I left in the camp when I went to visit Lightningpaw! Oh StarClan no!_

The clearing had exploded in violence, cats shrieking as they leapt on each other, blood spraying on the leaves. _No no no!_ His mind was still panicking, but he forced himself to gather his bearings.

 _And what about Creampelt?!_ The back of his mind demanded. It had escaped him in the heat of the moment, but the scream of moments ago had been Creampelt's, undeniably. _She sounded like she was in pain!_

He searched the clearing anxiously for her off-white fur, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, his mother appeared in front of him, her normally pristine white fur almost entirely stained deep ret, but the majority of it soaking her muzzle and paws.

"Cloudfall!" He gasped. "Are you hurt?"

"It's not my blood," she giggled. "Don't be silly!"

 _Is this a game to her?_ Her light-hearted tone and blood-soaked pelt scared him. _Why is she so bloody? The battle only started a few moments ago! Unless…_ his mind shied away from the possibility. _But she has no reason to do it, I don't…_

As Cloudfall reared up to slash a ThunderClan tom in the face, Wavepaw caught a glimpse of unmistakable creamy fur in her claws. _Oh StarClan no… it can't be true! I've got to find Creampelt! If she's even alive…_ the dark thought made Wavepaw's blood chill, but he charged into the battle, flinging aside cats that swiped at him. He searched the outskirts for Creampelt.

Suddenly, a battle cry split the air and the clearing flooded with the scent of pine sap. _ShadowClan! What?! Not the time, focus Wavepaw!_

To his relief, the few glimpses he caught revealed ShadowClan cats shredding ThunderClan, vastly outnumbering them. _RiverClan will survive without me for a few moments,_ he told himself, searching with renewed fervor.

Eventually, he spotted a slump of milky pelt barely visible behind a bush, unmoving and silent. _Oh StarClan, no!_ Wavepaw rushed over to it, trying to calm the rapidly increasing pace of his heart. _No,_ no _!_

His blood froze as he realized, pressing his pad against her chest, waiting for the rhythmic throbbing of a heartbeat that had already been stopped.

She lay in a disheveled bundle, mercilessly torn apart with her amber eyes wide and unseeing, terror spiking her clumped, bloodied fur, her claws, of which several had been torn out, were unsheathed in fury, but all to no avail.

Wavepaw turned her over gently, feeling revulsion twist his stomach.

Her belly had been messily sliced open, blood soaking the ground beneath it. A nauseating gleam of white bones shone through her eviscerated entrails, clashing against the brown-red blood. He swallowed down the urge to throw up and backed away from her still corpse.

Creampelt had been brutally murdered.

And Cloudfall had done it.

 **Yet another 'not quite as long as I'd like it to be but better than nothing' chapter.**

 **So, uh, yeah, Creampelt's dead now. Um.**

 **QOTC: Why do you think Cloudfall murdered her own sister? Like, specifically, why did she do it? Why do you think that?**

 **I'm slaughtering left and right, here, yeezus. Anyways, I'll probably be able to get out a chapter next week, but not the week afterwards. Hope y'all are having a nice summer so far, or if you haven't started it like me (TTwTT), a nice end of school year!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	46. Dark: Battle in the Water

**Boopedy doop look who changed their name.**

 **Eeza me! Aki! Yeah yeah, I know it's been a while, but now that everything's mostly cleared up on my end, I should be able to start writing more often and stuff :D.**

 **RRs:**

 **SF123: Indeed I did! I was watching this brilliant and gorgeous PMV of Oakheart doing 'Wait for It' from Hamilton and I was just struck with brilliance. (GO WATCH IT YOUR SOUL WILL BE CHANGED. AND ALSO WATCH THE UNFINISHED ONES, IT CONTAINS ONE OF THRUSHPELT AND BLUESTAR DOING IT'S QUIET UPTOWN AND YOUR SOUL WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. It's like, 30 seconds, but you will be bawling** _ **very soon**_ **.)**

 **The other guest review flame: Don't you have an eight-year-old to put down? Run along now.**

 **ATTENTION ATTENTION** **I have a little something set up on my profile. If you're interested in submitting a character to my fanfiction, make sure you check it out! And since interactive stories aren't allowed, if you want to send me a character, you've got to do it via PM. If you're a guest reviewer that wants to submit one, leave a review with the character and I'll copy it down then delete your review so no actual rule breaking happens ;).**

 **Anyways, we get a Dark chapter! Yahnoodles!**

 **Warning: More violence. Don't worry though, it's not too bad.**

Chapter 44.

When Darkpaw woke, the whole den was empty. She blinked hard, trying to clear her blurry vision, but it only seemed to make it worse. The whole picture felt fractured, unstable somehow.

Suddenly, everything became crystallized, her blurred sight replaced with a perfect image.

"Wh- where am I?" Darkpaw's words felt thick and wrong on her tongue.

"Darkpaw," a mew she now recognized drifted towards her.

"P- Poppyseed," Darkpaw slurred. "Mother…"

The small, lithe ginger and black she-cat appeared before her, light amber eyes troubled. "Something is coming… something terrible… brace yourself, my sweet kitten."

"What?" Darkpaw asked, worry icing her.

Poppyseed breathed deeply, tears welling in her amber eyes. "Be strong."

Suddenly, her mother split, dropping into different parts, all staring at her with wide, kit eyes. "Be strong, Darkpaw… live for us when we couldn't…"

She stared in horror at the tiny, helpless forms. _My brothers and sisters… but hold on…_

Just as a realization slowly began to latch onto her mind, the whole illusion shuddered once and then shattered. _Gone._ The word rode along the wind, carried into her den. _Not empty after all._ She thought to herself as she looked around, the sleeping forms of the other apprentices around her.

She watched Lionpaw's peacefully rising flank, encompassed in hard muscle and sleek golden fur coating her whole body. _She's not having nightmares._ It stung. _Peacefully sleeping, not a care in the world. A tom that likes her, a leader that favours her, a whole_ Clan _that supports her._ She gritted her teeth, wishing she were a better cat.

 _I shouldn't be jealous of my sister. Jealousy leads to evil, and if there's one thing I'm not, it's evil._ She told herself sternly.

 _Definitely not,_ Ripple giggled with more than a touch of maniacal laughter.

Darkpaw's features twisted into a deep frown. _No, I'm not._

With that, she flounced out of the den, searching the still-dark clearing for her mentor, wanting to train so she wouldn't have to dwell on the awful dream.

 _Something terrible._ A murmuring filled her head, not from Ripple, but remnants of the dream haunting her.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself into her favourite illusion, one of confidence and physical strength. She raised her fur a hair-breadth, hoping to fluff up her appearance imperceptibly, rolled her shoulders back in a cool-but-confident way, and flexed her muscles with each step. It was thrice as tiring as normal walking, but ever since the second fox attack that should have left her bruised and beaten, she hadn't had any lasting fatigue or physical damage.

 _Why is that, anyways?_ Darkpaw demanded. _Ripple?! Does this have something to do with you?_

 _Oh, I don't know…_ Ripple replied mysteriously, an audible grin stretching out in the silence between his words.

 _I hate you._ Darkpaw declared almost amiably.

 _Fantastic._ Ripple said with same tone.

She ignored Ripple's subsequent comments, instead choosing to soak up the last of the darkness as weak rays of sunlight began to filter across the sky. The shadows seeped away under the faint glare of sunlight, but Darkpaw stood stone-still as dawn swept in. She drew in a deep breath, savouring the cool, pine-scented night air. _There is a beauty in light… but only the dark holds true elegance._ The thought formed without her own will. _Huh. That's kind of weird. Whatever. It sounds cool._ She smiled to herself a little.

She heard a lengthy yawn behind her and she turned to catch a glimpse of golden fur. Her mind immediately squawked that it was Breezepaw, but she quickly realized it was only her sister. _Lionpaw._ She fought the urge to curl her lip and instead turned to her sister with a tolerant expression.

"Sleep well?" Lionpaw asked, jaws splitting in a second yawn.

"No," Darkpaw mewed shortly, the reminder of Lionpaw's immunity to nightmares irritating her. "How about you?"

"Like a kit," her sister peered around the clearing at the retreating darkness. "Blegh, I hate all those cold shadows. The dawn sun is so pretty, though."

Darkpaw pressed her lips together to avoid commenting at either annoying statement. _Oh, she slept like a kit? I bet it wasn't plagued with dreams of dead kits though, huh?_

 _Doesn't like the shadows, huh?_ Ripple huffed in amusement.

 _That's dumb. She's pure ShadowClan; how can she not like the shadows?_ Darkpaw flattened her ears in annoyance.

Ripple didn't speak, but the silence in Darkpaw's world was broken by Lionpaw.

"Well, I'm starved, want to share something?" Lionpaw offered.

Darkpaw briefly debated declining, but it would be rude and Darkpaw didn't want to offend her sister. Much.

"Fine," she replied evenly, walking to the edge of the camp to settle down into one of the remaining puddles of shadows as a miniature mutiny against her sister's bright and cheerful demeanor.

 _Why's she so chipper anyways?_ She wondered sourly. _Maybe Olivepaw asked her about what she wants to name their kits._

The thought amused her darkly. _How come everything just_ falls _into place for her? What did she do to deserve it that I didn't?_

She tried to erase the kit-like pout on her face as Lionpaw trotted back over to her with a plump rabbit dangling from her jaws.

"A rabbit?" Darkpaw frowned a little, tilting her head questioningly. "I wonder who caught that. They usually don't wander that far into the forest."

"I caught it yesterday!" Lionpaw exclaimed.

"It probably isn't very fresh then…" Darkpaw wrinkled her nose. "And I don't really like rabbit… Why don't you keep it and I'll go get a frog or a mouse or something?"

Lionpaw shrugged, but the tortoiseshell could have sworn she spotted a gleam of hurt in her sister's brightly golden eyes. _I don't care, I'm not eating some stinky rabbit._ Darkpaw thought stoutly. _Besides, every cat worships her enough already as it is, so why should I?_

Darkpaw stalked over to the fresh-kill pile and dragged out a soft and malleable lump of flesh. Examining it, she pronounced it a slightly-outdated chipmunk. Shrugging, she figured it was better to eat it now than let it turn into crowfood and risking some cat eating it and getting sick.

After a moment of silent debate, she padded over to sit next to her sister and began to eat her chipmunk silently.

She could feel her sister's body heat as they ate silently. It was both comforting and annoying. It took her a moment of digging for the spark of kinship she had always felt with her sister to realize it was absent. _Huh?_ She tried again, pushing for the warmth of sisterhood. _Nothing…_

The word echoed hollowly.

Frowning, she concentrated on everything she liked about her sister… but came up empty-pawed. _Her enthusiasm?_ No, it only annoyed her. _Her ambition?_ Not when it rivaled her own. _Her… I don't know…_ She gave up. _Whatever._

She quickly finished off her chipmunk and walked away from her sister, trying to calm her racing heart. _It doesn't mean anything. I'll feel like she's important again soon, I'm sure. Everyone else sure thinks so…_

At that moment, as though called by StarClan themselves, Olivepaw strode out from the apprentice den, his pale gray coat gleaming in the faint dawn sun. He shot a glittering grin at Lionpaw as she jumped up to greet him.

Darkpaw burned silently, before identifying with a slight shock the emotion that clenched her stomach. _Jealousy. I'm jealous. Of Lionpaw or Olivepaw?_ She searched herself for a moment before reaching a conclusion. _Both. I'm jealous of what they share._

Staring at the two apprentices, it was all too easy to pretend that Lionpaw's golden eyes were green and Olivepaw's pale coat and eyes were her own. Her heart ached, but after a brief moment of wishfulness, she turned away. _Whatever. Not like I care._

Ripple made a quiet noise of amusement, but Darkpaw took no notice, instead choosing to stalk over to Wildwind, who was padding out of the warriors' den, looking like he'd wandered out of a different universe entirely.

"Wildwind, what are we doing today?" She asked, trying to infuse a note of eagerness into her voice.

He blinked a couple times, like he didn't know who she was.

"Wildwind? Hello? Any cat in there?" She joked, a little uneasy with his odd behaviour.

"Uh- uh, hey Darkpaw," he fumbled over his words for a moment. "Er, you're due for a hunting assessment, so, um, let's get going?"

She narrowed her eyes, a little suspicious as to what was causing his random spaciness all of a sudden.

"Oookay…" she said slowly, unsure.

 _What's with him, Ripple?_ She demanded.

 _Well if you use that tone of voice, I don't think I want to tell you. Hmph._ Ripple put on a petulant kit voice.

 _Shut up._ Darkpaw rolled her eyes. _You don't know, do you?_

 _It depends what will convince you to give up on trying to get me to tell you._ He smirked audibly.

Darkpaw gritted her teeth, but followed Wildwind's flicking tail out of camp.

"Okay, so… we're practicing bird-stalking," Wildwind mewed hurriedly.

"I thought you said it was an assessment?" Darkpaw inquired.

"Oh- uh- right, right, um, assessment… that's what I meant, uhuh, you have to catch six birds before sun-high," Wildwind nodded briskly and spoke confidently.

"Um, it's almost sun-high and most of the birds are gone for leaf-bare…" Darkpaw pointed out, a hint of a growl in her voice from frustration.

Wildwind blinked at her again like an owl.

She stared straight back at him challengingly.

 _It's not my job to keep my mentor in line,_ she thought to herself, irritated.

"Sorry," Wildwind said, sounding a little more awake. "Sorry, Darkpaw, I'm not focusing well right now… I think you might just have to go hunting on your own for now…"

"Are you sick?" Worry panged through Darkpaw.

 _My training will get delayed if he's sick, and that might delay my ceremony, which means I won't get an apprentice until later, which means that I can't be eligible for the position of deputy until later, which means my chance of being leader will be delayed! Ugh, why did he have to get sick?!_ Darkpaw stamped her paw on the ground involuntarily with rising anger at the thoughts.

"Ah, no, not sick…" Wildwind hurriedly corrected her, and Darkpaw sighed with relief. "Um… actually, I just found out some news this morning… and, er, I'm a little… caught off balance."

Darkpaw was a touch surprised at his confession; mentors would not usually share personal matters unless absolutely vital, so that news must have been something life-changing, or at the very least, critical.

"Well, what was it?" She asked impatiently.

"I'm expecting kits," Wildwind said in a rush.

Darkpaw blinked at him once.

Darkpaw blinked at him twice.

Then she collapsed in laughter.

"What's so funny?!" He demanded, amusement twitching his whiskers but confusion in his eyes.

"You- you're- you're expecting- you're expecting kits?" She howled with laughter.

Breathing was not easy to do in that moment. Tears welled in her eyes as she gasped in breaths, only screaming louder as Wildwind's confusion grew.

"I don't… oh," his mouth formed a perfect circle of realization.

Darkpaw's flanks heaved as she dragged in breaths between chortles, tears of mirth freely streaming down her face.

Wildwind couldn't help a chuckle as he remembered one key point of basic nature. _Toms can't have kits._ Ripple scorned.

Eventually, her howls turned to giggles, her giggles turned to pants, and her pants turned to silence.

"So, um…" Darkpaw blinked. "Who's _actually_ expecting kits?"

"Shiningsnow," Wildwind confirmed her suspicions.

"That's… that's great! I'm happy for you," Darkpaw forced a smile.

 _Besides, I might mentor one of them…_ Dreams of Ivystar appointing her deputy floated through her mind, stifling her urge to be rude to Wildwind about his unborn kits getting in the way of her training.

"Um, how long has she known?" Darkpaw asked uncertainly.

"For almost a moon." Pride and love shone in Wildwind's eyes. "And apparently even the medicine cats didn't notice until later. They say it won't be more than another half-moon, at most."

Darkpaw nodded, trying to convey affection and approval. _Are they even mates?_ A part of her wondered, but she couldn't muster the urge to ask.

"But this won't affect your training," Wildwind quickly exclaimed. "Only Shiningsnow will be in the nursery, not me, because I'm not actually giving birth to the kits, uh…"

Darkpaw flicked her tail impatiently. The first part of his message was the only part that interested her.

"But… I think it would be best for both of us if I took the day off," Wildwind sighed. "I'm just a little taken by surprise by this news, so I… I can't focus too well."

Though Darkpaw understood the motive behind the words, fury boiled underneath her fur. _Whatever, go ahead and take a day off. Makes no difference to me. It's not like it's my entire future we're talking about here._ She gritted her teeth.

"I'm sure you'll be fine on your own though, and-" Wildwind said brightly, but was cut off by Darkpaw.

"It's _fine_ , you don't need to keep going on," she mewed testily.

"What's gotten into you?" He frowned, his lip beginning to curl at her sudden hostility. "No need to be rude; I apologized for missing today, but it isn't your call whether I'm fit to train you today, it's mine."

Darkpaw couldn't deny the truth in his words, but being told she was wrong was not something she took well to. Her fur bristled, but she tried to keep her voice under control.

"I'm just a little _frustrated_ , is all. Your one duty is to train me, and taking one day off is shirking that duty," she snapped out her opinion impatiently. "You don't even have to do anything else, it's not like you're deputy, which you even had the _option_ to be, and you gave it up for reasons that elude me, and you aren't training me properly! I think that-"

"Darkpaw." Rage coiled like an adder in his single word. "None of that is your business. We are talking about a single day that you will miss of training, but I'm offering you a suitable alternative. You do not get to tell me that I'm doing my job badly; you hardly even understand what I _have_ done for you, no matter how hard you try to get me to give up on you."

She was momentarily silenced by his quick and angry response. "But you could have been deputy! _Why_ would you give that up?! You-"

" _No_ ," Wildwind growled. " _Stop_. My personal life choices are separate from you; you do not get an opinion. You do not get to lecture _me_ on what I should or should not have done when you have seen the fraction of the things I have.

"You still think leadership is some glamorous ordeal that requires no effort but earns automatic respect and love from everyone. Don't think your ambition has gone unnoticed. You haven't seen a leader cripple under the weight of choosing to let a kit starve instead of sacraficing a strong and capable warrior that could provide for others. You haven't seen a leader shut themselves away from the option of a mate with the intention of giving themselves up entirely to the Clan and what is best for the Clan. _You_ don't know of a leader that was caught in a scandal that ended with the medicine cat choosing not to warn them of an extremely dangerous event coming in the near future, that ended with the leader _dying_ _nine times_. You haven't seen these things. You cannot take these things into account when you make choices for yourself," Wildwind finished angrily, his amber eyes blazing.

Darkpaw was stunned into silence.

 _No… I haven't._

Each event he labelled with a hiss and growl shook Darkpaw to the core.

But only served to stoke the flames of her ambition.

 _I_ am _the best cat for the job. My heart is already sealed away. I know how to make impartial decisions. I wouldn't make choices to end in my own death._ She thought, resolve hardening in her belly.

But Wildwind was still stiff-legged and bristling with fury before her, and so Darkpaw did the one and only thing she could think of.

She turned tail and sprinted into the forest.

…

Darkpaw had been padding around the forest, occasionally stalking or chasing a piece of prey, but mainly simply enjoying and observing the shaded pines. The scent of pinesap was thick on the air, present but not unpleasant.

Pine needles cushioned her every step, and she welcomed the wayward prick into her soft pad. The occasional bird squawk. These small things grounded her, reminding her that nature was not perfect, the world was not perfect, and thusly she was not obliged to be.

Breathing in the soft pine-scent, Darkpaw trotted closer to the ThunderClan border when the pines began to merge into thicker oaks and maples, greeting her with richer and thicker scents of woodland prey, staunchly contrasting the pale smell of pine-forest prey.

ThunderClan territory carried a thick, rich, velvety scent that was overwhelming to those unadjusted, and Darkpaw was certainly no exception. She wrinkled her nose at the intruding scent, but made no move to extricate herself from the afflicted area.

Something drew her onwards, something she couldn't quite place.

A tingling began at the base of her spine, and rose until her entire body thrummed with adrenaline and anticipation.

Suddenly, she heard a loud crash nearby.

Terror striking her with images of being thrown around by another fox, or even a badger, she dove into a nearby juniper patch.

Hidden by the spiky green flora, she peered out.

The thick ThunderClan smell thickened until it was almost unbearably strong, and Darkpaw wrinkled her nose and held her breath.

Suddenly, a bright flash of fur greeted her, not the savage red of a fox or the coarse black and white of a badger, but the tan tabby pelt that could only belong to one species. Cat.

 _ThunderClan…_ she thought privately, her eyes firmly rooted on the space in front of her.

In an instant, fur was flashing in front of her bush as many cats raced by, their paws shaking the earth and disrupting the inhabitants of the forest.

 _Noisy furballs,_ a small part of her growled, but it was overruled by a louder part screeching, _Intruders! Intruders! ThunderClan is attacking!_

She briefly entertained the possibility of jumping out of her refuge and hissing a challenge, but she shook off the idea, classifying it as rash and possibly dangerous.

 _I have to warn the camp,_ she thought breathlessly, sneaking out the back of the bush as the last few ThunderClanners dashed past her bush.

Racing towards the camp, dozens of thoughts spiralled and crumpled against each other, jumbled around by the rapid bobbing induced by running.

 _ThunderClan- attack- Lightning- ShadowClan- blood- battle._ Each word surfaced and popped like bubbles, but not nearly as harmless. Panic mounting, she increased her speed, jealous for the third time that day of Lionpaw; her sister's long and muscled legs would be handy in this situation.

She reached the camp fairly quickly despite her mounting exhaustion and short legs.

"ThunderClan- attacking- coming for- the camp," she managed to gasp out before she collapsed onto the pine needles. "Had to warn-"

"Darkpaw!" Primrosepaw rushed towards her. "Talk! What's going on?"

She gasped in a few ragged breaths before summarizing the events following her dive into the juniper bush.

"But…" Feathermist exchanged a confused look with Foxwhisker. "We haven't heard anything…"

Ivystar strode out of her den, alerted by the commotion in the clearing.

"What is going on?" Her authoratative and confident voice calmed most of the onlookers, but Darkpaw was locked in panic-mode.

"I saw ThunderClan taking a huge patrol over the border," she coughed out, drawing in short breaths.

Ivystar exchanged a worried glance with Ravenwing, who shrugged with an anxious look at Darkpaw.

"We haven't had a sign of an attack yet," Ivystar said with as much gentleness as a leader of her imposing voice could muster. "Are you sure?"

"Well, there was a giant patrol, and it was ThunderClan, so _yeah_ pretty sure!" Darkpaw couldn't entirely chase the irritation from her voice.

"Very well," Ivystar bared her teeth. "Then we shall find this patrol and challenge them. I still don't know why ThunderClan would attack ShadowClan, when their issue is with- oh."

The tiny word fell like a single droplet of water before a colossal storm.

"They're attacking RiverClan," Ravenwing voiced Ivystar's sudden conclusion.

The whole Clan was silenced for a moment, before they exploded in shouting theories and threats and fury.

Ivystar seemed to cower in the centre of them for several heartbeats before she drew herself up to her full height and thundered, " _Silence_!"

Every cat shut up.

"We will trail the ThunderClan patrol and attack them when they ambush RiverClan," Ivystar snapped decisively. "This is not up for debate. Ravenwing, Mousepelt, Silverpuddle, Foxwhisker, Wildwind, Feathermist, Sootfire, Frostsong, along with Ratpaw, Primrosepaw, Olivepaw, Robinpaw, Poolpaw, Darkpaw, and Lionpaw. The rest will be guarding the camp."

The cats nodded their agreement and the cats chosen for the battle patrol fell into line behind their leader.

Darkpaw's heart raced as she imagined the battle. _Cats screeching and swiping and swinging…_ she clenched her teeth together. _Every cat slicing with the intention of injuring each other… this is what I've been training for!_

Adrenaline pulsing through her, she bounded alongside her Clanmates.

Knowing the pine forest far better than the ThunderClan intruders, the battle patrol soon traced the scent to the patrol, and immediately began to trail them silently. _They have no idea we're here._ Contempt and arrogance splashed through her thoughts, but she couldn't care.

They were half-way to the RiverClan camp when suddenly Lionpaw was sent out by Ivystar to warn the RiverClan camp. Darkpaw hissed to herself that _of course_ Lionpaw had been chosen to run to the RiverClan camp.

Brushing off the pessimism, she followed the patrol all the way through several clumps of reeds and over a couple streams. They reached one of the rivers that crossed another to form RiverClan's camp, and crossing was slow.

There was a half-broken tree that stretched over the majority of it and a well-placed stone jutted out to form a clear path, however it took ThunderClan several minutes to cross their entire patrol.

It took ShadowClan even longer with the added challenge of not alerting their enemy of their presence, but they managed. _How did Lionpaw cross so quickly?_ Darkpaw thought irritably, awaiting her turn to cross.

 _Don't use the log, it's full of splinters. There are other stones, but they're covered by water at this point. You should still be able to step on them though._ Ripple advised.

Startled by the sudden advice, she focused on the water just next to the log and found slight disturbances on the surface where the stones must have been disrupting the regular flow of the river.

Frowning a little, she stepped delicately onto them, fully expecting them to dislodge and be swept away at her weight, tensing her muscles to leap onto the log and safety if the rocks failed her. They held strong.

A little surprised, Darkpaw carefully transferred her weight onto the next one, quicker but still careful. When it too held her easily, she abandoned the slow caution and walked quickly across the remaining stones.

 _See?_ Ripple smirked. _Told you so._

 _Whatever._ Darkpaw curled her lip. _Thanks, I guess._

She alighted gently on the grassy bank on the other side, greeted by the slack-jawed looks of her Clanmates.

"How- how did you know those stones were there?" Primrosepaw questioned.

"Er- I saw the splashing on the surface of the water," Darkpaw directed their attention with her tail to the softly splashing patches of water where the stones were located. "See?"

She didn't want to admit she hadn't noticed them on her own.

"Huh. Well, that speeds things along I suppose," Ravenwing shrugged.

Darkpaw smiled a little, proud she had been able to help her Clanmates, even in this small way.

Crossing proceeded smoothly and quickly after that.

…

When the battle was already raging in the RiverClan camp, most of the seasoned warrior didn't hesitate and dove straight into the battle, slashing at cats that smelled of ThunderClan.

Panic struck chords inside of the less experienced apprentices, however, and they banded together to fight off singular warriors.

Darkpaw and Robinpaw double-teamed a sturdy she-cat with ThunderClan rolling off her in the form of squirrel-scent, and soon sent her reeling away with stinging slashes on each cheek.

They charged back into battle searching for their next target, when Darkpaw saw something that made her heart skip a few beats.

"Go- go on ahead," she choked out, fighting for air. "I'll catch up. Don't challenge any cat too big."

"Okay?" Robinpaw shrugged, blinking questioningly at her, but said nothing beyond that.

Darkpaw rushed towards the sight.

Breezepaw.

And Lightningpaw.

The look that was passing between them made Darkpaw's blood boil. His green eyes burned with passion as they searched her golden ones, and _that could not be allowed._ She thought.

Her limbs twitched with the fierce urge to tear Lightningpaw to small shreds, but she stifled it as she watched Breezepaw.

But as his eyes deepened for passion to longing to pure, unadultered _need_ , Darkpaw's will snapped in half.

"Rrrrgh!" She let loose a furious sound that resonated deep inside her lungs, and bowled Lightningpaw off her paws.

The tackle carried Lightningpaw off her paws into a patch of reeds, and she wasted no time in unsheathing her glinting claws and scoring deep gashes across the dark brown and white she-cat's side.

It had taken so long, and it felt so damn _good_. Darkpaw relished each cry of pain that she dragged out of Lightningpaw as she beat her and bled her. _I can finally teach her to stay away from him._ Satisfaction racked her body as Lightningpaw convulsed beneath her.

"Please! Stop!" The she-cat cried for mercy, but Darkpaw was so caught up in the thrill of exacting her revenge, she didn't even notice Breezepaw screaming at her until she was brought back to reality.

"Darkpaw, what are you doing?!" He cried, watching her take Lightningpaw apart savagely.

"She was attacking you!" The first excuse for attempting to disembowel Lightningpaw that came to mind passed across her lips without a second thought.

Breezepaw's mouth gaped open for a moment, unsure, before eventually saying,

"Thanks, I guess," he muttered, green eyes guilty.

She tilted her head, confused.

Lightningpaw wriggled free - _Like the worm she is,_ Darkpaw thought privately- and dashed away from her attacker.

Their attention was drawn away from the fleeing she-cat when a shriek rang across the clearing.

The two apprentices spotted the four leaders locked in an odd impasse, Thornstar circled by the other three, lashing out occasionally like a trapped animal, but subdued easily by the others.

But Darkpaw wasn't interested in the leaders, more in the feeling of flesh ripping beneath her claws.

"Come on, Breezepaw!" She urged. "We can't just stand around watching, we've got to fight off these cats."

He nodded with a torn expression and launched into battle against a broad-shouldered, muscled dark gray tom that reeked of mice.

 _Shadefur._ The name appeared in her mind. _ThunderClan deputy. Strong, not to be underestimated, but doensn't guard his belly well._

She didn't waste a moment questioning the sudden knowledge, instead observing Breezepaw getting slammed in the face and going flying. _If he scars his face, I will tear him apart._ She thought darkly.

"Come on, Breezepaw, I know you can fight better than that!" She exclaimed, dodging around Shadefur only to get crushed as he dropped backwards onto her. _Oof._ Her breath rushed out of her, but she inhaled deeply to regain it and twisted out of the way to avoid a potentially critical belly-injury, but not fully dodging and earning herself a thickly welling gash on her side.

Breezepaw leapt onto the tom's shoulders and began to hook his claws into the deputy's pelt.

Darkpaw took advantage of his brief distraction and brutally ripped her claws down his stomach.

The deputy roared in pain, bucking and twisting, and Breezepaw lost his grip. She threw herself forwards, quicker than the flicker of a flame, and sank her fangs deep into the deputy's belly.

Blood flooded into her mouth, salty and thick on her tongue, but she held on insistently, biting harder and deeper.

He howled in pain again, before grasping her roughly by the shoulders and thrusting her away from himself in one awful ripping noise.

Exhiliration rushed through her as Shadefur stumbled and collapsed, bleeding profusely from the belly and dying the grass beneath him a brutal scarlet.

She was no longer interested in him after he gave up the fight, so she turned away, looking for a new target.

Suddenly, her attention was drawn by another howl of fury and pain from who she know recognized to be Thornstar.

He had been pinned down by Ivystar and Spottedstar, writhing and twisting beneath them but to no avail, overpowered by the thickly muscled she-cats. Snowstar approached him, silence hanging over him heavily as he unsheathed the claws on one paw.

"Thornstar, your time as a leader has drawn to a close," he mewed somberly. "You are no longer stable and it is unsafe for you to continue as leader."

With those almost-ceremonial words, Snowstar laid his paw across Thornstar's throat, and quickly sliced open his throat.

At first, it seemed that Snowstar had only cut air; no sign of injury marred Thornstar's golden-brown fur. Then a perfect, thin line of red bloomed across his throat, just below his head, and raced outwards, staining all of his neck fur dark, deathly red.

Thornstar convulsed harder as the blood flowed out, but soon his struggles weakened, and he went limp entirely. Carefully, Snowstar and Spottedstar traded positions.

They continued to pin the dead leader, the reasons for which escaped Darkpaw. She frowned at the strange, gruesome scene, then remembered.

A whisper of voices seemed to trickle into Darkpaw's ears for the barest of moments before it faded once more. Thornstar whipped upwards, and though caught off-guard, Snowstar and Ivystar pressed his shoulders back into the grass.

Spottedstar unsheathed the claws of one paw, and something fell into place in Darkpaw's mind.

She realized what she was watching.

The slow and merciless execution of the ThunderClan leader.

 **Hee hee hee }:)**

 **Dropping all sorts of bombs on your heads heheheh. So those of you begging for the slow and painful death of Thornstar… you're welcome? No question today, but feel free to speculate in reviews. ALSO, don't forget about the OC submission sheet on my profile! Hope to see some submissions soon!**

 **~Pondfrost**

 **P.S. Yep, still signing out that way because this is a WARRIORS fanfiction and that's my WARRIORS alias.**


	47. Lightning: The Battle Ends

**Heheheh.**

 **My bad for disappearing off the face of the earth.**

 **Here's the second set of the giant battle :D.**

 **RRs:**

 **No guest reviews.**

 **JUST 408 WHAT WORDS BLEH I DON'T DESERVE YOU GUYS MY HEART GOES OUT TO EVERYONE WHO HAS FOLLOWED MY TEENY LITTLE STORY hugs hugs hugs smooches, hugs, tears...**

 **There were lots of OC submissions! Thank you! One guest reviewer left Nightjay, Lionfang, Ashcloud, Rabbitstep, and Goldenfeather, but didn't supply any personalities, so I'd ask that same person, if they return, to put the personalities to. Thank you! And again, if anyone missed the memo last chap, the submission form lives on my profile!**

Chapter 45.

The battle had started rough, but it was only getting worse.

As Lightningpaw struggled beneath Jaypaw and the ShadowClan tom, she was terrified this would be the last thing she ever saw. "Please! Let me go!" She gasped desperately.

Jaypaw's eyes were dark as they regarded her, merciless. _Why is she so furious with me?_ Lightningpaw wondered, shaken.

"Please!" She repeated hoarsely, when suddenly a silver dart shot across the clearing and crunched into Jaypaw and the ShadowClan tom with the force of a badger.

 _Who… Wavepaw?_ She looked up to see the silver tom standing stiff-legged, panting. His icy blue eyes blazed with anger as he stared after her assailants.

"Th- thank you," she breathed weakly as he ducked a shoulder beneath hers to help her up.

"Stay out of trouble," he said gruffly, not meeting her eye. "You could get hurt."

"That's the point of a battle!" She snapped suddenly, both annoyed and warmed by the fact he wanted out of harm's way. "I have to fight for my Clan!"

She gritted her teeth and pounced on him, but he batted her aside with one sheathed, wide paw. Not giving up so easily, she darted beneath him and tried to arch her back and knock the air out of him. Instead of connecting with his belly, she only found silky silver fur above her.

He rolled out of the way easily, rolling his eyes at her.

"Come on, go fight someone else," he muttered, looking away. "You can't hurt me, and I can't hurt you."

"Why not? You could hurt me if you wanted to!" Lightningpaw growled heatedly, pushing her muzzle closer to his.

She was done being a scared little rabbit around this tom. He had pushed her far enough. It was time to find out, once and for all, why he was forward and strange around her.

"I could never hurt you," he said softly, his blue eyes pinning her in the middle of the battle.

Then he turned tail and leaped away, finding a new battle to fight with Rosefire.

 _I…_ A tidal wave of emotions crashed over her. A vision rose in her mind. Breezepaw and Wavepaw both spoke insistently to her, but she couldn't hear them both. _You can only listen to one…_ a voice told her. They stepped closer, then turned to face each other, rolling over in a vicious battle, before they melded together as they grappled, then stepped up as one cat. As he panted, she sighed in relief at the familiar pelt of shadow and sunlight. But when he turned to her, his eyes were not the pure emerald of the forest in new-leaf, but stormy, shards of blue sapphire, murmuring, "I could never hurt you…"

Then the vision was torn away and she was fighting again. This time, it was a silver tabby with a gray eye and a blue eye. Confused, Lightningpaw searched the eye for a reason, but it was milky and pale. _She's blind in one eye!_ The realization left her breathless, but she quickly tried to think of a strategy to use it to her advantage.

She swooped to the right, then back to the left, the she-cat disoriented and blinking hard.

Lightningpaw jumped onto her back and slashed into her pelt. She grimaced at the feeling of flesh ripping beneath her claws, but dug them in harder as the she-cat screeched in pain and tried to shake her off.

Eventually, Lightningpaw was flung off into a patch of reeds, but she had no time to catch her breath as another ShadowClan apprentice, this time a ginger and white patched she-cat who she recognized as Primrosepaw, dove after her and scored her claws down her belly.

Squealing as the fiery pain blazed through her suddenly, she leapt free of the other she-cat's hold and jumped out from behind the reeds. Primrosepaw caught her from behind, pinning her and trying to rake her claws down her belly again. Panic screeching through her, Lightningpaw swung a hefty paw into Primrosepaw's chest, send her staggering backwards, panting and green eyes blazing.

Gritting her teeth, Lightningpaw remembered one of her training sessions. As she and the ShadowClan apprentice circled each other, she faked a lunge forwards, and Primrosepaw's shoulders tensed, but she stayed still, lithe and predatory.

Breathing in deeply once, she used her tail to toss a sodden lump of river-wood to the left, then darted onto Primrosepaw's right. The ginger and white she-cat turned, confused, and Lightningpaw head-butted her side. Hard.

Primrosepaw stumbled and dropped onto the ground, but as the dark brown and white she-cat jumped on her, claws extended, Primrosepaw erupted upwards, both backpaws slamming in direct connection with Lightningpaw's stomach.

The air rushed out of her with a _whoosh_ and she was flung to the edge of the fighting, and promptly pounced on by two other apprentices from WindClan, a pale, sandy-brown tabby and a brown and white patched tom.

Sucking in a breath, Lightningpaw prepared to fight. Primrosepaw had left her with several stinging scratches, but she grimaced and bore it. The she-cat whipped past her flank before she even realized she had moved and left a blazing streak of pain behind.

Roaring in pain, Lightningpaw reared up and slammed both paws in the she-cat's shoulder, a satisfying _crunch_ and yelp of pain greeting her ears as the sandy brown tabby crashed to the ground.

Suddenly, the world spun as she flew head over heels after a smashing pain in her spine. "Argh!" She yelped in pain, but quickly recovered her footing and bashed the tom over the head with her paw, claws ripping down his ear. He snarled in pain, baring his teeth.

Unsure of her own ability to win the battle, she raced towards the edge of the clearing, but he followed her, his teeth snapping at her tail. _Oh yeah? Two can play at that game._ She thought furiously.

 _StarClan…_ Whiteshadow murmured. _It's happening._

Ignoring the other she-cat, Lightningpaw launched herself over the tom, who gaped in surprise as she cleared him in one giant leap. Full-on tackling his waving brown and white tail, she sank her claws into the thin skin. The tom screeched as she hung on, pinning it into the sand.

He writhed in pain, trying to turn to slash at her, but she bit into his tail, sudden anger rushing through her. It was so, so easy with him at her mercy like this. Her mother's dying shriek echoed in her ears, her jaw clamping down even tighter.

The tom screamed in agony, his deep voice suddenly begging her. "Stop stop, I'll leave the battle, just _please_ don't-"

With one final snap, she released him, satisfaction coursing through her as his mangled, bloody tail dragged behind the rest of his fleeing body. A remorseful twinge dug into her, but she brushed it off. _No room for regret. This is a battle to the death; the other Clans have taken their stance and now we shall take ours. Mercy has no place here._

These words thrumming through her with new, blazing determination, she threw herself into the battle, all four sets of claws rearing and slashing and spinning, turning her into a deadly whirlwind of danger.

Anger pulsed through her at every sighting of a pale brown-gold pelt, Thornstar's malicious glare at Fawnshade during her dying moments not leaving Lightningpaw's mind.

She shredded ear after ear, slashed flank after flank, ripped belly after belly, but none of it even put a dent in the sucking void that had opened up inside her at the mere thought of her mother and Thornstar. Revulsion ripped through her, and she attacked with new ferocity.

Suddenly, she was bowled over from behind by a hard attack that felt like it had the force of a tree behind it. Lightningpaw turned, startled. She came face to face with a set of deep, dark amber eyes, blazing like hot coals.

"Ah!" She let out the surprised noise alongside a gasp of what sounded suspiciously like fear.

Darkpaw's eyes were sorrowful, but there was the barest hint of a malicious twist to her mouth that made Lightningpaw suspect that there was more than simple Clan loyalty fuelling the ferocious attack.

"I'm sorry," the tortoiseshell whispered. "I'm sorry."

But the other apprentice's claws didn't feel sorry as they ripped across her flank, leaving blazing streaks of pain.

Lightningpaw's legs buckled under the unyielding attack and she squealed in pain. "I thought- I thought we were friends! Darkpaw… please… I..."

She felt the world spin, darkness pounding at the edges of her vision beneath the onslaught of slashes and strikes. _Lightningpaw! You cannot give up just yet! Stay determined!_ Whiteshadow howled in her mind, more terrified than the normally calm and collected she-cat sounded.

But it was so, so easy to just fall… to drop to the earth and let reality spin away… yield to the lapping darkness, sucking and powerful and wanting. _Give in…_ a voice pounded softly in her head, thick and throbbing, but relaxing her muscles, Lightningpaw did exactly as the voice said and collapsed to the ground.

…

"Lightningpaw! Lightningpaw!" A familiar voice, yet stronger and less breathy than it had ever been woke her.

"Whi- Whiteshadow? Is that you?" Lightningpaw mumbled, staggering to her paws, blinking her golden eyes clear.

When her vision finally straightened out, she realized she was no longer in RiverClan territory in the thick of the fight. _Where am I?_ Wispy clouds drifted overhead, the whole scene cast in gray, misty, dew soaked grass underfoot. _StarClan?_

"Wh- what is this place?" She coughed, the air feeling to thin to breath.

"Not important," Whiteshadow cut her off. "You need to find strength within you, before it's too late. We need you alive. Come on, Lightningpaw, you can do it."

"I'm alive, aren't I?" She frowned unsure. "I'm breathing, talking, right?"

Whiteshadow ground her teeth, a battle fighting in her eyes, before she seemed to cave and rushed forwards to nuzzle Lightningpaw.

Caught off guard by the gesture, it was a moment before the she-cat pressed her muzzle into the familiar, soft scent. When Whiteshadow drew back, there was a wet shine in her eyes that was all too familiar and dug like a thorn into her heart.

"Your path is a hard one, young one," Whiteshadow murmured, tears spilling out of her soft green eyes. "If I could walk it for you, I would…"

"What do you mean?" Lightningpaw blinked, biting her lip at the motherly look as an unbidden image of Fawnshade came to mind. "My path?"

"You are on a dangerous journey, and those around you must guide you carefully to the right destination, or all is lost," Whiteshadow murmured, tracing her paw in the snowy grass. "StarClan and the others are doing their best to guide you to the outcomes that will favour them, but you four have always been ones to choose your own paths. I can only hope it is the right one."

"What do you mean?" She asked again, but the vague answers did nothing but frustrate her. "I don't understand!"

"You're waking now, sweet kit," Whiteshadow hushed her, looking upwards to a white light that began to envelope the world. "Be brave, strong, and choose well. I will do anything to help you. Until we meet again, little storm."

With those words, the misty dream world spun away and brilliant darkness descended onto Lightningpaw once more.

…

"Lightningpaw! Lightningpaw!" A familiar voice shrieked above her.

"V- Vixenpaw?" She muttered groggily, coming to with a painful, hammering headache.

"It's no time to take a rest!" Slatepaw joined them, a darkened shape blotting out the direct sun. "The battle's still going on and ThunderClan needs all the help we can get!"

Lightningpaw screwed up her eyes, her head feeling like burning hot vines had been tightly wound around it. Pain throbbed through her every nerve, her wounds stabbing with agony. "Owwww," she groaned, slumping back to the ground.

"Get up!" Her sister snapped, nudging her hard. "You think we aren't hurt too? You have to fight for your Clan!"

"Slatepaw, go easy on her, she got the worse end of several fights from the look of it," Vixenpaw said sympathetically, eyeing Lightningpaw's deep slashes.

Lightningpaw's white stripes had been stained cherry-red, dark and ominous. Vixenpaw's belly had been torn up, but the majority of it looked shallow, but all Slatepaw had to show from the vicious fight was a slash on her nose and a shredded ear-tip.

"I- I want to keep fighting," determination surged through her and she stumbled to her paws, almost keeling sideways as her body screeched in protest, agony ripping through her, so strong it took her breath away.

"Are- are you sure?" Vixenpaw's eyes widened in fear.

"I'm fine," she grunted, steeling herself against the pain.

Slatepaw nodded her approval at Lightningpaw and Vixenpaw shrugged, worry still shadowing her features. Together, they moved back into the battle.

Vixenpaw tackled a RiverClan warrior while Slatepaw and Lightningpaw took on a honey-coloured she-cat from WindClan. The she-cat roared like the lion she appeared to be and threw Slatepaw into the reeds.

Her sister shot back out like a gray dart and dug into the long-furred she-cat's side with glimmering claws.

Lightningpaw hesitated for a moment, scared of her injuries becoming worse with an attack, and slipped forwards to deliver a hard blow to the adversary's flank before dashing out of reach once more.

The she-cat, who Lightningpaw now recognized to be Honeythorn the deputy of WindClan, reared up and slammed both paws onto Slatepaw's back with a blow that could have snapped her sister's back. Slatepaw wriggled out of the way at the last moment and Honeythorn lost her balance on the slick river-stones.

Lightningpaw, sensing an opportunity, rushed forwards to wrap her paws around the golden she-cat's foreleg and yanked on the throbbing tendon. Honeythorn's front legs buckled and she tumbled onto the stones. _It worked!_ She was so startled by the success that she entirely missed the chance of attacking while the deputy was incapacitated.

Honeythorn was on her paws in a heartbeat, growling and a new fire blazing through her green eyes.

"Oh no," the words died in Lightningpaw's throat as the deputy tackled her.

She batted feebly at the other she-cat, knowing how futile her attacks were when the deputy was twice her size and broad-shouldered where her Clanmates were lithe and skinny.

Suddenly, the golden she-cat bellowed in pain as Slatepaw raked her belly viciously, sending scarlet drops of blood spattering across the slick stones of the battleground.

Seizing the opportunity, Lightningpaw shot forwards, and this time, instead of simply pushing on the tendon, she sliced it open. Honeythorn let out a terrible cry of pain, stumbling and collapsing on the riverbed. Vixenpaw flashed by, but stopped long enough to lift her pad to face Lightningpaw.

A grim smile spreading across the dark brown she-cat's face, she pressed her bleeding pad to her sister's. _I took out the WindClan deputy!_

"I beat the WindClan deputy!" She tested the words aloud, and they were just as wonderful as they had been in her head.

" _We_ beat the WindClan deputy," Slatepaw corrected. "And barely…"

Lightningpaw shrugged, still pleased enough for her scratches to stop bothering her for a moment.

Slatepaw jumped a cat next to them, hissing a battlecry as she scored her now-bloody claws down the poor apprentice's side.

Lightningpaw watched as the apprentice writhed under her, begging for mercy, and turned away to find a new target.

Instead, what she found made her heart skip a beat.

 _Breezepaw._

Her mouth gaped open.

She watched him form her name, but no sound passed between them.

"Um," she said eloquently.

His green eyes jolted into hers, wonderfully intrusive, a distinct feeling of her fur being peeled away until her soul was bared to his view.

 _I can't fight him._ The thought felt so obvious. _Never. I could never._

And then the world was spinning, end over end. Or was it just her? _Definitely just me._ She realized as she was pinned against the stones by a fluffed-up she-cat whose amber eyes blazed with fury.

"No!" Lightningpaw choked out, but she was at the mercy of Darkpaw. _What if she kills me this time? I never even got to say good bye…_

Then her chest was freed from Darkpaw's claws as a golden angel drove her away. Darkpaw was knocked down and Lightningpaw stumbled to her paws, pain renewed a thousand times over.

"Darkpaw, what are you doing?" Breezepaw's furious voice soothed her, the pain receding.

"She was attacking you!" The tiny she-cat defended herself hotly.

 _I was not!_ Anger rose in Lightningpaw like a flooded river, and the clearing fell into shadow as a dark cloud crossed the sun.

"Thanks, I guess…" to Lightningpaw's gratification, he sounded woefully insincere.

Taking advantage of Darkpaw's distraction, she bolted. Terror spiked her fur at the thought of the tiny tortoise-shell's blazing amber eyes as her reddened-claws dug deeper and deeper, harder and harder…

Brushing the thoughts off, Lightningpaw launched back into battle, but soon her attention was drawn away by the sudden howling shriek of pain. No, more than pain. The shriek of death.

 _Some cat is dying…_ she realized, not wasting another moment.

Lightningpaw dashed away, heading for the source of the sound. She bypassed an unfortunate amount of still bodies, but she averted her eyes, too scared to see Owlclaw or Blackpool or Rainwater, or StarClan forbid, one of her sisters.

Eventually, she reached the origin of the awful cry and took a moment to process the scene before her.

 _Thornstar._ The single spotting of the thickly muscled ThunderClan leader was enough to send a bolt of pure loathing through her, blazing into her bones. He convulsed beneath Ivystar and Snowstar as Spottedstar grimly watched, her claws still out and spread, but dripping scarlet and hanging guiltily. _Spottedstar just murdered Thornstar while Ivystar and Snowstar held him down._ A whirlwind of emotion crashed onto her. _Thornstar deserves to die… but now who's the ThunderClan leader? Shadefur? I guess it's Shadestar, now?_

But just as it had been ten heartbeats of Thornstar's body hanging limply, he returned to consciousness and threw Snowstar off. The huge white tom immediately pounced back onto the other leader and shoved his shoulder into the ground with more force than necessary to hold him there, eliciting a squeal of pain from the golden-brown tom.

 _They're killing him._ Emotion left her, leaving an ice-cold husk with only the barest hint of satisfaction warming the tips of her blood-slicked fur. _Good. Let him die and fade away, no cat left to remember him._

Ivystar and Spottedstar switched and Ivystar wasted no time in flexing her long, slender claws out and ripping them brutally across Thornstar's rapidly bobbing throat. It wasn't clean. It wasn't pretty.

But it was over.

Thornstar howled with the strength to shake the ground, but it was cut off with an awful, wet gurgling sound as he collapsed, all muscles relaxing and his face, twisted in fury, slackened to a peaceful expression.

A strange sense of peace flooded over Lightningpaw, her wounds ceased to screech for her attention for a moment.

"Thank you." She breathed, not loud enough for the leaders to hear her, but they turned to her anyways, a blank look in their eyes.

Breathing deeply, rallying her strength, she howled, "It's over! The battle is over! Long live Shadestar!"

Silence fell over the clearing, as though some greater power had frozen them all in ice. Then her sisters took up the cry, relief ripping their voices to hoarse cries. "Long live Shadestar! The battle is over!"

"Long live Shadestar!" The ThunderClanners called.

The gray tom in question staggered forwards to bow to the other three leaders.

"I apologize for this fight," he murmured submissively, his features hard but his voice sincere. "Thornstar made choices I did not agree with, and I hope in the future ThunderClan may work with the other Clans to resolve arguments in a civil manner without resorting to brute force."

Snowstar nodded approvingly, but Ivystar and Spottedstar exchanged uneasy looks until the latter spoke up, saying, "We accept the apology. None of us wanted this battle."

"I- I say these words before the body of Thornstar that he may hear and approve of my choice," Shadefur- _star_ murmured, his voice unsure for the first time that Lightningpaw had ever heard. "R- Redflower will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."

"RiverClan will give you all until sunhigh of tomorrow to clear your dead," Snowstar murmured somberly, casting a significant look around at the corpses.

Lightningpaw felt her heart leap into her throat as she surveyed the bodies, dearly wishing none of them were ThunderClanners despite her best sense knowing it was not true.

A tail on her shoulder made her turn. Golden fur and green eyes made her heart skip a beat, but she quickly noted the long fur and darker green shade and realized it was Honeythorn. Fear rose in her; the deputy couldn't be happy about how she had injured her.

"You fought well young one. What is your name?" Honeythorn asked, an odd gentleness in her voice.

"L- Light-" her voice shook so hard she had to pause to drag in a breath and start again. "Lightningpaw, ma'am."

"I wouldn't be surprised to see you as deputy one day," the deputy nodded to her as she might an equal.

Lightningpaw's heart stopped beating for a few moments. _Deputy! She thinks I'd make a deputy!_ It was all she could do to restrain a squeal.

"Th- thank you!" She couldn't think of anything else to say, so she turned and ran, her heart pounding.

Suddenly, her attention was drawn away by a pained howl.

" _Oatpad_!" It was too familiar, too hurt…

 _Breezepaw…_ Lightningpaw rushed towards the sound.

"You- you can't leave me, I'm not ready…" his voice was so hoarse and raw, Lightningpaw almost crumpled under the pain of hearing it. "Please… No! No!"

She rushed to his side, and saw what it was that made him cry out like that. A sodden bundle of fur gleamed on the bottom of the river. The cat was faintly familiar to Lightningpaw, but obviously very important to Breezepaw. Her heart ached for him.

"No…" he murmured, a paw stretching out to the surface of the water, a wave sloshing to meet it.

Not saying a word, Lightningpaw stretched her tail to twist around his. He turned to her, his eyes liquid and tears spilling over them. "She's dead…"

"I'm sorry," Lightningpaw breathed, resting her head on his shoulder.

But she couldn't bring herself to be _that_ sorry, not when she was this close to him and she didn't really know the cat that had died anyways. She was so caught up that she didn't even notice one last detail as the cats of the Clans dragged their dead out of the clearing and shared tongues with them one last time.

A cat slipped out of the water of the river, sleek white fur gleaming like bone. She shook her fur out, water spraying across the blood-slicked pebbles. A self-satisfied smile twisted across her face, more than a hint of malice in her emerald-green eyes.

The cat sent one last satisfied grin to the bottom of the river, at the bundle of creamy-brown fur, and delicately stepped over the corpses to exit the clearing, heading for the RiverClan camp.

"I'm sorry, Breezepaw," Lightningpaw murmured, breathing in his comforting scent as he buried his face in her fur, letting out a broken sob.

"She- she was the only family I had…" his shoulders shook with the force of his sobs. "And now she's gone!"

"Your mother?" She asked softly.

He nodded silently, letting out another gasping cry of anguish.

She groomed him silently, letting him cry as she went, cleaning up his wounds and ruffled fur.

When she was done, he looked at her as though seeing her for the first time. His muzzle and cheeks were stained dark gold with tears and his green eyes were still brimming with unshed ones.

"She wasn't a good mother," he said softly, his voice raw. "She pressed me to ambition, didn't accept failure, thought anything less than perfection was unacceptable… so why am I crying?"

She couldn't answer him.

The tears spilled down faster as his howling rose in pitch and volume. "Why does it hurt like this? _Why does it hurt_?"

Breezepaw collapsed to the river's edge, sides heaving as he drew in choppy breaths between ragged sobs.

Unbidden, tears pooled in her own eyes and her nose stung, a sure sign she was about to begin blubbering as well. "I don't- I don't know. I'm so sorry, Breezepaw. I'm so, so sorry."

And there they sat.

Two broken cats, dropping salty tears into the splashing river that ate them greedily, their hearts bare and honest.

 ***Drops microphone***

 **~Pondfrost**


	48. Breeze: Broken Ties and Broken Hearts

**Suppedy sup my dudles**

 **RR:**

 **Lazy Starrysong: Ah, did LightningXBreeze ever go away? And c'mon, I mean sure, Darkpaw got carried away… but… yeah okay, that was pretty out of line.**

 **More hugs to all the reviewers. Sorry that I haven't been able to get back to all of you, I've been really busy.**

 **This whole chapter is basically an angst fest with hints and leads dropped in here and there. Heart-tearing ahead, you have been warned. I may or may not be cleaning the tears off my keyboard as we speak.**

 **Let's get this started!**

Chapter 46.

Breezepaw felt his mouth gape open as he saw his mother drop down into the water.

He tried to take a deep breath, but the air felt as thick as stone.

 _She's going to drown._ The words brought a crushing swell of emotions with them. _Oatpad. Mother. Drown. Die. Mother. Mystery. Father. Family._

 _Family._

 _Death._

Choking out a cry, he threw himself into the water, but it surged upwards to meet him, throwing him back onto the bank. "NO! NO!" He shrieked, fighting against it as he was dumped back on the riverbed.

 _Please!_ He begged, but he received no answer.

His breaths came in short bursts, and he felt his chest begin to heave. He was hyperventilating, powerless to stop his mother's drowning.

"Please!" He said, his voice nothing more than a choking gasp.

As though his prayer had been answered, a red form threw itself into the water after the rapidly sinking form of Oatpad. _Who?_ It didn't matter, though. If they saved Oatpad, Breezepaw didn't care if they were from the dark forest or StarClan themselves.

As the form sank faster towards Oatpad, he realized that it wasn't red at all, but white, like a bloody snake shedding its skin. _Why?_ __Breezepaw's head felt sluggish and slow. _How did it go from red to white?_ Then it struck him.

The cat wasn't red because it had never been red, only stained. _Blood_ -stained. Ribbons of dark red spun through the crystal water as the cat dove deeper.

The cat glowed white liked a star as the last of the red leached from their pelt. _Who… who is that?_

As they went further down, Breezepaw felt dizzy and nauseous. He swallowed hard, his eyes still pinned to the sinking form. The mystery cat was nearly upon Oatpad, and hope lanced through him.

They were so far in the water that Breezepaw could barely tell what was happened, their forms nothing but murky blobs, pale and creamy. They writhed and twisted, until at last all was calm once more and the first cat shot back towards the surface. _But… Oatpad!_ His sluggish brain registered that his mother was still on the bottom of river.

Letting out a cry, he half-tripped and half-leaped into the water after her. He pitched forwards, breaking the surface and sinking like a den of stones.

He screamed, but his voice was strangled by the water. _This was a terrible idea._ Some part of him murmured wryly. _Why did I do this?_ Bubbles launched out of his mouth, flying towards the surface like he couldn't. _No. No! NO!_

He beat his paws against the water as hard as he could, the glittering water stinging his eyes. Instinctively, he curved them more and pulled harder against the cold liquid. Smooth as a fish, he cut towards the surface. Breaking it with an enormous gulp of fresh air, he tread water as he gasped in breath.

"Oatpad," he coughed, water spraying on his pelt as he heaved himself onto the shore of the river. "Someone has to help her."

"No one can help her now," a voice murmured above him, comforting and sweet.

"What- what do you mean?" He looked up, blinking the water out of his eyes to see the gleaming white cat. "She- she isn't-"

"Dead," the cat confirmed with an air of satisfied malice, their demeanor suddenly changing. "Oatpad is dead; there's nothing you can do to save her."

"That can't be true!" Breezepaw realized there was something familiar about the pure white cat as he gulped in air. "It just- it just can't!"

"Oh, I think you'll find it can," the cat smirked deeply, taking a menacing step towards him. "And now, all I have to do to correct the mistakes is dispose of you…"

"Di- dispose?" Panic overrode his senses and he stumbled backwards, a little sharpness returning to his mind.

The cat just purred maniacally, close enough that Breezepaw could see their teeth, bared in a fearsome smirk, stained red with blood.

"You killed Oatpad," he whispered, his voice deathly quiet. "Y- you killed her. You drowned her."

The cat let out a short, bursting cry of malicious laughter. "So what if I did?"

"You killed her," a note of disbelief wormed its way through his voice.

The cat took another step towards him, but he didn't feel scared. He couldn't feel scared.

He blinked silently at them. His voice shook a little, but it was neither scared nor brave. Simply spoken; emotionless. "I will kill you."

Then they were whirling over, spinning and spitting, clawing and crying. Breezepaw ripped each new slash into the white cat with no feeling but cold vengeance. _Oatpad._ A flank bite. _Oatpad._ A sharp slash across their ears. _Oatpad._ A kick in the shoulders.

None of it helped. None of it filled the emptiness.

Slowly, Breezepaw registered that he was losing the fight quickly. The cat was fully grown and sleek like a white fish, twisting and snapping faster than Breezepaw could keep his footing. This cat also had anger raging in their eyes, hot and twisted.

 _Emotions are powerful things. Without mine, I'm going to lose this fight._

But it hurt so much. Too much. He couldn't tap into the empty, sucking void of despair that was shivering, threatening to open wide and engulf him. _I can't… mother… please don't leave me…_

But there was no ghostly whisper.

No warmth of her presence.

No reassuring murmur.

Just cold, empty nothing.

His adversary fought harder, digging their claws deeper, cuffing harder, sending Breezepaw reeling. He vaguely realized that they intended to kill him, not simply beat him. Did it matter? Would he see Oatpad in StarClan? _She believed in StarClan, right? Then again, she always was telling me to focus on the present, not get caught up in the past. It would hurt my chances of being a warrior._

He dodged a death-blow, sharp and headed straight for his exposed neck.

 _Then again, dying might also hurt my chances of being a warrior._

He dodged another, waiting for some burst of spectral energy reassuring him that Oatpad was fighting with him, urging him on, or helping him. Nothing once more.

Breathing deeply, Breezepaw rolled over, letting his creamy-gold belly-fur shine into the light for a brief moment of exposure.

His enemy was so taken aback by the blatant show of defenselessness that they didn't even try to take advantage of it. Breezepaw couldn't care either way. Tear open his stomach once and for all or drag out this pointless fight even longer. It made no difference.

"Rrraragh!" A cry of anger rang over the clearing, and then the white cat was thrown away from him by a silver blur.

 _I know that cat._ Amusement coloured the detached voice. _That's Wavepaw._

The memory of the Gathering rushed back to him, Wavepaw's uncertain smile as they confessed their troubles. Breezepaw's lack of a father, Wavepaw's hatred of his. _He saved me._

He staggered to his feet, numb to his screeching injuries.

His backleg was on fire; probably broken. He felt a trickling on his side. He glanced over and saw a gaping, red slice. _Well that's not very pretty, is it?_ Blood oozed out far too quickly. He felt dizzy. _That would be the bloodloss._

His mouth felt dry; his body felt broken. Scratch that, _he_ felt broken.

"Are you alright?" Wavepaw grunted, looking back at him with the same unsure blue eyes.

"Only a little bit dead," Breezepaw waved his paw and then winced as fire blasted through him once more. "Think I'm gonna have a little lie downsies."

He collapsed in a ragged heap, and then the barrier shattered and he caught sight of his mother's corpse, nothing but a creamy splotch somewhere far below the water.

 _This is all wrong._ He cried out in his mind, coughing and crying and blood splattering out of his mouth onto the wet grass. _Wrong. She's not… dead. She can't be._

A sob rose in his throat, but he cut it off before it could come out. _No… crying means it's true. Crying means she's dead. She's dead. Crying makes it true. It's not true. I can't- it-_

It broke free, tearing out of his with an awful, raw howl. "Oatpad! ….mom…. don't… leave. Please… I need you… you can't be gone just yet…"

 _"My little warrior,"_ _Oatpad's warm green eyes regarded him with a shimmer of pride in them. "You're the best thing that's ever come from a mess like me…"_

 _Breezekit mewled, nestling into his mother's warmth, but then she was cold, a ragged, lifeless heap._

 _The kit wailed._

 _"You're going to leave a print on this world that will never fade," Oatpad told him proudly, licking down a tuft of fur that was sticking up on his head._

 _"Get off, mom," Breezekit dodged her grooming, but purposefully put himself back in the path of her insistent fixing._

 _But she was gone, lifeless green eyes staring off into the distance._

 _Breezekit crouched down, trying to catch her eyes, but she was gone._

 _Gone._

 _"If he had known you, he would have loved you," Oatpad murmured, curling tighter around him._

 _"My… my father?" Breezekit asked unsurely._

 _"Mmm," Oatpad replied, resting her head on his._

 _He rumbled a purr, happy to be in her good graces, her warmth comforting._

 _But then she was cold, icy like the river water._

 _Icy like death._

 _Her fur was wet, matted, and cold._

 _Dead._

 _"Mom?" Breezekit muttered, fear racing through his heart at her stillness. "Mom?!"_

 _"Good-bye, my sweet kit. You'll do great things one day, I'm just sorry I couldn't be there for it," Oatpad hushed him with a flick of her tail. "I love you, Breezekit."_

 _Breezekit stretched up to touch his nose with hers, but she suddenly stiffened like she'd been struck with lightning._

 _"Mummy?" He whispered, scared._

 _Her mouth gaped open, but all that escaped was bright bubbles, shimmering and dancing, and then her eyes went blank._

 _"Please don't leave me," Breezekit's eyes were green and wide, terrified. "Please mom, I still need you! I'm not ready! Please!"_

And then she was dead.

Breezepaw threw his head back, a howl ripping free of him, shaking him to the bone. Oatpad's eyes burned behind his, but every time he opened his, they disappeared.

"Please don't leave! Mom!" His body shook with the force of his catalytic sobs. "Please… please…"

Then there were no more words left in him and all he could do was shake and cry and drop to his paws and break.

" _Oatpad!_ " Unbidden, the name rose out of him like a warcry.

But what war? There was nothing he could do. No battle he could win, no war to plan for, that would bring her back. She was gone.

"You- you can't leave me, I'm not ready…" the rawness in his own voice brought him even closer to the edge of despair. "Please… No! _No_!"

His vision cleared of tears as they sloshed out of his eyes enough for him to see his mother's dead form once again.

"No…" he breathed, a paw stretching out to touch the image of her body on the surface, and the water splashed up to soak his paw.

He was numb; he couldn't feel the water. He felt a cat approach him.

He turned, painfully slow, and he looked right into her sun-eyes.

"She's dead…"

The word was so empty and hollow. Not wide enough to contain all that was Oatpad, her spirit and energy, her fierce loyalty and determination… but it was all gone…

He tried to swallow, but his throat and mouth felt like they had been molded out of sand.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, her tail snaking around his like a noose.

Her head was resting on his shoulder. He would have jumped into the lake for a moment like this days ago. Now everything had spun so wildly out of control and it didn't matter.

His mouth formed the words _I don't want her to leave me._ But there was no voice left in his chest, only pounding, stinging, frozen pain. He gasped in a breath that felt like hot coals. More words formed inside him, banging against his ribcage like trapped birds.

It felt like he was being torn out from the inside.

"I'm sorry, Breezepaw," Lightningpaw repeated.

He swallowed hard, feeling like branches were forcing themselves down his throat.

"She- she was the only family I had left…" he found his voice, hoarse and raw. "And now she's gone!"

"Your mother?" She posed the question softly, lightly.

It crushed down upon him with the weight of the moon.

He nodded mutely, his lungs too squeezed to respond. Another broken sob heaved out of him.

His skin was so numb and cold he didn't realized until she reached his cheek that she was grooming him, softly and silently cleaning him up, taking care around the worst of his wounds.

When she was done, he finally looked straight at her.

Saw her for who she was.

 _All this time…_ a hint of wonder dropped into the desperate emptiness. His precious collection of little memories of her spiralled through his mind, then shimmered once and changed. They weren't as shiny, as perfect. Rough around the edges, imperfect and awkward. Real.

Real.

She was real. She wasn't a fairy-cat, she wasn't some kind of StarClan-created perfection. She was just… Lightningpaw. But that was okay. He thought it was okay.

Not amazing. Not brilliant. Not incredible. Okay.

Okay. His mouth tasted the word.

"She wasn't a good mother," he said softly, the truth spilling out of him faster than the tears had not long ago. "She pressed me to ambition, didn't accept failure, thought anything less than _perfection_ was unacceptable… so why am I crying?"

His mouth held the word, _perfection_ , for one more moment, before releasing it. Fluffy infatuation was nice to languish in. But when true tragedy struck, the real bonds were tested. Tears slipped over his lashes, pouring down his just-cleaned cheeks.

He was tired. Tired of crying. Tired of hurting. But that didn't make it hurt any less. He let out a ragged, choked cry, and it only grew, monstrous and all-encompassing, until he was howling.

"Why does it hurt like this?! _Why does it hurt?!_ " His legs finally gave way and he collapsed onto the stones.

One dug painfully into an open wound.

He took no notice of it, heaving sobs breaking out of him anyways.

"I don't- I don't know. I'm so sorry, Breezepaw… I'm so, so sorry."

His sobs turned into occasional mewls, then to choking silence.

"S- sometimes…" Lightningpaw's voice shook so hard she had to take a moment to gather herself. "Sometimes… we never know who we care about most until we lose them."

Breezepaw silently took the words, wrapping them around his heart like armour, the protection comforting.

 _Not enough. Not enough. Never enough._ It felt like it would never be enough. No matter how many tears he shed, no matter how many new bonds he forged, Oatpad was lost forever.

 _Forever._

It was a horrible, condemning word.

It left no room for hope.

No room for wishes.

He couldn't even pretend. No magical pretense that Oatpad was still alive. Anger rose within him.

"It's not fair!" He growled, pain pressed down by fury. "It's not _damn_ fair! Oatpad was still young; she wasn't supposed to die!"

Rage boiled, burning up all the tears and agony. Burning him up.

"She- she wasn't supposed to die…" and as quickly as it came, it was gone again. "It's- it's just not fair…"

Lightningpaw pressed closer to him, but her warmth wasn't enough to stifle the anguish. Never enough.

He heaved in a shaking breath. "I- I know I- I can't stay here. Not like this… I have to go back to my Clan. I have to be okay again. Will I ever be okay again?"

He turned to Lightningpaw, searching her eyes for an answer, and found nothing.

He took another shivering breath. _Maybe not…_ Oatpad's comforting words rose in his mind. _My little warrior. You're the best thing that's ever come of a mess like me. You're going to leave a print on this world that will never fade. If he had known you, he would have loved you. Good-bye, my sweet kit. You're going to do great things one day, I'm just sorry I couldn't be there for it._

He drew another shaking breath. _Good-bye, mother._

 _Good-bye._ His throat bobbed as he let more tears trickle down. He could feel his wounds begin to clot, aching like his whole body was stiff and crumbling. The battle was over, he realized. Cats crouched beside slumped bodies, their quiet sobs running together in one song of sorrow.

 _We've all lost something…_ Breezepaw thought. His eyes drifted over to where a hunched golden-brown form lay, no cat grieving beside them. He squinted, trying to figure who it was.

 _Thornstar. ThunderClan leader. The reason for this whole awful fight in the first place._ Anger at the body rose inside him. _Oatpad might still be alive if it weren't for him_.

 _But he's dead. He's already dead…_ fury blasted through him. _There's no revenge to be had, he's dead!_

His legs shook, and his fur rose, hissing and spitting at the dead body.

"Breezepaw," Lightningpaw's insistent voice calmed him for a moment and he turned back to her.

"Yeah?" He murmured, heart pounding faster than ever at the force of his anger.

"You're gonna be okay," she murmured. "You're gonna be okay."

A different kind of anger panged through him. "How can it be okay? Oatpad's never going to be alive again! _Never_! You don't- you don't know how it feels!"

"To lose a mother?" Her eyes darkened. "I think I do."

His mouth gaped open. "Your mother is dead?"

He winced at his own insensitivity, and peeked up at her through half-closed eyes.

"Thornstar," Lightningpaw's mew was as empty as he felt. "Thornstar forced her to be his mate and then forced her to have his kits. She died during kitting."

Breezepaw's heart squeezed at her broken tone. "I'm so sorry…"

"I reckon you've heard that enough to know that it doesn't help," Lightningpaw sighed, looking into the distance at something he couldn't see. "Sorry won't bring her back."

Breezepaw let her drop her head into his shoulder as a fresh wave of sobs broke across her. He held perfectly still, too scared to anger or offend her to even enjoy their proximity.

"This-" Lightningpaw drew away, her voice a panicked mutter. "This is all wrong. I'm not supposed to- WindClan- Thornstar- Fawnshade-"

"Shh, shh, it's okay," he tried to comfort her, but his voice was hollow.

"It's not," she murmured. "I don't know if it ever will be."

And there they sat, both still shaking with unvoiced anguish, together and so very alone.

…

As the sun began to set, Breezepaw vaguely recalled Snowstar declaring that the Clans had until sunrise to clear their dead. _Oatpad won't even get a proper ritual… she's just going to float at the bottom of the river forever…_ His heart throbbed.

"I'd- I'd better go," he sighed heavily, his voice shaking a little.

She nodded, pressing her lips together to stifle what he guessed was a sob. Her eyes were pleading, but her voice resigned as she said, "Me too."

He nodded back, and slunk away, his tail dropping to drag along the ground. His mouth tasted dry and pasty, like he'd just woken up. Oh, how he wished he had just woken up. It would mean it was only a bad dream, that Oatpad was still alive and healthy, ready to demand what he'd learned that day. _But no…_ He paused, looking up at the dark sky where stars twinkled.

At the end of every fable the elders had told him as a kit, the brave main character would lose someone close to them, and they would see a bright new star, promising that the lost cat was now relaxing in StarClan.

But the stars looked like they were no more than cold points of light, glimmering hopelessly.

He sighed heavily and looked down again. The whole land was unfamiliar and cast in shadows, but his paws knew the way instinctively as he left the camp, heading for the WindClan border.

Oatpad's face floated before him, but he cast it aside, not wanting to dwell on the feelings. It was like having an enormous, rotting wound. There was nothing he could do to force himself to heal faster; the best he could do was pretend it wasn't there until it hurt less.

Just as he was about to reach the patch of swamp, a tail landed on his shoulder lightly. He turned; it was Darkpaw.

"Hey," she said softly. "I heard about what happened to… to your mother."

Breezepaw nodded shakily, pressing down more tears.

"I… I just wanted to say… I know how you feel," Darkpaw murmured, her dark amber eyes shining earnestly. "My mother died when I was kitted, and… and I've had nightmares about her ever since…"

"I'm sorry," he murmured hollowly, hating the words, wanting to drown them in the river like Oatpad had. They were so useless, so pointless. It didn't help. It didn't bring them back.

"Me too," Darkpaw murmured, then turned back to him with an almost startled expression. "I've never told anyone that… I…"

Breezepaw twined his tail with hers silently. There was so much pain between him, Darkpaw, and Lightningpaw. They couldn't support each other when they had so much to deal with alone, but they couldn't understand each other without having gone through the same or a smilar experience.

The paradox of their situations made him want to claw out some cat's face, but unfortunately any opportunity for that was long-gone.

 _Why do we fight?_ He thought desperately. _Why do we cause such heartache? Over what? Some accusation that RiverClan was trespassing? How did it escalate into this bloody fight? So much lost… for so little._

His heart ached remembering the heartbroken, helpless, shocked expressions of cats from all the Clans as they watched those closest to them stumble and fall, never to stand again.

Suddenly feeling nauseous, he pushed back the memory and set a block firmly over the memory. _Don't think about it._

"I'll see you around," he murmured hopelessly, turning away from the tiny tortoise-shell and white she-cat. She opened her jaws as if to say something more, but then closed them again as though she thought better of it.

Her eyes swimming with pain, all she said was, "Bye, then, Breezepaw…"

Breezepaw had almost reached the WindClan border when he heard a cat cry out behind him.

"Wait! Wait, Breezepaw," Wavepaw's familiar voice reached him easily over the night's silence.

"What," he growled, turning to scowl at the tom.

Wavepaw's eyes widened at little at his tone. "I- sorry, I- um… I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about your mother… and I wish I'd known her better before she died. She- er- she seemed like a very nice cat."

"I mean, she wasn't, but whatever," Breezepaw muttered vindictively, then raised his voice so Wavepaw could hear. "Look, just go, alright? The battle's over, WindClan and RiverClan are supposed to be enemies."

"Not enemies," Wavepaw defended himself. "Just- you know, not exactly friends. But fine, mope alone, see if I care!"

The silver tom whipped around and stormed off.

 _He was only trying to help._ A voice murmured.

 _Do I look like I care?_ Breezepaw snapped, stalking back into his own territory.

…

When he arrived back at camp, the mood was at best described as somber.

The news of Oatpad's death had spread like wildfire, and the whole camp cast sad, anguished looks at Breezepaw. He hated it, every glance sent lancing pain through his heart, just another painful reminder that Oatpad was dead.

"Breezepaw, thank StarClan you're back," Palepaw dashed up to him, a strangled note in her voice. "I thought… I thought you maybe-"

"I'm alive," he muttered.

"I heard about Oatpad," her eyes filled with that same sadness, that same empty helplessness.

"Hasn't everybody," he hissed softly, pushing past her.

"Wait, Breezepaw…" Palepaw hesitated, then spoke softly. "Rabbitpaw… he…"

"Rabbitpaw's dead?" Breezepaw stiffened, turning to her.

"No- no- he just, he's really badly injured," now her pale green eyes blossomed with real pain, the agony of not knowing if your loved one was really going to be okay. "The medicine cats are working as hard as they can… but they might not be able to save his tail. They- they said they might have to sever it."

"Sever- as in, cut if off?" Breezepaw gaped.

"Yeah… it's better than hoping that his tail will heal. It's already infected, they want to do it as soon as possible…" Palepaw swallowed hard, her throat bobbing. "He's going to be unconscious for a while afterwards. They said they wanted to make him sleep through it. I- I was wondering if you wanted to visit him before."

He opened his jaws to refuse. He'd seen enough suffering, enough pain, he didn't want to see the most happy-go-lucky, innocent, cheerful tom he knew in such deep pain.

"I-" Breezepaw broke off as he saw the helpless look in Palepaw's eyes. She didn't want to go alone. "I'll come."

She nodded gratefully, turning her paws towards the medicine den. They walked slowly and somberly, as though it was a funeral march.

"Breezepaw?" Morningpoppy poked her head out of the den.

Then he felt his heart finally collapse. The sweet, optimistic, contstantly cheerful medicine cat, with a dark and uncertain expression scrawled on her face was one thing he had hoped he'd never have to see.

He swallowed hard. "How is he?"

His voice was nothing but a strangled whisper, yet Morningpoppy still heard him.

"He's- well- he's going to be alright," she said finally. "Losing a tail isn't the worst that could happen."

Breezepaw nodded stiffly, ducking into the den after Palepaw. It was shaded, but Breezepaw could still see Rabbitpaw's hunched form. Beside the brown and white patched tom lay another slumped form that shifted weakly and murmured something pained.

"P- Palepaw? Is that you?" Rabbitpaw lifted his head, blinking blearily.

"Yeah, yeah, save your strength," his sister murmured, her voice wavering as she touched her muzzle to his. "You're going to be fine, you're going to be totally fine."

It sounded as though she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to reassure Rabbitpaw.

"Don't I know it," Rabbitpaw grumbled comically. "Like I haven't heard her say it about three hundred times already."

Out of habit, he flicked his tail towards Morningpoppy. His face suddenly contorted with pain and he collapsed back into the nest with a low keening sound.

"Rabbitpaw!" Palepaw squealed fearfully, hopping towards him.

"Out, out," Littlepaw said forcefully, shooing them out of the den. "It's kinder for us to do it now. You- you probably shouldn't be there for it."

Breezepaw caught the tom's eye and they nodded to each other. Breezepaw laid his tail across Palepaw's heaving shoulders and gently led her out of the den. Her chest heaved and her eyes were wild. "Shh, shh, it's alright, it's alright." He comforted her quickly.

"But- he- did you-" Palepaw's words were scrambled as she pushed against Breezepaw, trying to get back to her brother.

"Palepaw, _no_ ," he cried, blocking her path. "Being there for it is only going to make it worse, you've gotta stay here. Come on, let's find something to eat. Morningpoppy will be along to treat the worst of your injuries after she's done with Rabbitpaw."

"I don't want prey! I don't want my injuries treated! I _want_ to see _Rabbitpaw_!" Palepaw growled, fighting harder.

The last of his thin strand of patience, snapped, and he suddenly swelled up to his full size and Palepaw cowered beneath him.

"And _I_ want to see Oatpad!" He roared. "But we don't always get what we want, _do we_? Now _come on_ , we're going to get some prey!"

Palepaw sniffled pathetically, and Breezepaw deflated. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay? I just- at least Rabbitpaw's gonna heal. You'll see him again soon, but right now the medicine cats have to take care of him."

She nodded, allowing Breezepaw to lead her to the fresh-kill pile and chose a skinny rabbit.

"I'm sorry too. I'm being terribly insensitive, you just lost your mother, and Rabbitpaw's only lost his tail…" she hunched over her meal. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"I'm sorry for losing my temper," he whispered. "And I'm sorry about Rabbitpaw."

She pressed herself against Breezepaw, her own wounds sticky against his fur. Normally, he would have drawn back and muttered something about going on patrol or needing to make dirt, but this time he just let her be.

"It's done," Morningpoppy emerged from the den heartbeats later.

"That was fast!" Palepaw jumped to her feet.

"Littlepaw's taking care of him. He's going to make a great medicine cat, he's so attentive," the medicine cat glanced affectionately over her shoulder. "Rabbitpaw is in good paws. The only thing Littlepaw could work on is his attitude, I mean _honestly_ , thinking every cat with a little scratch is going straight to StarClan."

Breezepaw snorted with laughter despite himself.

Morningpoppy sent him an appreciative look, actual sympathy in her eyes, so different from the saccharine comfort he had come to expect from her, or the fake sorrow that was in the eyes of all of his Clanmates. He sent her a little smile in return.

"But it won't matter to Rabbitpaw," Palepaw asked anxiously. "Because he's unconscious, right?"

"That's right," Morningpoppy confirmed. "He'll be waking up around sundown at the end of the day."

"Sundown?" Palepaw gasped.

"We had to use a lot of poppyseeds," Morningpoppy reassured her. "We didn't want him to wake up when we, you know, did it. It's kinder anyways, he shouldn't be awake until it's at least starting to heal. We've got marigold, cobweb, and burdock on it. We'll give him some thyme when he wakes up and keep him on poppyseeds at night until he's healing properly."

Palepaw nodded mutely, her green eyes still worried.

"Anyways, I wanted to check on you two to make sure you're alright after the battle," Morningpoppy drew back her paws to reveal a large bundle of herbs. "Do you want thyme? It will help with the shock. I often use it for apprentices' first battles."

Palepaw shook her head, but Breezepaw contemplated the offer for a moment. _If it will make things hurt less…_ "Yes please."

She pawed over a few sprigs with tiny, green leaves. Breezepaw bent and lapped them up. As Morningpoppy continued, he felt a pleasant, numbing feeling settle over his thoughts and feelings.

"Now, Breezepaw, looks like you're going to need some marigold for that scratch on your side, but let's not take any chances, we have a fair supply of the stuff, so I'm going to put some on all of it."

He nodded carelessly, sinking into what felt like warm, fluffy snow. The anguish and sorrow of the battle seemed a long way away.

"How about you, Palepaw? Where are your injuries?" Morningpoppy asked as she busied herself pressing poultice into Breezepaw's aching gashes. The juice stung, but he gritted his teeth and bore it.

"Mostly on my side," Palepaw murmured. "Some of those ThunderClanners were just plain vicious."

At the same time as a certain golden-eyed ThunderClan she-cat appeared in his mind, he wondered which of them had been brutal enough to mangle Rabbitpaw's tail like that. The idea of some hulking shadowed cat snapping their teeth into poor Rabbitpaw as he writhed and shrieked for mercy… Breezepaw shied away from the thoughts, the thyme carrying him far away from them.

"Well, that should do it," Morningpoppy said finally, giving Palepaw a comforting lick on the ear. "I'll keep you updated about Rabbitpaw. Remember, if you ever need any cat to talk to, my den is always a place every cat will be welcome."

Palepaw nodded weakly, her pale eyes watery with fear for her brother.

"We've all lost something in this battle," Morningpoppy finished, looking over to Breezepaw empathetically. He nodded as well.

As Morningpoppy trailed away from them to find more wounds to treat, Palepaw looked over to him and murmured,

"You saw that other cat in the den? It was Sunnyfur…"

"Her brother," Breezepaw filled in, realizing. "And she carries on with her duties like nothing's happened?!"

"Like nothing's happened?" Palepaw snorted, a hint of an edge in her voice. "Didn't you see the pain in her eyes? The stiffness of her movements? The worry in her voice?"

Breezepaw's eyes rounded a little. "Uh, yeah, yeah of course."

Her disbelieving eyes told him all he needed to know about her reception of that statement. _Poor Morningpoppy. The cat in the den looked really badly hurt. I hope he makes it through._

"Hey," a soft, down-trodden voice sounded nearby.

Breezepaw looked up, not recognizing the voice. It was Scarletpaw. She sounded disheartened and different from her normal enthusiastic and confident attitude.

"Hey," Palepaw responded, exhaustion overriding the regular coolness in her voice when she addressed the reddish-brown former rogue.

"Just wanted to make sure y'all were okay after the battle," Scarletpaw murmured, her gold eyes almost guilty looking.

"Yeah, we're fine," Breezepaw nodded casually, but he felt a pang of curiosity as to why she looked like she'd made a grave mistake and was hoping no cat had noticed.

"Thanks," Palepaw added, but her voice was devoid of any sweetness or gentility.

Scarletpaw shifted uneasily on her paws. "I- that was my first battle with the Clans… they fight… honorably."

Breezepaw tilted his head in confusion, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Some big she-cat from ThunderingClan or wherever pinned me and I thought I was a goner, she had my throat all exposed an' everything, but she just threw me aside…" There was a note of what seemed to be wonder in Scarletpaw's voice.

"A warrior does not have to kill to win their battles," Palepaw recited monotonously, the faintest hint of disdain in her voice clearly illustrating her belief that the former rogue should have known.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I just didn't really expect all that, 'cause with the Ord- old um, group, they believe killin' gives you the strength of the foe, or something, I never really- " Scarletpaw's quick explanation was cut off abruptly.

"Clanmates! Gather beneath the highledge. I have something important to do!" Spottedstar's weary and haunted voice rocked the clearing.

Groaning, Breezepaw hauled himself to his paws and walked carefully to the highledge, making sure he didn't dislodge his careful wrappings. He could feel the thyme beginning to wear off, a sucking void opening in him slowly.

"Leopardpaw," she began, exhaustion dragging at her voice, but she powered forwards, "and Larkfeather, please come forwards."

The two she-cats, sending startled looks to each other, strode forwards and hopped up onto the rock beside Spottedstar.

"Larkfeather, has Leopardpaw learned all that she needs to become a full warrior of WindClan?" Spottedstar's voice grew in strength.

"Yes," Larkfeather nodded strongly. "She has."

Leopardpaw's eyes were suddenly brimming with pride. Breezepaw looked up at her in wonder. She was becoming a warrior! The smart, kind, quick-thinking she-cat that had been like a sister to him, was becoming a warrior!

"I, Spottedstar, leader of WindClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and fought like an entire patrol on her own in this battle. I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Leopardpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Leopardpaw's words shook, but her eyes were firm.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name," Spottedstar spoke surely now, as though she had waited a long time to do what she was about to do. "Leopardpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Leopardheart. StarClan honors your thoughtfulness and spirit, and welcomes you as a full warrior of WindClan."

Breezepaw's mouth gaped open as she finished the ceremony.

 _I've lost so much… my mother, the last of my family, is dead now. But… now Leopardheart is a warrior. The first of us… my own ceremony can't be far off._

And for the first time that day, he was certain that somewhere, perhaps in StarClan or somewhere else entirely, Oatpad was watching him. Feeling a broad grin stretch across his face, he opened his jaws to let his voice join the joyful cries of his Clanmates.

"Leopardheart! Leopardheart!"

 **Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee end.**

 **:D.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	49. Wave: Clouded Minds

Chapter 47.

Wavepaw stared in shock at Creampelt for several more moments.

 _Why would Cloudfall do this? She's not_ evil _, she's not a killer…_ Terror rushed through him. _She… she wouldn't…_

 _She_ did _,_ Pondfrost snapped unsympathetically. _It's up to you to figure out why._

His mind rushed, flipping through the possibilities, motives for his mother murdering her sister in cold blood, but came up empty-pawed.

 _Look out!_ Pondfrost suddenly screeched, and he was thrown sideways by a vicious attack from a snarling ginger and white she-cat. "Yowch!" He yelped, but quickly whipped back onto his paws and counterattacked, sending the hefty she-cat reeling with a slamming blow to her muzzle.

He leapt after her, his broad shoulders crashing into her thickly muscled ones. She bared her teeth in a fearsome snarl, and Wavepaw shrunk away, before gathering his frayed courage and slashing hard across her side.

They tussled, his enemy's longer legs giving her the advantage as she pummelled the breath right out of him. "Oof!" he gasped, before retaliating with a long slice across her belly.

The she-cat shrieked out in pain and Wavepaw felt a stab of satisfaction. Suddenly, another cat appeared beside him, fighting just as hard.

"Cinnamonpaw," he puffed, raking in a breath.

The russet she-cat gave him an amused look as she pounced on the ThunderClan she-cat, mercilessly scoring her claws down her ginger and white belly. She was about to deal the final blow to her neck, when Wavepaw stopped her, shocked.

"Clan cats don't kill!" He snapped, batting her strike out of the way of its target. "She's beaten, let her go."

Cinnamonpaw's golden eyes burned into his, a challenge, when she relented and released him. "Fine."

Wavepaw slipped away from the russet and brown she-cat, in search of a new target.

Suddenly, he whipped around when he heard a familiar voice shriek in pain.

 _Lightningpaw._

White-hot rage at whichever cat had made her scream like that blasted through him, incinerating every thought and impulse except the irrepressible urge to gut her attacker.

He vaguely realized upon a teeth-shattering impact that he had just shot across the clearing to drive his shoulder into the gray shape tussling with the ThunderClan apprentice.

The crunching weight of his body-slam sent the lean gray she-cat and ShadowClan tom flying into the reeds. The protective urge still kept him ready to spring after them and fillet them, but he had to make sure Lightningpaw was alright.

Relaxing his stiff-legged stance, he ducked a shoulder underneath her to help her up. His delight at the contact faded as she coughed out a weak, "Th- thank you."

"Stay out of trouble," he grunted, unable to meet her eyes. "You could get hurt."

"That's the point of the battle!" She rounded on him.

 _The point? The point is to obliterate anyone who dares lay a claw on this perfect cat,_ something growled inside him.

"I have to fight for my Clan!" She snapped, pouncing on him with sudden vigor.

Pressing down every other thought, he swatted her aside as delicately as he could.

Narrowing her eyes, she shot beneath him and arched her back. He countered it the way Fallowspots had taught him, arching in sync with her so she only reached his belly-fur, then rolled off and out of reach.

"Come on, go fight someone else," he looked anxiously around the clearing, hoping no cat was seeing him refuse to injure a cat that was supposed to be the enemy. "You can't hurt me, and I can't hurt you."

"Why not?" She demanded, thrusting her muzzle close to his. "You could hurt me if you wanted to!"

Fighting the desire to press his muzzle forth to touch noses with her, twine his tail with hers, and escape this bloody battle to be together, Wavepaw met her eyes, feeling all his suppressed feelings rise in a raging battle.

"I could never hurt you," he breathed.

Then like the little mouse he was, he turned tail and jumped back into battle.

…

Even as he slashed and spun and dealt staggering blows to every flank, haunch, and muzzle belonging to a ThunderClan cat, he couldn't keep his mind off of Lightningpaw or Creampelt's limp corpse. Every time he spotted a white pelt, he thought of Cloudfall and the thick, creamy fur caught between her lethal claws, the blood splattered across her snowy white pelt, and her stained fangs baring in a horrifying, unhinged grin.

He ripped a blow across a heavily injured gray tom who had bloody patches of fur hanging off of him. The tom reared up with a horrible growl and Wavepaw caught a glimpse of his bloodied, torn up stomach and the image of Creampelt rose again in his mind, making bile rise in his throat as the dark-smoke coloured tom rose up.

Wavepaw matched him blow for blow, the tom obviously a strong fighter that had been worn down by several bad wounds. Blood that showed no signs of clotting rushed out of his stomach, but Wavepaw had no mercy left in him, and he quickly shredded the hefty tom's ears.

Leaping away once again, Wavepaw searched for a new target, but most of the ThunderClan cats were broken, bleeding, or fleeing the battle.

For the first time, the silver tom felt a stab of remorse. They hadn't wanted this battle. It had been Thornstar, that mouse-brained leader.

 _I hope he lost a life or two in the battle,_ Wavepaw thought vindictively.

 _Hmmm._ There was a note of morbid amusement in Pondfrost's ghostly voice.

Wavepaw surveyed the clearing grimly, noticing that most of the gray pebbles were slick with blood, patches of fur of every colour liberally sprinkled across the battlefield. The remaining cats were licking their wounds, casting distrustful looks at each other.

He felt his stomach churn as he spotted a cat, hunched over with their shoulders shaking in silent sobs a dead body. _We have all lost something._

For him, it was the security he had felt in his own territory. Seeing what had previously been one of his favourite fishing spots turned into a bloody battlefield with bodies littered across it, it was like his muzzle had suddenly turned upsidedown. _But… but this is home! This is supposed to be safe!_

Suddenly, a sight made him double over and vomit.

Badgerfur's brutalised body was barely recognizable, torn up and mangled. There was no doubt in his mind that the tom was dead. Very, very dead. _He tried to give me fishing tips,_ Wavepaw thought, his stomach still churning rebelliously, threatening another bout of throwing up if Wavepaw didn't avert his eyes from the kindly tom's body.

Next to him lay an almost-equally horrifying sight. Crowstrike, slumped and bloody, her silver fur so matted with blood it was nearly as dark as her black fur. _Is she dead too?_ He thought, fear clutching at him. _What about Briarpaw and Ripplepaw? Please tell me they aren't dead too…_

But then Crowstrike raised her head weakly as he approached, her glassy green eyes unfocused and cloudy.

"Wavepaw?" She ducked her head and coughed, flecks of blood joining their brethren in a puddle that surrounded her. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," he rushed to her side, pressing down the panic.

"Badgerfur's dead, isn't he," it wasn't a question. Crowstrike's eyes were focusing and unfocusing, never able to maintain eye contact with him for longer than a few moments. "I tried to save him, but I failed. That tom just kept biting deeper and harder, even when he was beaten…"

Wavepaw winced, bile rising in his throat once more.

"You know, we were in love," Crowstrike continued raspily. "We were going to announce that we were mates after the battle. Now he's dead."

Wavepaw felt like his chest was closing around his heart, squeezing it tightly.

"I hope- I hope Seednose gets a chance with Briarpaw. I know Ripplepaw's not the one for him- he- he'll open his eyes soon enough," Crowstrike croaked, a ragged sob pressed down by the continued monologue. "Tell him that I'll miss him up in StarClan. Tell him- tell him he'd better not join me until he and Briarpaw have been elders together for a good long while."

She coughed up more blood, a terrifying amount.

"I'll fetch Sheepbelly," he choked out.

"Don't bother," every word dragged out of her like a thorn. "I'm on my last legs. I'll be with Badgerfur soon, I just wanted to say good-bye to Seednose one… more… time…"

And then she slumped and went still, her green eyes glassy and blank.

"No…" he croaked.

Crowstrike, the she-cat full of life and snark, always poking fun at her rule-following brother, had just died in front of him.

"She's with Badgerfur now," he murmured to himself, trying to push down the flood of anguish. "She's happy."

But when Seednose rushed forwards at the sight of his dead sister, choking out a ragged howl, his little dam smashed and the pain crushed into him. He watched through a film of tears as Seednose buried his nose in his sister's cold pelt one last time, his shoulders shaking as he realized she was already in StarClan.

"She's gone," Wavepaw said at last, his voice little more than a rasp.

"She can't be!" Seednose turned to him, his amber eyes full of grief. "She can't be dead! She had her whole life ahead of her! This- this isn't how it was supposed to happen!"

Wavepaw let the sobbing tom bury his head in his shoulder as he choked out another quiet prayer to StarClan.

The sound of pawsteps made Wavepaw lift his head, Seednose's heaving body still tightly pressed against him.

"Snowstar," Wavepaw murmured, not even attempting to muster a tone of respect.

 _Surely he could have stopped this,_ he thought, resentment burning in him. _If I were leader… nothing like this would have happened._

"I'm so sorry, Seednose," Snowstar sounded genuinely upset, but it was nothing compared to the raw anguish in the cream tom's eyes.

"Th- thank you," he said shakily, still sobbing.

 _He still remembers his manners. Even after his sister died._ A fresh wave of sorrow crashed against Wavepaw, so strong it took his breath away.

"She will have a proper burial once the other Clans have cleared their dead," Snowstar murmured, laying his bushy white tail across the grieving tom's shoulders. "Badgerfur too."

"C- can they be buried together?" Wavepaw asked quietly. "Before she died… she told me they were in love, and they had planned to announce that they were mates after the battle. They-" he broke off in a sob. "They never got the chance."

That was enough to make Seednose lose it, and he slumped to the ground, his shoulders heaving as he fought for breath against the onslaught of grief and anguish.

Snowstar nodded silently, swallowing visibly. "Your Clan is still here, Seednose. We will help you."

And with that, the young leader strode away to go comfort the others.

Seednose sobbed harder.

…

After what felt like a lifetime, Wavepaw looked up. He spotted a pair of tussling cats by the river. _But the battle's over!_ He thought, confused. Suddenly, he recognized the two forms.

 _It's Breezepaw and Cloudfall! But- but- why are they fighting? RiverClan and WindClan are supposed to be on the same side!_ He watched in horror as Cloudfall's blood-stained maw spread in a horrifying grin, Breezepaw cowering beneath her.

 _I have to save him!_ Suddenly, nothing felt as important as making sure that Breezepaw survived this.

 _No!_ Pondfrost shrieked, but he was already sprinting across the clearing, charging straight at his mother.

"Rraagh!" He growled, whipping into Cloudfall.

Breezepaw watched him, slackjawed, as Wavepaw saved his worthless pelt.

Cloudfall was equally shocked by her son's sudden choice of allegiance. She didn't have the opportunity to say anything, however, as she turned tail and loped into the reeds, leaving wet red pawprints behind her.

He returned to Breezepaw's side as the golden and black tom staggered to his paws. Wavepaw felt a little vindictive satisfaction at the other tom's bloody appearance.

"Are you alright?" Wavepaw did his absolute best to infuse some level of caring into his voice, and was pleased to find that he didn't fail dismally.

"Only a little bit dead," Breezepaw announced, waving his paw through the air like a lunatic, then winced and said, "Think I'm gonna have a little lie downsies."

He abruptly collapsed.

Now that the strong urge to protect the other tom was gone, he hoped viciously that the tom was dead. Lightningpaw would never be side-tracked by him again.

Breezepaw suddenly started sobbing and Wavepaw wasn't sure whether he should cuff him or comfort him.

He chose neither, and dashed away into the reeds. With the distraction of Breezepaw gone, Crowstrike's death descended on him once more like a circling vulture.

Pain rushed through him, so strong he nearly collapsed into a sobbing heap like Breezepaw just had. He gritted his teeth and pressed through it. _I didn't even know her that well,_ he tried to convince himself. _We just occasionally trained together. We… she was my friend._

He allowed himself a moment of grieving, then gathered his resolve and stepped towards camp. The sun was beginning to set.

"I can't believe it!" Fallowspots's shocked mew cut into his thoughts. "You- I can't- you _killed_ her?"

"Yes, but I did it for _you_! Don't you understand?" Cloudfall's reply was far too calm, too emotionless.

" _Understand_?! You murdered- you-" Fallowspots's voice was choked with disbelief and shock. "Your own _sister_!"

"I did it for _us_ ," Cloudfall whined like a petulant kit that had been rebuked for taking too much prey. "Don't you see? We can be happy now that they're out of the way."

 _They?_ Wavepaw's heart felt like a stone. _What did Cloudfall do?_

"Get away from me," Fallowspots's mew was low and growling. "You're a _monster_ , and I don't love you!"

Wavepaw peeked over the bush and caught a glimpse of Cloudfall cocking her head, a confused look on her face.

"Yes you do, you just don't know it," she said sweetly. "You don't have a choice, you know."

Fallowspots didn't just look angry or disgusted, he looked… scared. Scared of Cloudfall.

"Alright," he said, sounding defeated and scared. "Fine. As long- as long as you leave them alone, I'll be your mate again."

"I've heard this before," there was a note of teasing in Cloudfall's voice, creepy and amused. "That's what you said when I found out about you two. 'Please, I'll be your mate forever and never look at another she-cat, just don't hurt her!'"

Fallowspots winced visibly.

Wavepaw's mind raced. _Is she talking about Creampelt?_

"But fine," she shrugged. "You've seen the result of what happens when you don't keep your promises."

"You know that's not fair!" Fallowspots retorted furiously. "He only- I _ended_ things. Just because-"

"Excuses, excuses. Your relationship was furthered even after I gave you a warning," Cloudfall said, her voice suddenly cool and calm. "I simply righted a wrong. If your… they're already feeling the connection, they just don't know it yet. You had better hope that no cat finds out, or you'll be _ruined_."

Fallowspots was silent.

"It's alright, dear," Cloudfall said, suddenly the image of the perfect mate once more, nuzzling his shoulder comfortingly. "You just can't talk to them, and they can never know the truth. No cat needs to know, and your little… _mistakes_ … will fade into history."

Fallowspots nodded shakily, fear and loathing badly masked on his face.

Wavepaw had absolutely no idea what to do. _Confront Fallowspots?_ He immediately ruled out that option. Fallowspots wouldn't tell him anyways. _I just found out my mother is a psychopathic killer that is blackmailing my father into a relationship._

It didn't even register properly. _My mother murders other cats. My father can't stop her. And who's 'they'?_

 _I need to sleep._ He thought, but something was tugging his paws in another direction.

He passed through the battlefield quickly, not letting his eyes linger on any of the dead bodies, until his eyes landed on a certain slumped form of a certain broad-shouldered, golden-brown ThunderClan leader.

"Thornstar," he muttered, all of his venom and hatred pouring into the name.

As he passed the corpse, he kicked it, not even feeling a shred of pity for the disgusting excuse for a tom.

 _These cats. They're all dead because of you,_ he told Thornstar silently.

Suddenly, he froze.

 _No… they're not…_ he realized, an icy chill pouring across him. _He wasn't accusing RiverClan of some made up spying. The scents… I left them._

 _This battle was my fault._

 _Crowstrike's dead because I was too selfish to be okay with only seeing Lightningpaw every full moon._ Self-loathing suddenly filled him. _Badgerfur and Crowstrike's chance at a future together… I took it._

Seednose's broken expression filled his mind. _My fault._

 _If the battle hadn't given Cloudfall the cover to murder Creampelt, she and Fallowspots might not be like… this… and everything might still be okay…_

His whole body felt like it was made of stone as he trod towards the WindClan border. He had almost left the battlefield when he realized that inside that stream, a body was floating at the bottom. _Oatpad._ The name came to him suddenly with the memory of Oatpad pouncing on him when he tried to cross the WindClan border in the earliest moons of his apprenticeship.

 _That's Breezepaw's mother. That's why he was so… pathetic._ Something almost like sympathy panged through him, then he remembered. _One more name I can add to the list of cats whose deaths were my fault._

He ran faster, determined to apologize to at least one cat. _I have to catch Breezy._

"Wait! Wait, Breezepaw!" He panted as he finally caught up with the other apprentice.

"What," Breezepaw scowled at him.

 _I saved his life!_ Wavepaw thought angrily, then all the anger rushed out of him. _And condemned his mother to death._

"I- sorry, I- um… I just wanted to say I'm really sorry about your mother…." the words dragged out of him painfully. "And I wish that I'd known her better before she died. She- er- she seemed like a very nice cat."

The last part was a complete and utter lie, and apparently Breezepaw knew it too.

"She wasn't, but whatever," he grunted, then raised his voice. "Look, just go, alright? The battle's over. WindClan and RiverClan are supposed to be enemies again."

 _With pleasure,_ he thought, then remembered he was supposed to be apologizing.

"Not enemies. Just, you know, not exactly friends." Frustration surged through him and he abandoned his cause. "But fine, mope alone. See if I care!"

He turned tail and stormed off, frustration and hatred at himself and Breezepaw flashing through him.

…

By the time he reached camp, he was almost considering throwing himself in a river instead of having to face Seednose again. _My fault, my fault,_ the words thrummed guiltily through himevery time he saw a wound or a stricken face that had learned the news that Crowstrike was dead.

"Clanmates," Snowstar rasped from his spot on the highledge. "Gather, please."

The weary cats left their dens and resting spots, walking slow and heavily, sorrow dragging them down.

"As most of you know, Creampelt, Badgerfur, and Crowstrike have died," Snowstar stopped briefly, and in the silence, Wavepaw heard the broken sob of Seednose rise. "Their families will grieve alongside their Clanmates, but I want every one of you to know that you are not alone in your grief. We have all lost something today."

Wavepaw blinked back a fresh rush of angry tears. _My fault, my fault._

"If any of the apprentices need thyme, Sheepbelly will be happy to provide some. Pikepaw will be circulating; if you believe you are very badly injured, please report to him and Sheepbelly will take care of your wounds first," Snowstar announced. "Thank you, that is all. Burials will begin at dawn, once every cat has been treated."

Wavepaw silently vowed not to let Pikepaw see him until every other cat had their wounds treated. _I don't even deserve to heal._

Gritting his teeth against the blazing agony of his numerous slashes, he retreated to the apprentice den, not able to bear looking at all the cats he had injured with his own folly.

"Wavepaw?" A soft mew emanated from the bright entrance of the den.

"Briarpaw?" He murmured, already drowsy.

"Oh, thank StarClan," another fearful, familiar voice said. "Wavepaw, are you injured? Pikepaw was wondering about you."

"I'm fine," he lied. "Briarpaw, Ripplepaw, you're both alright?"

Briarpaw rushed to his nest and pressed her thin brown pelt against his. He could feel her ribcage through her pelt, and Ripplepaw joined her on his other side, her thicker silver-gray fur warming him. A poultice of marigold and cobwebs was sticky against his side, but he stayed there, breathing in the scent of his family.

Briarpaw was making a soft sniffling sound, and it took him a moment to realize that she was crying.

"I thought you were dead," she cried. "I thought I was going to see your body next to Crowstrike's, and…"

Wavepaw hushed her by curling his tail over her back. "I'm alright. We're all alright."

Ripplepaw drew back after another moment and said, "I'm gonna go check on Timberheart."

Wavepaw and Briarpaw pulled away from each other a heartbeat later, and Briarpaw supplied, "Her newest crush."

"StarClan," Wavepaw shook his head, exhausted. "Nothing stops her, huh?"

"Nope," amusement glimmered in Briarpaw's glowing green optics.

"You're more okay with it?" Wavepaw said, surprised a little, then remembered. "Ah. Now Seednose is free."

Briarpaw flushed, scowling at him, but Wavepaw only purred. The sound caught in his throat as he remembered.. "You know, right before Crowstrike… y'know… she told me that Seednose was going to open his eyes sooner or later."

"Really?" Sorrow for Crowstrike and hope mingled in her voice. "I hope so. Some toms are so thick-skulled."

Briarpaw nudged him playfully, and he protested with a loud, "Hey!"

For a moment, he forgot about his monumental mistake, but it passed and the guilt locked onto him once more. _Should I tell her about Fallowspots and Cloudfall?_ He wondered. _They are her parents too… but I don't want to worry her._

"I'm going to go stay with Seednose," Briarpaw murmured. "Losing a sister… it can't be easy. He needs company, and _Ripplepaw_ certainly won't give it to him."

Her mew was venomous as she said her sister's name, and Wavepaw squinted, about to ask about her tone, but she was already stepping out of the den into the darkness of the camp.

 _It's over,_ Pondfrost murmured, sounding as tired as he felt. _It's all over._

 _The battle,_ Wavepaw nodded, sinking into his nest. It felt like it was made of downy feathers.

His eyelids drooped, but he retained consciousness just long enought to hear Pondfrost's final warning. _Not just the battle._

…

When he woke, he was back in the dream world. "Hello again," he grunted.

"You sound _delighted_ to see me," Pondfrost said shortly.

"You encouraged me to visit Lightningpaw," he accused. "You started this mess. It's not _all_ my fault."

Pondfrost stared at him. "My fault? It's not my fault. Thornstar was too fish-brained to drop the issue. It's _hardly_ my fault."

Wavepaw fished for a counter-argument, but just sagged with exhaustion. "Why did you bring me here?"

"We need to talk," Pondfrost snapped, her green eyes accusatory. "You saved Breezepaw. I told you not to. We could have avoided this whole thing if you hadn't been so incredibly fish-brained."

"I couldn't just let him die!" Wavepaw protested.

"You could have, and you should have," Pondfrost contradicted sharply. "You _hate_ him, why would you save him?"

"It just felt…" he shrugged, annoyed. "I don't know, okay?! It just felt like something I had to do!"

Pondfrost glared at him. He frowned back.

Finally, he looked away. "You should have stopped me. If you can help me swim across that entire StarClan forsaken _lake_ , you can stop me from pushing my psychopath mother away from my worst enemy."

"I tried!" Pondfrost exploded. " _YOU_ were the one who wouldn't listen! You think you know everything! You can't bear the idea you're not exactly right about everything! You just expect it all to turn out fine, saving cats willy-nilly, throwing the future off course-"

" _You're_ the one with the supernatural powers!" Wavepaw repeated, spitting, anger roiling inside him. "Why didn't _you_ stop me!?"

That struck a chord with Pondfrost, and she froze, then deflated. "I tried, okay? It didn't work. I don't know why."

Frustration and fury burned so hot inside him, he couldn't even speak. _She doesn't_ know _? Yet she keeps screaming about how the whole future will die and she's the only one who knows how to stop it. I can't believe it!_

Pondfrost looked searchingly at him. "I don't know if I should…"

He tilted his head questioningly.

She opened her jaws to speak when suddenly she was seized by some kind of spasm, and she jerked back and forth, no sound escaping her. Her fur stood on end, and it shifted and dappled with different colours as though another cat was trying to break out, and when she opened her eyes again, they were nothing more than stars.

Wavepaw let out a cry of terror as his stillborn sister shook, her fur flashing so bright it hurt his eyes. He looked away quickly, scared that she wouldn't be the same cat when he looked back.

"I'm sorry!" She sobbed, her voice lowering and raising again in pitch, two different voices vying for control. "I won't! I'm sorry! I-"

 _Wake._ The order rushed through him, powerful and rich and the idea of disobeying never even crossed his mind. He jerked awake, and the last thing he remembered of the horrible dream was Pondfrost, her whole body shaking and her white, bright star-eyes wide open as she let out a terrible, bone-shattering scream. But it wasn't her normal voice. It was the voice of the cat who had given the order to him to wake up.

 _What just happened?_ He wondered, before he fainted dead away into a dreamless sleep.

 **Yep, my cat counterpart's going all crazy. Flashing like a neon sign and being possessed or something.**

 **But it didn't make you forget about Fallowspots's and Cloudfall's little… encounter... right?**

 **QOTC: Have you figured out the Fallowspots/Creampelt/Cloudfall business yet?**

 **And the winner of our little contest is, drumroll please… (Drums)**

 **thatsgreatxo! Congratulations! Their entry was for Darkpaw and Wavepaw with Darkpaw singing, and the song was Sorry About Your Parents, by Icon for Hire. I highly recommend you go listen to it. It's a fantastic song and it's almost creepily accurate. Listened to it about four or five times in a row.**

 **Tenks to everyone who entered, it was super fun to go through all the entries. Y'all did wonderful jobs. It's a shame I could really only pick one of you guys.**

 **~Pondfrost the crazy flashing cat**


	50. Dark: Reopenings and Endings

**Holy biscuits it's been a while. But I HAVE RETURNED, and now wielding the power of a specialised playlist for writing. Ah, the magic and evil of YouTube.**

 **School's starting up as I'm SURE you know, and thus I will probably… not change my routine at all actually. Yep. Anyways. ON WITH THE SHOW. *Curtains part***

Chapter 48.

Darkpaw's mouth gaped open as she watched Spottedstar score her claws across Thornstar's throat, blood immediately staining his fur. She couldn't look away as Thornstar thrashed once, twice, and then fell still.

Spottedstar and Ivystar quickly traded positions, and Darkpaw caught her breath as she watched his dead body twitch to life. _His last life?_ She wondered briefly, before Ivystar was ripping open his throat once more.

Her stomach churned as Thornstar convulsed, but he fell still soon, blood still leaking out of the wound.

 _It's over,_ she thought grimly.

 _Yes,_ Ripple sighed deeply.

She sighed too. The battle had been exhausting, a non-stop reel of fighting, and she was spent. Her muscles ached, her tail drooped, and even her ears were sore from being flattened and cuffed. Patches of fur hung limply off her sides, matted and slicked with blood. Pale pink spots were sprinkled across her where her fur had been so viciously torn that the skin beneath could be seen. She was a mess and still she fought.

She took a deep breath and braced herself to leap back into the fighting, but then a hoarse cry rose above the battle.

"It's over! The battle is over! Long live Shadestar!"

Darkpaw recognized the cry as Lightningpaw's, but it was soon taken up by all of ThunderClan, with currents of jubilant cries from the other Clans running beneath.

The newly dubbed Shadestar staggered forwards and Darkpaw recognized him as the dark gray, smokey tom she had clawed the living daylights out of earlier. He bled profusely from deep slashes in his stomach and his dark blue eyes were lowered.

"I apologize for this fight," he grunted. "Thornstar made choices I did not agree with, and I hope in the future ThunderClan may work with the other Clans to resolve arguments in a civil manner without resorting to brute force."

The other leaders nodded approvingly of his submission, but Darkpaw curled her lip in disgust. _He shouldn't dishonor Thornstar like that, even if he didn't agree with what he decided. Deputies must support their leaders; it's even in the warrior code. Then again, I suppose Shadestar's leader now._

"We accept the apology. None of us wanted this battle," Spottedstar murmured, her words laced with sorrow as she cast her pale green gaze around the clearing.

The rush of battle finally faded from Darkpaw and she realized that an unfortunate amount of still bodies were scattered around the clearing. Some were all too familiar.

"I- I say these words before the body of Thornstar that he may hear and approve of my choice," Shadestar stammered. "R- Redflower will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."

 _At least he appointed a deputy on time,_ Darkpaw thought scornfully.

"RiverClan will give you all until sunhigh tomorrow to clear your dead," Snowstar announced grimly.

Darkpaw's stomach felt as though it was dropping down into her paws. _What if Primrosepaw or Olivepaw or Robinpaw's dead? What if Lionpaw's dead?! What if Duskpaw's dead?! Wait… Duskpaw wasn't even on the battle patrol._

Her heart rate slowed a little as she realized she was being paranoid. _They're all brilliant fighters; I'm sure they're fine._

She forced herself to look straight at the bodies. They blurred before her eyes, one cat after another, fallen still and never to rise again, ambitions, hopes, dreams, wishes all stolen in the blink of an eye, one bloody moment of battle.

Darkpaw realized that the sobbing form beside two still black and white bodies was Wavepaw. _He can cry?_ It caught her off balance for a moment, before she chided herself, _of course he can cry, he's only a cat._

A young-looking brown she cat was splayed on the pebbles, lying on her back, sightless amber eyes staring up to StarClan. Her throat had been so viciously torn out that droplets of blood that had been sprayed in the brutal attack decorated all stones within a fox-length of her.

Darkpaw's stomach churned as she saw a long-furred black tom's dark blue eyes widen in horror, then rush to her side, already breathing hard and choking back a scream.

 _His sister or maybe his mate?_ She wondered as the tom seemed to curl up on himself, shaking.

And finally her eyes landed on a cat she recognized.

His large paws still had their claws out, some broken, all bloody.

 _Mousepelt,_ she thought hollowly. _Mousepelt. He's dead…_

She swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat. _Sobbing and crying won't bring him back. Mourning him won't give him a happier life in StarClan. Breaking for a dead cat is pointless._

But still the tears rose. _He was kind to me. He didn't know me, he wasn't my friend, he had no reason to like my egotistical little self… but he still was kind to me._

She turned away, only to come face to face with the unseeing eyes of another of her Clanmates. _Vinestem._ She recognized the vibrant green eyes of the tom immediately. _Oh StarClan… why?_

Suddenly another thought surfaced and she choked back a sob. _Duskpaw's father…_

She saw a cat that she first thought was Mudpaw, then realized her blue eyes weren't those of Darkpaw's tabby friend. _Poolpaw._

"No…" the tabby stopped dead when she saw her father. "No no no! StarClan, _no_!"

A horrible, shuddering cry ripped free of her, and she hurled herself at the still body, heaving with cries of pain.

 _So much lost… and for what?_ Darkpaw thought angrily. _This wasn't our battle. We shouldn't have gotten involved. Vinestem and Mousepelt dead, maybe others, and we gained_ nothing.

Fury at Ivystar suddenly rose inside her. _We have NOTHING to gain. There wasn't a chance of victory, we didn't have a victory. We were only defending RiverClan. Why? Because Ivystar was a frog-brain and said so._

She wanted something to destroy, but there was only the earth beneath her pads. Suddenly, fiery rage blasted through every nerve-ending and she was pulling, ripping, tearing…

Darkpaw looked down.

 _You'd better get a hold on that temper,_ Ripple observed coolly.

 _Shut up, Blob,_ Darkpaw snapped, but there was no bite in her words. She was too shaken. Shaken by the tear in the ground.

…

She had drifted around the battleground for a while, the setting sun casting a pink glow over everything. It was far too beautiful for a day like it had been.

She had spent the time moving from body to body, paying her respects even to those that weren't a part of her Clan, until she finally reached the river, crystal blue and darkening alongside the sky. The surface glimmered in the fading rays of the sun, but there was a patch of brightness that didn't fade, even as the shifting water and lowering sun changed.

 _What is that?_ She wondered, creeping a little closer. Squinting a little, she finally figured it out. _That's a cat… and I think they're dead._

She racked her mind for who it might be, and landed on a few different cream-coloured cats that she knew of. _RiverClan warrior named Seednose… might be him… no that's him over there. Creampelt? No, I saw her body over in the bushes…_ She stifled a heave at the memory of the shredded corpse. _Er… Flowerpelt? No, I saw her too… oh. It's Oatpad, isn't it?_

 _Ding ding ding,_ Ripple muttered sardonically.

 _StarClan, that's Breezepaw's mother,_ she realized, swallowing hard. _He must be destroyed._

 _Why don't you ask him?_ Ripple grunted.

 _I will, thanks,_ Darkpaw spat mentally at him.

She turned to look for him, then realized he was also beside the river, several fox-lengths down.

Sitting next to an all-too-familiar dark brown and white she-cat.

Anger immediately pulsed through her, a strong desire to emulate whatever monster had done that to Creampelt rising within.

 _Don't lose it again,_ Ripple was suddenly growling. _Keep yourself under control._

 _I'm_ fine _,_ she hissed at him, her claws sinking into the peaty soil. _Just. Fine. Thanks._

Taking deep breaths, she closed her eyes tightly in an effort to erase the horrible image from her retinas.

Eventually, Breezepaw broke away from Lightningpaw, his green eyes swimming with pain. Her heart ached just looking at him, but she forced down the anguish and followed him from several fox-lengths behind as he exited the battlefield.

She followed him through the territory, trying to muster up the courage to say something, comforting or helpful or kind…

Taking a deep breath, she reached out with her tail and lightly laid it across his shoulders. His fur twitched for a moment, then laid flat once more.

"Hey," she said softly. "I heard about what happened to… to your mother."

He just nodded shakily, his eyes still wet with unshed tears.

"I… I just wanted to say… I know how you feel," she murmured, fishing for something comforting to say. "My mother died when I was kitted, and… and I've had nightmares about her ever since…"

"I'm sorry," he murmured hollowly, and Darkpaw gritted her teeth in fury at how lost he sounded.

"Me too," Darkpaw murmured, then a thought occurred to her and she turned to him, a little current of shock racing through her. "I've never told anyone that… I…"

He twined his tail with hers silently. With any other cat, it would be far too intimate for different Clans… but with Breezepaw, it was just right. She kept perfectly still, scared to accidentally push him away. Electricity crackled between them, and Darkpaw felt like jumping onto a tree and shouting that she and Breezepaw were destined to be together.

His beautiful eyes sparked with fury, but not at her. The passion and anger startled her, but the strength of it only served to draw her further in. After drifting around the dead, hollow camp for so many moons… ShadowClan's cool demeanor to its own… this _feeling_ was intoxicating. She wanted to draw it into herself, wrap herself in it, never return. It blazed, hot and strong.

She lightly stepped a little closer, into his heat and danger and anger.

Suddenly, he was cold again and drew away, eyes fixed on something far in the distance.

"I'll see you around," he murmured hopelessly, turning away from the tiny tortoiseshell and white she-cat. She opened her jaws, wanting so much to tell him exactly how she felt, so sure that he would feel the same… but self-doubting rose and she snapped them shut again.

The lost opportunity scorched her with pain, her heart aching, all she said was, "Bye then, Breezepaw."

 _Can't he see how we are? I feel so strong…_ she thought desperately as she watched his sagging tail drag away into the bushes and towards WindClan.

Suddenly, a silver form sped past her, after Breezepaw. _Wavepaw?_ she wondered. _Is he finally going to make an effort to be friends with Breezepaw? At last…_

She sighed, suddenly feeling completely drained. _I need to go back to camp…_

 _You should talk to Lightningpaw first,_ Ripple suggested.

 _Why?!_ She snapped, suddenly angry again. _It took Wavepaw moons to move his tail and cooperate with my_ brilliant _plan, and I owe him nothing! If he wants to take his sweet time with things, then I'll just do the same and see how he likes it._

Ripple huffed in amusement or exasperation; it was hard to tell which.

Darkpaw stormed back to camp, still angry at Lightningpaw, Ivystar, and most of all, herself. Ripple too.

"Darkpaw," a golden shape squealed, flinging itself at her.

She quickly recognized the yellow blob that was now crying into her fur as her sister.

"Hi, Lionpaw," she ground out, not-so-gently pushing her off.

"I- I thought you were dead!" Lionpaw squawked, still blubbering pathetically. "You didn't come back with the rest of the patrol, and you- you weren't anywhere to be found- and I thought-"

"You thought wrong," Darkpaw said impatiently, frustrated with her sister's storm of emotions.

"Darkpaw!" Another cat charged her, but this time she was welcome.

"Duskpaw." Darkpaw's breathing evened out a little as she realized her tabby friend was unharmed.

"You're okay!" Mudpaw was jubilant, then blinked and coughed and said gruffly, "I'm glad you're not hurt. Herbs will be harder to find around leaf-bare."

Darkpaw couldn't suppress a purr of laughter at Mudpaw's obvious relief and flimsy effort to cover up her feelings.

She twined tails with Mudpaw and together they walked away from Lionpaw, whose sobs were quickly disappearing.

"Duskpaw…" Darkpaw began slowly, remembering Vinestem's unseeing green eyes.

"It's Vinestem, isn't it…" Mudpaw muttered, looking away.

Darkpaw swallowed hard. "Yes."

She bit the inside of her cheek, waiting for Mudpaw's inevitable breakdown.

"Good riddance." Darkpaw's skin chilled at her friend's cold and unforgiving tone.

She opened and closed her mouth, searching for a response to the unapologetic condemnation. _She hates him…_

"But he was your father!" She eventually managed to protest.

Mudpaw's angry green eyes that were all too similar to Vinestem's turned on her. "Yeah! He was! But he wasn't much of one, huh? You know what I used to have to do?! I had to _comfort_ Poolpaw, because she couldn't handle the fact that her precious father didn't love his kits. He loved Quailwing, and we just got in his way. I had to _comfort_ her, Darkpaw! _I_ had to be the strong one!

"I had to pretend he meant nothing to me so that Poolpaw could be the weak one!" Mudpaw's voice rose in anger. "One night, after Vinestem told us off for playing near the entrance of the camp, Quailwing caught me crying, and then it was just one long lecture about staying strong for my sister's sake, and being understanding, and not bothering Vinestem, and having _thicker skin._ It's- it's so unfair!" Mudpaw could barely get the words out, she was so far past furious. " _Poolpaw_ was the one who was always crying. _Poolpaw_ was the one that thought he might love us if he knew us better. I wasn't stupid. I wasn't naive."

Darkpaw swallowed hard, uncomfortable as Mudpaw continued her enraged rant at Vinestem.

"I _knew_ better, but she sure didn't. Quailwing didn't even have time to comfort Poolpaw, she was always with Vinestem or she was coddling Poolpaw, or- or-" Mudpaw broke off into heavy breathing.

"Shh, shh, it's alright," Darkpaw murmured, pressing herself against Mudpaw's heaving body. "It's okay… he's gone, and you're out of the nursery. You never have to listen to Quailwing again. It's alright, it's alright."

Mudpaw's breathing slowed, then she finally relaxed herself. "You're right," she sighed, then turned up to Darkpaw. "But…"

"No. No. It's all good now," Darkpaw said firmly.

Her friend nodded mutely.

…

"You're sure?" Lostbird eyed her doubtfully.

" _Yes_ I'm sure," Darkpaw snapped back, shying away from Lostbird's cobweb covered paw reaching for her. "Quit it!"

"Fine, your wounds not mine," the ginger and white medicine cat shrugged.

"At last!" Darkpaw muttered.

She had been arguing with the medicine cat over the state of her physical health for much longer than reasonable; Lostbird insisting that she put more marigold and cobwebs on Darkpaw's wounds because she was 'fragile and liable to open a wound at any moment'. Darkpaw had retorted that she was perfectly fine and if anything deteriorated, she would report back to the medicine den immediately.

As Lostbird bounded away, probably searching for another poor cat to slather with poultices, Darkpaw finally relaxed and had a moment to herself and her thoughts.

"Let all cats old enough to stay up 'til sunrise gather here beneath the Great-tree for a Clan meeting!" Ivystar's powerful call resonated through the clearing, rousing the lounging cats.

 _Or not,_ Darkpaw thought grouchily, heaving herself to her paws to go find a spot beneath the largest pine tree encircling ShadowClan's camp.

"Clanmates, today we gather to acknowledge the bravery of two young cats," Ivystar announced, but there was the slightest hint of boredom that suggested to Darkpaw that her words may not have been as sincere as they were supposed to be.

As Ivystar rattled off the perfunctory words, eventually calling Pinepaw and Ratpaw up to the tree, Darkpaw fought a yawn. _Yes yes, very dramatic, warriors, blah blah._

"I, Ivystar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I am finally commending them to you as a warrior in their turn." Ivystar's jaw twitched as though she found the ceremony funny, or she was also fighting a yawn.

"Pinepaw and Ratpaw, do you two promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Ivystar asked.

"I do," Pinepaw grinned.

"I do also," Ratpaw sounded amused.

 _What's with them?_ Darkpaw wondered, wrinkling her nose.

"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior names." Then Ivystar finally cracked and just said, "Pinepaw is now Pineleaf, and Ratpaw is now Rattail. Meeting adjourned."

"Wait!" Pineleaf interrupted.

"Yes?" Ivystar scowled at the black she-cat.

"I have an announcement," Pineleaf grinned again.

"Fine," Ivystar sighed, "go ahead."

"I'm expecting kits!"

Darkpaw was taken aback. _But she's an apprentice! Oh- no, now she's not. Plus she had to train for two extra moons, right?_

"Mine," Voleheart announced proudly.

Pineleaf shot him a self-satisfied grin.

Darkpaw felt annoyed at their obvious public affection, if it could be called that, but kept her jaws shut. Rattail looked like he was suppressing a purr.

"Great. Meeting adjourned." Ivystar leapt down from the branch and immediately disappeared into her den.

 _Well that was short,_ Ripple remarked wryly.

 _Hardy har har._ Darkpaw rolled her eyes.

 _Come on, you find me hilarious, admit it,_ Ripple cajoled.

 _You're the funniest cat I've never met,_ she deadpanned.

 _Don't make me give you a Very Serious Talking-To_ , he warned with mock sincerity.

 _Don't make me reconsider my kind acceptance of your name,_ she retorted.

 _What is that supposed to mean?_ He demanded.

 _I don't know, Blob, you tell me,_ she responded easily. It was nice to be able to talk to him this way instead of him constantly screeching about the future and danger.

"Darkpaw? Hello?" A tail waved in front of her face. She blinked then turned to the cat which the tail belonged to.

"Oh… hey Robinpaw." She forced a little smile.

"I'm glad you're okay," he sighed, his mismatched eyes filled with relief. "Duskpaw was really worried about you, you know… she wouldn't shut up about you when the rest of the patrol came back."

Despite his exasperated words, his eyes glimmered with affection.

Her stomach twisted. _I'm happy for them. I am,_ she told herself fiercely. _I'm happy._ But she couldn't deny the jealousy that wrapped around her as she saw Robinpaw cast a long, happy glance over at the brown tabby from across the clearing.

"Well, I'm fine," she said abruptly, turning away.

"Darkpaw," he said with a note of warning in his voice.

"What," she snapped, turning back.

He frowned at her, but he didn't look angry, just reprimanding. "She wanted to go hunting with you and me. Do you want to come or are you just going to be a marsh-brain about it?"

She sighed, feeling like she was being rude. _I just… I don't know. It's been a bad day._

 _You're good at fighting though,_ Ripple pointed out.

 _Just because I'm good at fighting doesn't mean I need to prove it at every possible second!_ Darkpaw retorted.

 _Huh. Wish she'd realized that,_ Ripple mused.

 _Who are you talking about?_ Darkpaw demanded, but she knew enough about Ripple to know that when he didn't want to talk about something, she would need to drag him to StarClan and back, preferably with some thorn bushes on the way, to get another word out of him.

 _No one,_ he hummed.

"Well?" Robinpaw sounded tired.

 _Whatever,_ Darkpaw thought, making her decision.

"Alright. Can't promise I'll enjoy it though," she snipped, only half-joking.

"As I'd expect, knowing you…" A memory flitted through Robinpaw's eyes, and he winced for a moment, before straightening up like it had never happened.

"Robinpaw?" She tilted her head questioningly.

"I'm fine; it's nothing," he quickly assured her. "Let's go, Duskpaw's probably waiting for us."

Darkpaw nodded lightly, trying to look unconcerned, but inside she was flipping through reasons for the sudden tension. _I wonder what that was about…_

 _He's thinking about Rabbitpaw,_ Ripple announced.

 _Oh, now you're oh-so-helpful,_ Darkpaw snapped. _Thanks a lot. NOT._ Concern raced through her for Robinpaw. _He's not still thinking about that WindClan tom? But what about Duskpaw?_

 _You can't forget someone so easily,_ Ripple murmured. _I couldn't forget her_ ever _… not even after what happened… not even after she ran… never._

 _What in StarClan's name are you talking about?_ Darkpaw demanded, but sensed the stoney wall that he always slammed down whenever he had secrets had just arrived.

 _Never you mind,_ he swept on. _Robinpaw's going, better move your tail._

She obeyed, speeding to the entrance of camp where her friends were waiting. There was some quality in his voice when he told her to do something… something that suggested he was used to being obeyed.

 _Hey Ripple?_ Darkpaw said silently, resolving to find some answers.

 _Mm?_

 _Are you in StarClan?_ She worded the question carefully, not wanting to scare him off.

 _Uh, sort of,_ he muttered.

 _But you're dead, yeah?_ She pushed.

 _Definitely dead. Very,_ very _dead._ He sounded both bitter and amused at the same time.

 _So you were alive at some point,_ Darkpaw guessed.

 _Correct,_ he said, sounding a little suspicious.

 _Huh. Were you in ShadowClan?_ She prodded, genuinely curious.

 _Maybe,_ he said mysteriously. _What's it to you? Trying to figure out things about me?_

 _Is it that obvious?_ She snarked, trying to lighten the weight of her questions. Robinpaw and Mudpaw set off beside her into the forest. They seemed to be content to simply chat with each other, so Darkpaw continued to grill Ripple.

 _Were you perhaps a deputy in your previous life?_ She hazarded.

 _Perhaps,_ he drawled, throwing her words back at him.

She mentally ran through the list of ShadowClan deputies she knew of, then realized something. _'Ripple' really isn't a very ShadowClan name… Are you sure you're a ShadowClan cat?_

 _Like I said… maybe._ His grin was audible. He was clearly enjoying his position as the mysterious, enigmatic tom.

 _You gave me a hundred and ten names when we first met,_ Darkpaw recalled. _Moonripple or something stupid like that._

 _Four. I gave you_ four _names,_ Ripple snapped, then added, _Three actually. You gave me the 'name' Blob._ The tone he used to highlight her choice of name for him gave her a perfect picture of exactly what he thought of it.

 _What were they again? Moonripple was one. Ripple was the other… but what was the third?_ She frowned, trying to call to mind their odd dream-encounter.

 _Silver Memory,_ Ripple murmured.

 _What in StarClan's name is a silver memory?_ She demanded. _Or was it just something you came up with to sound all mysterious and whimsical._

 _Mysterious and whimsical,_ he said abruptly. _Silver memories aren't anything. Just- just something I came up with._

He was a very smooth liar, Darkpaw had to give him that. But she knew him well enough to be able to see through his quick stories. _Yeah right._

 _It's the truth!_ He protested, but Darkpaw didn't believe him for a heartbeat.

 _Were you a ShadowClan deputy?_ She asked him directly, changing the subject as quickly as she could to catch him off-balance.

 _Nope,_ he said easily. _Why do you care?_

 _Just wondering,_ she said, adding the fact to her very meager list of things she knew about the mysterious silver tom. _Were you deputy your whole life?_

 _I was a kit at one point,_ Ripple said dryly. _Also an apprentice_ _. And a warrior. And- er, a deputy._

 _You were something more than a kit, apprentice, warrior, and deputy?_ Darkpaw frowned, trying to fit the pieces together. _AHA! You were leader, weren't you?_

 _Ugh,_ Ripple snorted. _Yes, fine, I was leader. Happy now?_

 _No, not even remotely,_ Darkpaw snapped. _ShadowClan's leader?_

 _Of course not,_ Ripple growled. _Think about it for two heartbeats; a cat has to be deputy to be leader, and you already know that I was never the ShadowClan deputy. Why am I telling you all this again?_

 _Because I'm a darling sweet ray of sunshine and I deserve to know,_ Darkpaw deadpanned.

 _Uhuh,_ Ripple grunted, suddenly sounding tired.

 _What's gotten into you?_ Darkpaw frowned slightly. It was just like how Robinpaw had sounded when whatever had triggered the memory of Rabbitpaw came up.

 _Nothing, nothing,_ he muttered. _I'm fine, just tired s'all._

 _Whatever,_ she responded, but she was genuinely curious now. _Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?_

 _I- I'd_ like _to, but I can't. Besides which, it's none of your business._ And suddenly he was defensive again.

 _Fine,_ she retorted. _But I don't see who else is talking to you, so maybe don't be a snooty lizard-brain and talk to your only friend!_

 _I have other friends,_ Ripple snapped back, but even he seemed to hear the obvious lie in his words. _Fine. Whatever. So I have absolutely no one else to talk to. Doesn't mean I'm lonely. Or bored. Or, y'know, starved for company…_

Darkpaw felt momentary pity for him, then was brought back to the real world as she realized that Mudpaw and Robinpaw were staring at her.

"Uh, yes?" She stuttered.

"Nothing…" Mudpaw tilted her head at the calico curiously. "You just… look like you're far away or something."

"Haha, me?" Darkpaw let out a nervous purr. "Never… I'm fine, don't worry about me…"

Robinpaw looked at her disbelievingly. "You sure?"

"Yeah, yeah." She shook her head like she could shake Ripple out of it if she tried hard enough. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Oh, nothing much," Robinpaw mewed, shrugging.

"Just how leafbare's coming and all," Mudpaw supplied, casting a long glance at their surroundings.

"I think we should just enjoy the present," Robinpaw said cheerfully, twitching his ear at the bright trees. "The leaves are lovely right now."

"Do you ever wonder if leaves can feel?" Mudpaw asked suddenly.

Darkpaw held back a purr. Only Mudpaw would question whether or not nature had feelings.

"I dunno, maybe," Robinpaw meowed, looking doubtful. "Have you ever asked?"

Mudpaw pouted at him. "C'mon, it was a serious question."

"And I gave you a serious answer!" Robinpaw responded, flicking her with his tail.

Suddenly, an idea seemed to take hold in Mudpaw's mind. Her muzzle slowly scrunched into a mischievous grin.

"Uh-oh, she's got that look in her eyes again," Robinpaw joked, giving Darkpaw a bump with his shoulders. "Take cover."

Mudpaw stuck her tongue out at the brown tom, before slapping her tail into a pile of leaf-litter next to him and sending mulch and stray bits of fallen leaves cascading over the tom. His face morphed into a comically surprised expression as shreds of leaves settled themselves into his fur.

"Hey!" He growled playfully, flicking leaves at her.

Mudpaw only purred in response, and retaliated by scooping up a pawful of dirt and flinging it into him.

Robinpaw jerked backwards, giving tiny little _achoos!_ as the dirt crept into his nose.

"You sneeze like a kit," Darkpaw deadpanned, but Robinpaw was already tackling Mudpaw and trying to push her face into the leaves.

Mudpaw kicked his stomach, and he flew clear of her, landing in a pile of leaves which promptly flew into the air, eliciting multiple more sneezes from Robinpaw.

"Ooh, you're asking for it," Robinpaw growled playfully.

"HA!" Mudpaw made a big show of spitting at him. "I'd like to see you try."

Robinpaw drew back his lips in a mock snarl and tackled her again. Mudpaw pretended to shriek in terror, but as his paws connected with her flank, she suddenly screamed in actual pain.

"StarClan!" Robinpaw suddenly gasped, reeling away from her like she was blazing hot. "Oh no!"

Mudpaw whimpered, curling up on the leaves.

"Oh no, you hit the spot where the fox-" Darkpaw began and Robinpaw nodded, panic threatening to swallow him.

"You stay here, I'll run for the medicine den," she snapped.

Robinpaw finally found his voice and growled, "No, I'm faster. You stay here and make sure she's alright. I'll be back in a heartbeat."

Darkpaw opened her jaws to protest, but he was right. She closed them again and sat by Mudpaw's side. "Duskpaw, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

"I'm- I'm fine," she growled, staggering to her paws before collapsing again with a sharp cry of pain.

"Just stay still!" Darkpaw hissed, panic shortening her fuse. "Robinpaw'll be back in a minute, just try to stay still."

Mudpaw's breath was coming in short bursts, and Darkpaw checked her side to try to assess the damage. Her side had been steadily healing since Mudpaw had been taken back to Lostbird and Ashmask's den after her suicide attempt, but her and Robinpaw's mock fight seemed to have ripped the delicate pink flesh that had begun to creep over the gaping wound.

It was no worse than it had been before the fox attack… _but then again, it was pretty awful then too,_ Darkpaw thought, gritting her teeth at the awful sight.

"I'm back! I'm back!" Robinpaw panted, bursting into the clearing. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine," Darkpaw reassured him. "Uh, I hope…"

His eyes flashed with panic, but he kept cool. Ashmask suddenly appeared beside him, cobwebs and marigold hanging from his jaws.

"How did this happen?" He asked, a note of concern in his voice.

Robinpaw swallowed, his eyes guilty. "We were- I was just-"

"It was an accident," Darkpaw said firmly.

Ashmask nodded, seeming to sense Robinpaw's uncomfortableness. "I see."

He moved quickly to Mudpaw's side, moving deftly and quickly as he rapidly chewed up the marigold and pressed it against the middle of the wound. Darkpaw felt sick just watching him.

Mudpaw winced and squirmed away from the black medicine cat as he worked, but Ashmask was insistent, his gray face screwed up in concentration.

"You're hurting her!" Robinpaw sprang forwards, but Ashmask shoved the younger tom out of the way with ease.

"You want me to help her or not?" He demanded.

Robinpaw subsided into muttering and the occasional glare at the older cat. Darkpaw sympathized; she too wanted to cuff Ashmask's ears for making Mudpaw hurt even more, but it was the only way.

He finished with the marigold and moved on to the cobwebs. Carefully unwrapping them from the stick he had been carrying, he spread them across the whole thing, making Mudpaw look like she had an enormous, gauzy white patch on her side.

As she watched Ashmask work, she remembered her promise to Mudpaw that night on the lakeside. _"You'll heal."_

 _Will she?_ She thought, close to despair. _I thought it was going well… she and Robinpaw are closer than ever, and now Vinestem is dead… which she acts like is a good thing, but I'm not so sure…_

 _She'll heal,_ Ripple reassured her, but even he sounded unsure. _Then again… that whole suicide thing wasn't supposed to happen either, so I suppose we'll see…_

"D- Darkpaw?" Mudpaw stirred weakly.

"I'm here!" She rushed to her friend's side, all doubtful thoughts swept out of her mind.

Mudpaw's eyes fluttered shut and Darkpaw's stomach swooped dangerously, but Ashmask reassured her quickly.

"She's fine, just resting," he said. "She'll have to stay in the medicine den for a little while though."

"My fault," Robinpaw muttered, and Darkpaw shot him a sympathetic glance.

"It was an accident, Robinpaw," she said, laying her tail across his bunched shoulders.

"An accident that was entirely my fault," he spat.

She didn't know what to say to that.

 **Hey good spot to end eh? No rest for Duskpaw; I can't go five minutes without smacking her into tomorrow.**

 **MEH.**

 **So funny story I had writer's block for two weeks and then wrote this whole thing in about two hours. Yeah. Inspiration is a capricious lady.**

 **Besides the point. Soumwe'rekindofat450reviewsandIamliterallyrunningoutofwaystosaythankyou…**

 **Uhuh.**

 **I kind of feel like doing ship songs. Because I'm a shipper at heart. Welp, might as well throw out a few:**

 **DarkXBreeze - Just Give Me a Reason (Is lowkey unhealthily obsessed with P!nk)**

 **DuskXRobin - Airplanes**

 **DarkXWave - Irresistible or Sorry About Your Parents**

 **Anyways, leave your opinions in a review. QOTC: What are your guesses/suggestions for Darkie's warrior name? Have I already got one? Maybe or otherwise not… er, yes, yes I do.**

 **Til next week- er, later ;P**

 **~Pondfrost**


	51. Lightning: Aftermath and Accusations

**Can I just get y'all to look out the window real quick?**

 **Any pigs flying? No? WOW! Because I mean, with two updates in two days by AKILA, you'd think** **…**

 **Well anyways, updates will probably be more regular because BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I've planned the story all the way up to chapter 80. YEAHHHHHH BOIIIII. (Biggest challenge writing this chapter: NOT FRICKING WRITING DAISYPELT EVERY TWO SECONDS IT'S DAISYTAIL OKAY ME?!)**

Chapter 49.

It had been a hard day.

Every cat was drained and exhausted by the battle, but hunting patrols and border patrols had to sent out to provide food and warnings. Lightningpaw had been chosen to go on one of the former.

Every pawstep she took was dragged down by exhaustion and the deep wish to lay down in the fallen leaves and sleep for a good long while.

She'd been up for longer than an entire day, fighting and mourning and talking. She was completely spent and would have liked nothing more than to go to her nest and stay there for a couple moons.

 _Come on, you're not that tired,_ Whiteshadow pushed.

 _Oh yes I am,_ she grunted, her eyes threatening to slip shut and not reopen until she had a good night of rest.

 _Think of the kits! They're all stuck in the nursery, hungry as newborn mice!_ Whiteshadow exclaimed.

 _What, like I want to feed_ Beekit _?_ She spat the word mentally with so much venom she was surprised her skull didn't just dissolve. _Or Rainbowkit? Or the rest of them?_

 _You want to feed Stormkit and Birchkit, right?_ She pointed out.

 _I- I guess… but they're big and strong, they can hunt for themselves, right?_ Lightningpaw responded drowsily.

 _They're kits, don't be ridiculous,_ Whiteshadow purred.

Lightningpaw could feel a headache beginning at the base of her skull as the weak leaf-fall sun hammered down on her.

"Lightningpaw? Lightningpaw?" Daisytail's soothing voice floated over her, lulling her to sleep.

 _Just… for… a moment…_ she thought, a yawn splitting her jaws.

"Lightningpaw!" Hollybird snapped, and she jerked awake.

"Huh- wha- I'm awake!" She cried, hopping from foot to foot.

Hollybird tilted her head at the brown she-cat, pursing her lips in a dignified manner and said primly, "If you're too weak to go on a hunting trip for your Clanmates that more than deserve a good meal after all the work they put into defending our honor…"

She trailed away, the 'question' sounding more like a challenge.

"No, no, I'm fine!" Lightningpaw nodded vigorously, another yawn belying her words. "Seriously. I'm not tired at all, promise."

Daisytail just rolled her eyes, but nudged her affectionately.

"Did I ever tell you about the time Birdtail convinced me that the best way to prepare for my vigil was to stay up the whole night?" Daisytail grimaced comically at the memory.

Lightningpaw purred. "No, but that sounds like a story worth sharing."

"We're on a hunting patrol, not in the elder's den," Hollybird reminded them sharply.

 _Ugh, why couldn't Blackpool have come?_ Lightningpaw wondered mournfully.

 _He's mourning his sister, be respectful,_ Whiteshadow chided her.

 _Right… Brownwing,_ Lightningpaw remembered, shame tingling through her. _Wow, their mother must have been feeling creative. Blackkit and Brownkit._

 _Be respectful!_ Whiteshadow repeated, sharper this time.

 _Sorry, sorry,_ Lightningpaw muttered.

"So Birdtail, she was Birdpaw back then, had a nasty encounter with a badger around the fifth moon of our apprenticeship," Daisytail winced at the memory, then continued, "and I wanted to postpone my ceremony so we could be made warriors together. We always did everything together and the idea of her being stuck as an apprentice while I was a warrior was unthinkable."

 _I'd do the same for Vixenpaw or Slatepaw,_ Lightningpaw thought proudly, then doubt raced through her. _Would I?_

"That's why the leader gave us both 'tail' as our suffix, because every cat would joke that we shared one tail and couldn't go anywhere without the other." Daisytail's eyes lit with affection. "Anyways, I was extraordinarily prepared for my ceremony because of how long I had been waiting, but still I refused until Birdtail was completely ready.

"Despite that, I was eager to become a warrior and wanted to be ready for everything. My mentor helped pull some strings so that I could practice leading patrols, even giving me an 'apprentice' and let me take Rosefire, she was Rosekit back then, out into the forest for a day," Daisytail purred at the memory. "She was… eager, to say the least. Anyways. The one thing I had been obsessing over was my vigil. I was scared I would fall asleep, or I'd get bored and leave camp, or I'd accidentally let a rogue or a fox or something into camp.

"Unfortunately for me, I communicated these fears to Birdpaw, and she managed to convince naive little me that the best way to prepare was to stay up all night before my warrior ceremony." Daisytail shook her head in amusement. "Don't trust that she-cat with _anything_ or she'll have you chasing blue squirrels until sundown. So anyways, of course I believed her and stayed up all night. At least I then knew that I could go an entire night without falling asleep, or getting bored, or any of the things I had feared.

"However, I couldn't go two whole days without a heartbeat of sleep, and I fell asleep right before our ceremony… Thornstar called a meeting and I was nowhere to be found." Daisytail broke into purrs, then continued. "And so Birdpaw confessed what she had done, and of course my mentor was furious because of how long we had both been waiting, only for her to mess everything up."

"Who was your mentor?" Lightningpaw broke in.

"Halfear," Daisytail confessed, her eyes alighting with amusement. "He was quite the grumpy old badger in my day. I suppose old age has mellowed the old fellow."

Lightningpaw's mind drifted back to Vixenpaw venting about how Halfear had been drilling the same fighting move into her the entire day, but refrained from commenting.

"So Halfear went and found me curled up in my nest, snoring like I would never sleep again," Daisytail continued, a purr fighting its way out of her. "He was frustrated with both of us, me for believing Birdpaw's squirrel-brained idea and Birdpaw for convincing me… but I managed to stagger through the ceremony, only falling off the highrock once."

"Wait, you fell off the highrock?" Lightningpaw demanded, breaking into purrs. "Me too!"

"Oh, I saw your little death-defying stunt when you were kits," Daisytail purred. "I wanted to train you, but Thornstar had always had a soft spot for Blackpool and gave you to him instead."

Lightningpaw didn't know what to say to that. She wanted to defend Slatepaw, but the knowledge that multiple cats had wanted to train her made her want to hop from foot to foot like a well-fed squirrel.

"So anyways, I became a warrior and all was well, but then they had to postpone my vigil so I could recover." Daisytail paused to wipe a tear of mirth out of her eyes. "I was furious with Birdpaw, because I had been planning my ceremony for moons only to have her send the whole plan spinning off into the lake…"

Lightningpaw nodded, purring. _Sounds like something Vixenpaw would do._

"So I had my vigil the next night alongside Birdtail, and I wanted _so badly_ to give her an earful, but you're not allowed to talk, so I had to hold it all in, the _whole night_ ," Daisytail recounted, snickering. "As soon as the sun came up and Thornstar allowed us to talk again, she got her due. We went on patrol that morning together, and I ranted at her the whole way through.

"By the time we got back to camp, we were as close again as we had ever been, and then we both staggered into our nests and slept for the rest of the day," Daisytail purred.

"Wow." Lightningpaw shook her head in amazement. "I feel sorry for you!"

"Don't, I probably had it coming," Daisytail purred. "Halfear was up to his ears in complaints from the warriors about my sassy little apprentice-self. Eventually I learned some self-control, but not after many, many, _many_ lectures from Halfear about respecting my superiors…"

Lightningpaw purred with her. _I guess every cat has their story to tell…_ She pictured Vixenpaw in Daisytail's place, recounting something similar to Stormkit or someone. _And life continues…_

"Mouse!" Daisytail suddenly exclaimed.

The gray and white she-cat crouched fluidly, her muscles tensing into a familiar position. Lightningpaw unconsciously mimicked her, feeling herself slide into a hunting crouch. She could tell that Daisytail's was much better than hers.

Her hindlegs felt ungainly and scrunched, but Daisytail looked as relaxed as if she was sunning herself.

Daisytail crept forwards, her paws barely moving as though she wasn't taking steps, but floating over the ground. _This is hunting. This is what a predator looks like,_ Lightningpaw thought, admiring the gray and white she-cat's perfect positioning.

Then, fast as a fork of lightning, Daisytail bolted forwards and slammed her paw down on the mouse. It was over in a heartbeat and Daisytail was standing up, a mouse swinging from her jaws.

"This'll make a good meal for the kits." She grinned around the mouse.

Lightningpaw smiled back, but picturing Rainbowkit, Beekit, and the rest of them made her feel sick.

Daisytail looked at her sympathetically. "Fawnshade was your mother too, wasn't she? I'm really sorry about what happened."

Lightningpaw opened her mouth then closed it again. _No cat knows about Thornstar…_ she recalled. The reality of his relationship with Fawnshade had died alongside him. _He's not going to StarClan._ She curled her lip. _He'll rot in the Dark Forest for what he did to her._

"Lightningpaw?" Daisytail whispered.

Lightningpaw blinked, returning to the present. "Why are you whisper-"

Daisytail slapped her tail over Lightningpaw's muzzle and nodded towards it.

"Ooh," Lightningpaw murmured reverently through Daisytail's tail.

The fattest squirrel Lightningpaw had ever seen was snuffling around the base of the beech tree. _This one's mine!_ Brushing off all unpleasant memories of Rainwater and squirrels, she crouched into the hunting position and slid closer, taking more care than she'd ever taken in her life.

Suddenly, she felt a paw pressing down on her raised haunches. She lowered herself even further in accordance with Daisytail's gentle guiding, and found that she moved even quicker through the leaf-mulch.

"Thanks," she breathed, not breaking her fierce eye contact with the squirrel for a heartbeat.

 _I_ can't _miss this…_ she thought, gently lifting her paw another step closer. _Less than a fox-length… c'mon, almost there…_

 _Now!_ Whiteshadow commanded, and she snapped forwards, her jaws closing on the squirrel's tail as it tried to escape. She quickly slammed a paw down onto its head, and it stumbled, dizzy. She crunched down on its spine and it fell still.

"Good work!" Daisytail cheered.

"Yes, very well done," Hollybird said briskly. "Let's continue, a squirrel and a mouse won't feed the whole Clan."

"Eh, I'm sure that squirrel will take care of at least a couple warriors!" Daisytail exclaimed jovially, bumping Lightningpaw's shoulder.

The dark brown and white striped she-cat grinned, pleased with her successful, if a little messy, catch.

They continued their hunting expedition, with Daisytail outdoing both of them with a grand total of four mice and a thrush. Hollybird was surly after missing a vole, but had made up for it with a pheasant, the likes of which Lightningpaw had never seen. The bird was almost as large as her head, and she was desperate to try some.

She had missed several catches, but the squirrel made up for it. She was immensely pleased with herself as they strode back into camp with the fruits of their labour.

"Great job, Lightningpaw!" Redflower said cheerfully, greeting them as they made their way into camp, slowed by their considerable haul. "You too, Daisytail!"

Hollybird pursed her lips, but said nothing. Daisytail made a face behind Redflower's back.

"They're always treating me like I'm still an apprentice," Daisytail whispered conspiratorially to Lightningpaw when Redflower turned her back to go assign more patrols.

Lightningpaw made a sympathetic face, but wanted to go find Slatepaw and Vixenpaw.

"Lightningpaw." The voice made her jump, but she slowly turned to face the tom.

"Rainwater," she greeted him stonily. She was still unsure of how to treat him after he had become a warrior. Technically, he was her superior, but she still disliked him and his rotten attitude.

 _Then again…_ she remembered his apology moons ago and softened her stance a little.

"Have you seen Shadestar?" He looked worried, his mouth twisted into a grimace.

"Didn't he go to the moonpool?" She responded, frowning a little as she tried to remember where the new leader was. "Took Dawnsplash with him, I think."

Rainwater looked unsure, then finally said, "I just wanted to… er, Dawnsplash didn't get a chance to patch me up."

Suppressing the urge to snap at him about how the leader getting his nine lives was more important than his little scratches, she simply said, "They'll be back soon, I'm sure."

"I don't know about that," he countered. "It'll probably take awhile for him to get his nine lives…"

Lightningpaw sighed, exasperated. "Then you'll just have to wait, won't you?"

Not waiting for an answer, she stormed away. Frustration at Rainwater raced through her, but she pushed it down and continued her search for her sisters.

Eventually, she found them curled up in their nests, sleeping the day away. _Lucky them,_ she thought bitterly, exhaustion slumping over her once more.

"Lightningpaw?" A soft mew came from the entrance of the apprentice's den.

"Blackpool?" She blinked blearily.

Sighing heavily, she exited the den once more to speak with her mentor.

"I'm sorry about your sister," she murmured, unsure of exactly what to say.

"I- she- I'd rather not talk about it." Blackpool swallowed hard. "I'm alright."

She nodded silently. _I couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose Vixenpaw or Slatepaw…_ She shuddered, shying away from the thought.

"I just wanted to say, you fought very well for your first battle," he told her, pride flickering in his dark blue eyes.

"Th- thank you!" She stammered. "I-"

"You're probably tired, so I'll uh, I'll leave you to rest now," Blackpool interrupted, turning tail and walking away slowly.

 _He's upset about his sister,_ she thought sympathetically.

 _Wouldn't you be?_ Whiteshadow pointed out, and Lightningpaw closed her thoughts off to the images of Vixenpaw and Slatepaw's broken bodies.

Suddenly, a wailing cry began in the camp.

 _What's going on?!_ Panic overtook Lightningpaw.

"He's dead!" Some cat shrieked, then the soothing voice of Dawnsplash took over.

"Every cat stay calm!" She called. "He did name a deputy, so Redflower is now our leader."

 _Redflower?!_ She thought. _Oh StarClan… Shadestar's dead?_

"What happened, Dawnsplash?!" Some cat cried out.

Lightningpaw dashed into the centre of camp, panic squealing through her. _Did RiverClan come back for more revenge? Are we going to die?_

"Every cat please stay calm," Dawnsplash repeated, and the cries of panic subsided into muttering. "Yes, Shadestar is dead. He was badly injured, more than any of us realized, and he died before we reached the moonpool. He is in StarClan now, and Redflower is our leader."

The Clan called out their opinions, but Lightningpaw's head was reeling. _Shadestar's dead! How- how did this happen? ThunderClan has lost two leaders in the past two days? Unheard of!_

"Redstar!" Some cat shouted, and others took up the cry.

The russet she-cat in question stepped forwards, her green eyes wide. "I- I'll do my best."

Lightningpaw suddenly realized with a shock that the dark gray bundle that lay at Dawnsplash's paws was Shadestar. _Great StarClan… she carried him back? They must have not made it very far before he died…_

"You aren't injured too, are you?" Some cat called out, sounding like they were only half-joking.

"Not badly," she said bravely. "I'm not going to the moonpool until Dawnsplash has had a chance to treat every cat. The most badly injured first, please. And in case I do happen to die, I say these words before the body of Shadestar that he may hear and approve of my choice. Blackpool will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."

Her mentor's mouth gaped open, and he blinked hard. "I- I'm honored. Thank you, Redstar."

He bowed his head, and the rest of the Clan followed suit. Lightningpaw bent as well, and sent a side-eye to Rainwater. He had been complaining about Shadestar immediately taking Dawnsplash along to the moonpool before she got a chance to treat his wounds, but he was looking at Redstar with a surprisingly rude look.

 _What's gotten into him?_ She wondered privately, but straightened up as Redstar spoke again.

"Any cat that believes they are the worst injured, please go see Dawnsplash now. I want no more casualties today, so _no heroics_." She cast a fierce look around, lingering on Rosefire and Owlclaw who seemed to be badly beat up. "Other than that, I'd like to thank Daisytail, Hollybird, and Lightningpaw for hunting despite their hard work in the battle."

Cheers rose up. _Yeah, yeah,_ she thought sourly. _Easy to cheer, not so easy to go hunting when you feel like your paws are dropping off._

She briefly debated heading over to the fresh-kill pile, but her stomach felt like it had twisted itself into knots so she turned towards the apprentice's den instead.

"Lightningpaw?" Her sister's mew came from behind her.

"Hey, Slatepaw," she greeted the gray she-cat wearily.

"Hey, thanks for hunting," she said gratefully. "I know you must be really tired. I was just wondering if you wanted to share a mouse or something before you went to your nest?"

She was about to open her jaws and refuse when Whiteshadow piped up, _You should say yes. You never know how long you'll have with someone you love before they die._

 _Jeez, way to lighten the mood,_ Lightningpaw snapped at her, but couldn't deny the truth in her words. Ever since the battle, she had been hyper-aware that anything could have gone wrong and one of her sister could have been badly injured, or worse.

"Alright," Lightningpaw sighed. "But you're getting it."

Slatepaw purred, and set off towards the fresh-kill pile. Lightningpaw sighed, collapsing onto the ground. Her eyes blinked close, but she forced her mind to stay awake. _I'm not falling asleep in the middle of camp,_ she told herself strictly.

Slatepaw returned a moment later with the squirrel Lightningpaw had caught. She called out to Mallowdrop and Oakpelt who were sunning themselves nearby, "Hey guys! Wanna share?"

 _She seems really laid-back today…_ Lightningpaw observed. _This is a… change._

 _Battles seem to have the opposite effect on her as everyone else,_ Whiteshadow purred. _She's an odd one._

"Sure!" Oakpelt bounded over, his brother on his heels.

They settled in a little group together, finding a patch of sunlight that was surprisingly warm considering the changing season.

"So Mallowdrop," Lightningpaw turned her gaze to the jumpy tom and he started, then turned to her, "how's Vixenpaw?"

"She's fine…" Mallowdrop glared at her, but there was no genuine dislike in his eyes, as though he was aware of his own shyness. "We're fine."

"We?" Slatepaw teased.

"How's my brother?" The gray and white tom countered easily.

Slatepaw and Oakpelt immediately flushed and looked away, refusing to meet any cat's eyes. Lightningpaw stifled a giggle. _What, they think we can't all see how much they like each other?_

"Is Rosefire alright?" Slatepaw fluidly changed the subject, much to Lightningpaw's amusement. "She looked pretty bad when I last saw her.

"Yeah, she's fine," Oakpelt smiled wearily. "She probably took on too much as usual. She'll be fine."

 _I hope so…_ As much as she disliked the bossy ginger and white warrior, there had been enough heartache. _Thornstar, Shadestar, Brownwing…_ Their faces flashed before her. _I refuse to mourn Thornstar. He deserves_ nothing _._

 _He_ was _your leader…_ Whiteshadow reminded her. _But you're right. If it's any consolation, I can verify that he didn't go to StarClan._

 _Good,_ Lightningpaw thought vindictively.

"Lightningpaw? Hello?" Slatepaw mewed, waving her tail in front of her sister's face.

"Huh? What?" She blinked.

Slatepaw rolled her eyes affectionately. "Try not to fall asleep standing up please."

Lightningpaw stuck her tongue out at her sister. Oakpelt and Mallowdrop purred. _This is nice and all, but I really need to go sleep…_ she thought, yawning widely.

"Lightningpaw?" Her other sister's mew startled her.

"Oh! Hey Vixenpaw," she panted, her heart feeling like it was practicing every battle move it knew.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Her eyes were not quite accusatory, but something put Lightningpaw off.

"Sure?" It sounded more like a question.

Vixenpaw shot a quick grin at Mallowdrop, which of course made him flush and duck his head. Lightningpaw shook her head and rolled her eyes, but Vixenpaw was already dragging her away.

"Lightningpaw." Her voice was more serious than Lightningpaw had ever heard it.

"Y- yeah?" She stammered. She was getting nervous; Vixenpaw was acting strange…

"Who is that golden and black tom?" Her voice was cool and challenging.

Her heart skipped several beats, but she managed to keep a fairly steady voice as she said, "What golden and black tom?"

"I think you know the one," Vixenpaw said softly, narrowing her eyes at Lightningpaw.

Her heart caught in her throat. _Do I come clean? But what will Vixenpaw say? Is she going to tell everyone? But there's nothing to tell! Right? I told him the truth when I said that there was nothing between us!_ She thought, panic racing through her blood.

 _Then why do you keep thinking about him?_ Whiteshadow challenged. _And what about when you were beside the river last night?_

Lightningpaw shut her out, anxiety crashing over her like a wave. _What if Tho- er, Redstar throws me out of ThunderClan?! What if Vixenpaw hates me? What if- I don't want to be a rogue!_

"Lightningpaw," Vixenpaw said, flicking her with her bushy ginger and white tail.

"I- I- what do you want to know about him?" She asked finally, fighting to keep her voice cool and steady.

"I'd like an explanation for why you didn't fight him when you two came face to face…" Vixenpaw said slowly. "And maybe also one for why you two were sitting by the river after the fight despite ThunderClan leaving…"

Lightningpaw's heart raced. _StarClan, she knows it all! Whiteshadow, what do I do?!_

Whiteshadow was silent for a moment. Then, _Tell her the truth._

 _What?! Are you crazy?!_ Lightningpaw demanded.

 _Trust me,_ Whiteshadow said calmly.

"I- He-" Lightningpaw began, not sure how to tell her.

"Do you have a crush on him?" Vixenpaw demanded bluntly.

Heat scorching her, she just nodded quickly. _WHITESHADOW why would you tell me to tell her? Ooooh, this is_ really _bad, I'm dead!_ Lightningpaw's heart raced.

A little smile appeared on Vixenpaw's face, then spread until she was practically hopping from foot to foot. "I knew it! I knew it! Ooooh, I am _good_!"

"What in StarClan's name are you talking about?!" Lightningpaw demanded, still flushed.

"I saw you two, and I was just like 'she so likes him. No doubt about it'," Vixenpaw exclaimed, still twitching.

"Just- just don't tell anyone about it! Please!" Lightningpaw begged, terror still blazing inside her. "I'll do anything!"  
"Tell anyone about it?" Vixenpaw let out a snort of laughter. "I'm not going to tell anyone! Although I'd love it if you'd clean out my nest…"

"Done!" Lightningpaw exclaimed desperately.

 _What if she tells Redstar?! I- I'll be sent away!_ She thought anxiously.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, Lightningpaw," Vixenpaw repeated, laying her tail across Lightningpaw's shoulders comfortingly, and a devilish look crossed her grinning face. "I'm going to help you."

 **WHOOP WHOOOOOOOOOP.**

 **Ta-da the end :P.**

 **QOTC: How is Vixenpaw going to help Lightningpaw?**

 **~Pondfrost**


	52. Breeze: Fire, Fury, and Love Advice

**Look at the word count. *Slaps on sunglasses* das right witches.**

 **RRs:**

 **Stormbreeze's 1st review: Hurmerdy hurm. Lovely theories folks. But are you right? It remains to be seen!**

 **Stormbreeze's 2nd review: Good names, but nope.**

 **Stormbreeze's 3rd review: I love OneRepublic, fantastic music. And to write lemons or smut or whatever, the rating would actually have to be MA, but ffn doesn't allow MA rated content, so nupe.**

Chapter 50.

"How are you feeling?" Breezepaw asked him quietly.

The brown and white tom rolled his eyes. "I'm _fine_ , and Morningpoppy knows it. Littlepaw's just being a damp leaf about it."

"I'm sure he just doesn't want you to train until you're ready," Breezepaw said tactfully. "It can't be easy now that you've lost your tail."

"Not all of it," Rabbitpaw pointed out, twitching his whiskers at the tiny stump on his hindquarters that was all that remained of his tail. "I'll do all of your morning patrols for a moon if Spottedstar doesn't name me Rabbittail…"

Breezepaw stifled a snort of amusement. Rabbitpaw had been endlessly griping about Littlepaw's firm refusal to allow him to resume training until he was 'completely sure that the wound wouldn't reopen, become infected, or otherwise worsen.'

"Your best interests are at his heart," Breezepaw reassured Rabbitpaw. "And if Spottedstar gives you the name Rabbittail… well, it could be worse."

"Yeah, like?" Rabbitpaw snorted.

"Oh, let me think," Breezepaw rolled his eyes, "how about Rabbitface, Rabbittoes, Rabbitheart, Rabbit-"

Rabbitpaw snorted. "Alright, alright, I get it, you're right. Whatever. Get in a good couple swipes for me, okay?" He muttered, poking at a sprig of heather that stuck out obstinately from his nest. "Stupid Littlepaw. Stupid Morningpoppy. Stupid WindClan. Stupid Spottedstar. Stupid everything. Stupid Swiftclaw. Stupid StarClan. Stupid R- Rabbitpaw."

Breezepaw shrugged and exited the den. The tang of herbs faded from his tongue and he sighed deeply, the damp air dragging at his fur.

"Hey, Breezepaw," Palepaw greeted him, looking sorrowful. "How's Rabbitpaw doing?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Breezepaw responded gloomily.

"Littlepaw banned me from the medicine den after I visited 'one too many times'," she said, curling her lip and shooting a distasted look at the ginger and white medicine cat apprentice in question. "I think that's stupid; I should be able to visit my brother as much as I like."

Breezepaw privately wondered how much she had tried to be around Rabbitpaw if Littlepaw, the leader of ComposureClan had finally told her to stay away. _I would probably do the same…_ he thought, wondering if she would try to visit him too all the time if he were injured.

"So… how have you been?" Palepaw asked softly.

"Fine," he muttered, his mind drifting to the image of a cream splotch at the bottom of the river.

Palepaw exhaled softly, then turned to him. "No you're not. You don't have to pretend to be okay."

"What are you talking about?" He snapped. "I'm _fine_ , I'm not pretending."

"Breezepaw…" Palepaw's eyes softened. "I was thrown into despair when Rabbitpaw's _tail_ was injured. I can only imagine what you're going through right now. I just want to remind you, you're _not alone._ Even if we can't understand, we can help."

And then her light pelt and pale eyes were darkening, twisting, slashing, and she was Lightningpaw, those liquid golden eyes begging him. His stomach churned and he looked away, blinking to make the phantom she-cat dissipate.

"I told you, I'm fine," he repeated, but his voice broke on the last word and a sob bubbled out of his throat. "It's not supposed to be like this! I'm not supposed to- I can't care like this! She's gone, I've mourned… and now I move on!"

"It's not so easy," Palepaw murmured. "You know it's not. Deep down, you know."

Breezepaw's head fell limp and he dropped to the ground, tears spilling down his muzzle but not a sound escaping him. _I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine._ The words pounded in his head like a mantra.

"You're not fine," Palepaw said forcefully.

"Thanks a lot!" He shouted suddenly, shoving her away. "That's exactly what I need to hear! I'm broken! I'm sick! There's something wrong with me, but I can't fix it! Great, thanks _so_ much!"

Hurt flashed in her pale green eyes, and anger reflected in his darker ones. "Breezepaw, you don't need to be perfect! It's okay to be hurt!"

"But normal cats aren't snapped in half like this!" He rounded on her furiously. "They move on! They put their Clans first!"

"Only in elders' tales," Palepaw murmured softly. "Real cats take time to heal. And even if you feel like you _never_ will, you don't get to give up. You don't get to retreat into your shell and feel bad for yourself."

Her voice rose suddenly and she stormed up to him until they were nose to nose. Her eyes flamed with anger. "There are cats that care about you, and you don't get to be so… so- so _selfish_ just because you lost someone!

"I'm not _selfish_ ," he snapped back. "I'm just trying to get over losing my _mother_ thank you very much!"

"Really," she said coldly. "Then stop pushing me away. I'm trying to help you. If you really wanted to heal, you'd stop right here and figure out why I'm trying to help you."

He stiffened at her cold voice. She wasn't giving, yielding, she wasn't rolling over. She was fighting him. And she was right. _I'm not letting myself heal because it's_ wrong _to heal. It means I've forgotten about Oatpad. And I hated her when she was alive, so if I don't honour her in death, I might as well head to the Dark Forest right now,_ he thought stonily. _Healing is the wrong thing to do._

"I'm doing it for Oatpad," he muttered hoarsely.

Palepaw froze, fury twisting her face.

"I _am not watching you throw your life away because you think you're doing for your mother,_ " she spat, fury trembling in each word. "Is this what Oatpad would've wanted?"

The words shook him, however clichéed they might have been. _Is this what she would have wanted me to do?_ His mother's favourite words echoed in his mind. _Let go of the past. It will make you weak. The future is what matters._

It was the one thing she valued above all else. _Perseverance. Keeping my head up and moving forwards,_ he realized slowly. _Mourning her forever is literally the last thing she would have wanted. Spitting on her grave would be closer to what she wants from me than sticking in a bubble of past sadness. She would have me forget about her and just move along with my life._

"No. She wouldn't want this," he said out loud.

"There it is," she snapped, rolling her eyes. "Fluff-brain."

But something still felt wrong. "But… I'm not my mother. What she wants most shouldn't be the most important thing to me, what _I_ want should. If I want to mourn her for a moon… that's what I'm going to do. But I don't want to be broken forever.

"If I'm healing, I'm doing it my way," he finished firmly and turned away from Palepaw's shocked face.

"Breezepaw, wait!" She called.

 _No. My mind's made up; I'm living for myself now,_ he thought, determined. _And that means not letting Palepaw, Oatpad, or any other cat stop me from doing things my way._

He left camp, heading to the only place he knew no cat would find him.

…

It was his favourite spot on the territory, not close to the camp or the borders, but just secluded enough to be private. He called it 'the twisted stone'. It was a boulder with some plant's roots growing all over it, wrapping it in an earthy, firm embrace. But the most important part of the spot wasn't the odd rock formation anymore.

Breezepaw slowly padded over to it. It was beneath a straggly bush, far away from any source of water.

A single, long, oval stone lay beneath it, perfectly gray and unblemished by sunlight or dirt. He pressed one pad against it softly, and remembered her.

Oatpad's reprimanding face rose in his mind, but he pushed it away, trying to focus on a happier memory. The hazy image of her delight as he took his first steps out of the nursery brought a bittersweet smile to his muzzle.

Slowly, softly, a tear slid out of his eye and dropped onto the stone.

Taking a shaky breath, he laid the stone back below the scraggly bush and left the spot.

…

Just as he was bending to pick up a limp rabbit from the fresh-kill pile, his stomach squeezing with hunger, a tail fell onto his shoulders.

"I heard you had a disagreement with Palepaw," Jaypaw mewed, her blue eyes glimmering with uncommon sympathy. "But trust me, she'll forgive. She's the nicest cat I know."

Breezepaw snorted. "Including you?" He teased. "You're the fluffiest ray of sunlight and hope the world has ever seen."

Jaypaw responded by cuffing his ear with _far_ more force than necessary and gave him a faceful of dirt. "Oof!"

He glared at her, sitting up and rubbing one ear ruefully. "Alright, I'm sorry, you're super rude and annoying."

"Thank you- hey!" Jaypaw scowled at him, but it melted into a playful eyeroll. "So what if I'm not the sweetest berry on the bush? I know Palepaw like I know my own mind, and I can promise you you'll never meet any cat as trusting or kind."

Breezepaw shrugged, but a smile trickled over his face. _She really cares about Palepaw…_ The two of them were like day and night, fire and ice, shadow and light, but Jaypaw loved her sister. "I guess."

Jaypaw gave him an exasperated look.

"You _guess_? Pffffft…" Jaypaw stuck her tongue out at him. "You should _bow_ to her. And me too, now that I mention it!"

Breezepaw batted at one of her ears.

"Hey! That's no way to treat the leader!" Jaypaw growled, crouching playfully and leaping at him.

"Oof!" He gasped out as he was pinned beneath her.

"Haha!" She yowled triumphantly, poking his nose in a show of victory. "So there."

He sniffed dramatically. "Fine, oh great Jaystar of WindClan."

"That's right!" She purred, releasing him from her tight hold and letting him catch his breath. "And don't you forget it."

He sighed, using his tail to smooth down the unruly fur from their brief tussle, when he realized Jaypaw was giving him a funny look.

"What?" He asked feeling uncomfortable.

"N- nothing," she said quickly, looking away.

"Hey Breezepaw," Palepaw's soft voice mewed from his side.

He started, then looked over to her slowly. "Hey."

"Look… I'm sorry about what I said earlier," she muttered, her head hanging, but a bit of fire returned as she said, "Don't get me wrong; I stand by what I said. But it wasn't what you needed to hear, and I'm sorry I tried to force it on you when you obviously weren't ready to hear it.

"I'm sorry too," he admitted softly. "I overreacted and you were right."

Jaypaw looked like she was stifling a cry of amusement.

He shot her a look. She simply grinned back.

"Oh, hello Jaypaw." Palepaw's mew was oddly cool.

 _Did they have a fight or something?_ Breezepaw wondered, looking between them.

In way of answer, Jaypaw stepped away from them and lowered her blue eyes. "I'm- I'm going to go find Honeythorn and see if I'm needed on a patrol or anything. See you around."

Breezepaw narrowed his eyes. She was acting odd; something was up, he knew it. Suddenly, he sagged with exhaustion. _I just want to go back to my nest…_ he thought, his eyes closing slowly.

"Breezepaw, our warrior ceremonies are coming up…" Palepaw said quietly.

"I know," he said wearily.

 _I think being an apprentice is hard, just wait until I'm a warrior…_ he thought gloomily. _That'll be even worse, I bet._

"Well, about that," Palepaw said nervously.

"Get to the point," he grumbled irritably.

"Not while you're all grumpy," she said haughtily, wrinkling her nose at him.

He rolled his eyes, not bothering to comment further. _Just a little… sleep…_ he thought drowsily, his eyes beginning to shut. _Well, I should at least get to my nest…_

He yawned widely and mumbled something that might have been a good-bye to Palepaw, or perhaps not, he was too tired to be bothered to know. Stumbling into the den, he curled up on his heather and sheepswool.

 _Just a little sleep…_ he thought, drifting off.

…

"It comes," a soft hissing mew broke into his sleeping.

"Huh? What? Where?" Breezepaw muttered blearily, blinking away the sleep.

"Prepare yourself, young twister… it comes…" the voice hissed again, and it was almost familiar.

Breezepaw squinted at the blobby form before him, trying to connect the voice to a cat… or maybe it was more like a snake. The form of the cat or snake or whatever it was began to the redden.

"It comessss," it hissed again.

He shivered at the ominous words. "Who are you? What's coming?"

The form began to take a feline shape, and once again Breezepaw was struck with a strong sense of familiarity.

"Ratssss," the cat hissed. "It comessssss…"

"Rats?" He repeated, confusion whirling in his mind.

 _What rats? Why is that voice so familiar? Great StarClan, they're on fire!_ His eyes widened as the mystery cat suddenly began to flame, fire engulfing the feline in heartbeats.

"Prepare for the blood to sssspill," it hissed ominously, the fire stretching outwards, tearing and blazing and obliterating the dream world.

 _I know that cat! That's-_

And with a jolt, Breezepaw awoke.

…

 _Damn, I was so close!_ He thought angrily, trying to picture the cat from his dream, but their form was sloughing away from his memory until nothing remained but fire, fire, everywhere. _Who was that fire cat?_

"Breezepaw!" Leopardheart exclaimed, bounding over to him. "Spottedstar was looking for you. She wanted me to tell you that she's going to have to organize things from after the battle so, um, she wanted me to get some experience training an apprentice…"

His ears twitched up in interest and the thoughts of the dreams were swept away. _She's always too busy,_ he thought mutinously. _You'd think being trained by a leader would be awesome, but she's_ leader _, she doesn't have time to train me. What was she thinking when she made me her apprentice?_

"That's… that's actually cool, Leopardheart!" He grinned at her, then said, "But could I visit Icestorm quickly? I'd like to see how her kits are getting on…"

Leopardheart blinked, unsure. "Uh, yeah, I'm sure that's fine. Sorry, Breezepaw, it's all a little new to me… shoot, I'm probably not supposed to say that. Um… you can just go ahead then. I'll be waiting around the warrior's den."

Breezepaw nodded sympathetically, and turned to find the nursery. _Poor Leopardheart, dumped headfirst into mentorship._

As he slipped into the nursery, he was struck by how warm it was despite the cool leaf-fall wind. Shafts of sunlight filtering through the heather overhang were the only source of light, and the nursery was quite dim.

"Breezepaw," Icestorm greeted him softly, stirring in the corner.

He was so relieved to hear his old mentor's voice, he rushed over to her and then froze, not wanting to accidentally tread on one of the kits' tails. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she said, smiling and sweeping her kits closer with her tail. "How has your training with Spottedstar been?"

His eyes darted to the corner of the den; he was unsure of how much to tell her. "Uh… it's been great! Spottedstar knows so much!"  
Icestorm snorted, sounding a lot like her old self. "Oh really? She's _never_ been to busy to train you?"

Breezepaw purred; she saw right through him. "Alright, you're right, Spottedstar's usually too busy. But apparently she's officially appointed Leopardheart as my secondary mentor."

Icestorm blinked then shrugged. "That's good. That she-cat has her head on straight, I'm sure she'll be a great mentor once she adjusts."

"Uh, Icestorm, can I ask you something?" He said, going on a whim.

"Sure, what do you need to know?" She asked cheerfully, then the smile fell away at his serious expression. "Is everything alright?"

"Well… it's just that…" he hedged, "I had a weird dream."

Icestorm tilted her head knowingly. "What sort of dream?"

He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. _Does she know something about these dreams?_ "I- there was this voice, telling me something was coming, then the voice was a cat that I think I know, but right before I figured out who they were, I woke up. Also, I think they blew up."

Icestorm blinked.

"Uh, okay," she said, her eyes darting around. "That's… definitely weird, I agree with you there… but did anything prompt it? Have you been worrying about something a lot lately, or have you been anxious about fire? I know some cats have nightmarish dreams before leaf-bare, but fire would definitely not go in that section."

"Yeah, fire, leaf-bare…" he trailed off meaningfully, then changed subjects. "You don't think this has something to do with… the battle?"

Icestorm tilted her head thoughtfully. "You know, when you brought up the subject of odd dreams, that's what I thought of. It would have made sense if you had a dream about drowning, because of what happened to Oatpad, but fire? Not so much."

Breezepaw winced at the fresh memory of his mother's death.

"Unless you're having some kind of prophetic dream, I would say it was just a random product of your imagination." Icestorm shrugged helplessly. "I don't see what else it could be…"

"Alright," Breezepaw said, defeated. "If you really think so. I just don't know… the voice was really familiar."

"Well, keep thinking. It'll come to you."

Breezepaw shrugged, his gaze drifting down to the kits. "And how are the kits?"

"A pawful and a half," Icestorm snorted. "Barely a moon old and they've already gotten into everything they can stick their noses into. I can already tell Warblerkit's going to be the troublemaker, Dandelionkit's the peacemaker, Goldenkit's the leader, and I think Rufflekit might be a medicine cat one day."

Breezepaw purred, looking at the kits happily. "That's so great! You and Logfall must be so proud…"

Icestorm's eyebrow slowly raised, and her blue eyes took on a playful gleam. "And how about you, Breezepaw? Do you think you'll have kits one day?"

He froze.

"Uh… I'm still quite young to be- uh- thinking about that sort of thing," he stammered.

Icestorm threw her head back and laughed. "Right, and you've certainly not noticed how Palepaw follows you around like a lost kit, or how much Jaypaw ' _hates'_ you, or… or how that former-rogue is so fond of you."

Breezepaw's fur felt like it was on fire. "Well- I mean- you- I don't really-" His face flushed.

Icestorm purred harder than ever. "I don't envy you; one day, some she-cat's going to have her heartbroken. All I can say is, choose carefully and listen to your heart."

 _Oh StarClan, why am I getting love advice from my mentor?_ His fur seared with embarrassment. "I'll- I'm sure I'll be fine, thanks," he said stiffly.

"Alright!" She said brightly. "Just keep what I said in mind!"

Embarrassed, he darted out of the nursery.

 _StarClan have mercy on me,_ he thought, worried, _they don't all like me_ that _way… do they? I mean… I know Palepaw has… y'know, but… Jaypaw never- and Scarletpaw doesn't…_

"Breezepaw!" Leopardheart called. "Ready for training?"

He nodded briskly, brushing away the worries about the she-cats. "What are we doing first?"

"Well, since Copperspots was so badly injured in battle, we're taking Scarletpaw along with us!" Leopardheart exclaimed with what appeared to be an almost manic gleam in her eye.

"Aren't we taking any other warriors?" Breezepaw asked doubtfully.

"Um, I think they're all busy," Leopardheart said quietly.

 _She's not ready to be taking two new apprentices on a patrol all by herself_ _… but we're not new apprentices. This won't be bad for her,_ he thought, determination prickling inside him.

"Don't worry Leopardheart, Scarletpaw and I have done border markings before," he reassured her quietly. "It'll be easy. It's just one patrol. What could go wrong?"

Leopardheart eyed him doubtfully, then relaxed. "I guess. Okay, let's go."

She didn't look excited, but at least the freezing fear was gone from her eyes. Breezepaw followed her to entrance of the WindClan camp where Scarletpaw was already waiting.

"You're ready?" The she-cat looked uncharacteristically serious.

Breezepaw tilted his head slightly at her odd behaviour but didn't comment. "Hello, Scarletpaw."

"Hi, Breezepaw," she returned, barely even glancing at him.

When she did, he caught her fierce amber eyes and saw something he thought he'd never see. _Fear. Scarletpaw is scared? How?_ It was destabilizing to see a cat who was as tough as a turtle, unyielding as a boulder, strong as a badger, and wily as a fox have a feeling so trivial and weak as _fear_.

"Are you alright?" He muttered to her, trying to be discreet and not arouse Leopardheart's attention.

"Fine," she muttered back, speeding up to walk shoulder to shoulder with Leopardheart.

 _Well that's the end of_ that _conversation,_ Breezepaw thought, biting back frustration. _What's her deal? The battle's over. There's nothing to be afraid of._

The memories of the battle, flashing fur and blood arcing through the air, raced through his mind and he crumpled in on himself at the memory of Oatpad. _No! No! Don't think about her!_ Lightningpaw's tear-filled golden eyes stared into his, then darkened into the furious black amber of Darkpaw's as she gouged out Lightningpaw's fur and flesh, then Wavepaw's pleading blue ones as he tried to talk to Breezepaw…

His head pounded and his mouth dried, bile rising in the back of it.

 _No. NO. NO!_

He pressed down the memories, and they faded away until he could barely make out the cream and brown flecked patterning of Oatpad's fur, then realized that was because he wasn't looking at Oatpad.

 _Leopardheart's fur… it's just like Oatpad's…_ he thought, blinking and trying to clear his vision. _But it's more golden. Like mine._

They carried on until they reached the border that lay between WindClan and the twolegs place that lay on the outskirts of most of RiverClan, WindClan, and ThunderClan territory. _My father could live here…_ The thought rose unbidden in his mind.

Scarletpaw stiffened as they reached the edge, and Breezepaw suddenly knew why. "Rogue scents," he announced grimly.

"Inside our territory," Leopardheart added thoughtfully, anger lighting in her eyes. "We'll have to report this Spottedstar. Terrible timing really; we're weaker than ever after the battle and all."

Scarletpaw averted her eyes.

Breezepaw narrowed his eyes at her. She had been acting odd… _does she know these rogues?_ The thought occurred to him like lightning striking him.

"Scarletpaw… do you know them?" He asked slowly.

She shook her vehemently, panic alighting in her eyes and betraying her quick rejection of the idea.

"You sure?" Leopardheart's eyebrow raised and the other came down, giving her an intensely skeptical look.

"Very sure." Now she looked nauseous, quickly approaching sickened.

Leopardheart exchanged a glance with the golden and black tom, clearly communicating her distrust of the statement. Breezepaw had to agree. However endearing the russet she-cat with a dark past was, she was obviously hiding something.

But what, Breezepaw couldn't say.

"Scarletpaw, if there's anything that could possibly be useful to us and you are intentionally withholding it, that could be considered betrayal," Leopardheart said softly, not quite threatening but _certainly_ not kindly.

Breezepaw shuffled his paws, unsure of what to say. Scarletpaw had something she wasn't talking about, but Breezepaw trusted her; if she didn't want to talk about it, it wasn't important.

"I- I think I might know them," Scarletpaw admitted slowly, terror crawling at the edge of her eyes. "It's just… it's not a thing I like to talk about… or think about…"

The day Scarletpaw had arrived in the Clan came to Breezepaw's mind. _She was screaming something about rats and Willy or someone…_

"Does it have to do with… Willy?" Breezepaw asked softly.

Scarletpaw's whole body went stiff. "I've never heard that name in my life," she said through gritted teeth.

Breezepaw wanted to seize her shoulders and shake some answers out of her, but he knew that a little more delicacy would be required. "You… you mentioned him when we met," he said tactfully.

Her eyes darted around nervously. "No I di'n."

"You did," he said firmly, maintaining eye contact. "There was obviously something bothering you, and if it's still bothering you, then you need help in some way."

"I don' need nothin'," she snapped, her accent thickening, a surefire sign there was indeed something bothering her.

Breezepaw tilted his head suspiciously. _She's lying. But… I know she would tell me if she really had something that was going to mess with her in a big way..._ he thought, brushing the doubts away from his thoughts.

"Come on, let's just mark the border and tell Spottedstar about the scents," Leopardheart said wearily.

Breezepaw nodded uneasily, still worried about the russet she-cat. _She's so… stubborn. Maybe she can't handle everything on her own; it's alright to need help sometimes._

They fell into an uneasy routine, marking in silence with no glances at each other. Eventually, as they finished, Breezepaw fell beside the former rogue.

"You know if there's something bothering you, you can tell me," he murmured to her.

"I _know_ ," Scarletpaw responded through gritted teeth. "I'm fine. Seriously."

The words echoed what he had shouted at Palepaw. _Ooooh… so she's not fine, but she's certainly not going to talk about it any time soon…_ Frustration clawed at him, but he held his tongue. _She'll talk when she's ready. I'm not going to push her like_ some _cats do._

Heaving a deep sigh, he continued on his way.

Suddenly, Scarletpaw froze.

"Scarletpaw?" Leopardheart asked, turning to the suddenly immobile she-cat. "You alright?"

"I- go ahead without me," she managed, looking sick. "I- I just need to make some dirt."

Her eyes flashed brighter, looking almost… not amber, that was for certain, and she choked out a pained cry and darted into the bushes, her tail disappearing into the heather.

"Well, _that_ was odd," he said, trying to diffuse the tension. "Um, Leopardheart, why don't you go on ahead to the border? I'll make sure she's okay!"

Apparently having heard the tail-end of that exchange, Scarletpaw's voice came from behind the bushes, though it sounded odd; lower and more mature almost, like she was an older cat. "I'm fine! You go on! I'll- ngh- I'm fine!"

 _What in StarClan's name is happening to her?_ Breezepaw wondered, terrified.

"Scarletpaw?" He called cautiously.

"I'm _fine_!" She snapped, sounding more like her normal self.

As she stepped out from behind the bushes once more, he had to agree. In fact, she looked more than fine; she was almost radiating health and life. "Alright," he said doubtfully, but nothing seemed to be amiss.

The second Scarletpaw turned away to go to join Leopardheart, Breezepaw darted behind the bushes to see what was there.

 _Huh?_

There was nothing there. Just stalks of grass swaying in the breeze.

But no…

Those weren't any old stalks of grass, he realized with a chill. They were the stems of flowers. With no flower.

 _She ate the flower._ His mind whirled. _But why? Oh StarClan, what is happening to her?_

Revolted, he turned tail and fled towards the two she-cats.

"Scarletpaw, why are you eating those flowers?" He demanded.

"What flowers?" Her tone was cool, but the way her whole body stiffened and her very amber eyes flashed with panic made him certain he had caught her.

"You're _eating_ flowers, and I want to know why," Breezepaw snapped, worry shortening his temper.

"None of your business!" Scarletpaw hissed, but it was too late; Leopardheart heard.

"What's going on here?" The gold and brown she-cat stepped between them, eyeing the russet former-rogue suspiciously.

"She was eating flowers, and I don't know why," Breezepaw snapped, feeling a little silly. "I think they're dangerous. I saw her eating them after a Gathering!"

"Is that true?" Leopardheart tilted her head.

 _Why, though? They're flowers…_ Confusion whirled in his mind, but something told him that this held more importance than he yet knew. _She was throwing up last time. Are they poisonous?_

"Scarletpaw, I think we had better go back to camp," Leopardheart murmured.

"No! I'm fine! Let's just keep going on the patrol!" Frustration flashed through her eyes.

"Scarletpaw, we're going to back to camp," Leopardheart said firmly, though not unkindly. "Let's go."

Scarletpaw rolled her eyes so hard they looked like they might tumble out of her head and befriend some round pebbles. "Fine, but seriously, I'm alright!"

Breezepaw felt relieved. _We'll find out what's up with her,_ he thought, determination racing through him.

They walked back to camp in stoney silence.

…

"I know what's wrong with her," Morningpoppy announced grimly after checking over an irate Scarletpaw. "Actually… really, there's _nothing_ wrong with her, it's just…

"She is pregnant."

 **DUH DUH... DUHDUH!**

 **~Akila**


	53. Wave: Scarred Sinners

**Sorry for taking awhile to grind out an update.**

 **So there's been lots of speculation as to what ON EARTH IS HAPPENING after what I dropped last chapter. This chapter might shed a little light, but things will still be plenty murky.**

Chapter 51.

Wavepaw had retreated to his den.

He couldn't bear to look at the anguish on the faces of his Clanmates.

The anguish he had caused.

 _So, so stupid,_ he berated himself, Seednose's broken expression and Crowstrike's broken body floating in his mind. _How could you do this to your Clanmates? Over what? A she-cat?_

He could imagine Pondfrost's reaction so clearly it didn't matter that she had been ominously silent following her odd episode. _Would you do it again?_

He caught his breath as he realized the answer.

 _Without a second thought._ He hated himself for it. He hated he needed her like this. _But it's the truth. I would do it again. And I'm stupid enough to._

He wished Pondfrost were there to scream about the future. He wished she'd tell him how fish-brained he was being. He wished there was anything but the crushing, smothering silence.

"Wavepaw?" Like she had been sent from StarClan themselves, Cinnamonpaw appeared in the entrance of the apprentice den.

Her normal calm and relaxed aura floated over him and his muscles loosened. For once, he was glad of the cloud that settled across his thoughts, if only to give him a moment free of the crushing guilt of knowing he had indirectly killed two of his Clanmates.

"Hi, Cinnamonpaw," he muttered.

"Why so grumpy?" She said, bumping his shoulder and sitting down beside him. "We won, didn't we?"

"Crowstrike and Badgerfur are dead though…" he murmured, tracing meaningless patterns on the floor of the den.

Cinnamonpaw snorted dismissively. "Where I come from, you'd be lucky to only lose two in a battle like that."

Wavepaw looked up sharply. The mysterious russet she-cat didn't tend to talk about her past much, and he didn't want to make her clam up now. "Did you have a lot of battles like this?" He said cautiously.

"Some," she said, giving him a sideways look out of golden eyes that were far too familiar. "Usually not as… organized."

Wavepaw nodded knowingly, though he had no idea what she meant. _Disorganized? But then how did they fight? Fights are_ about _organization… that's why you have leaders and stuff._

"I see," he murmured.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" She invited. "Everyone's gloomy attitudes are irritating me."

Wavepaw shrugged. He certainly wouldn't disagree with that, but privately wondered why Cinnamonpaw was being so rude about the deaths and the battle.

"Let's go, then," she exclaimed, leading the way out of the den with her tail held high.

He followed her out of camp, careful to avert his eyes from the cats with their heads hanging low in mourning. He couldn't look them in the eye; it was too painful. Seednose wasn't present, which felt like a thorn twisted into his gut.

Looking away quickly, he dashed after Cinnamonpaw.

"So how's Flowerpelt as a mentor?" He asked, uncomfortable now that he was alone with the she-cat.

"She's… good," the she-cat replied. "She's taught me a lot about how the Clans work. You have so many rules I'm impressed they're not branded onto my tongue after how much she made me repeat them."

Wavepaw purred. "Yeah, but RiverClan's usually not quite as strict as Clans like WindClan, I've heard."

"WindClan?" Cinnamonpaw tilted her head with interest. "They fought with us, didn't they?"

"That's right," he agreed.

Cinnamonpaw _hmmed_ to herself and glanced away. _That's strange; why's she interested in WindClan?_ Wavepaw wondered.

"Well, other than that, I think I've learned most of what Flowerpelt has to teach me," Cinnamonpaw said dismissively, changing the subject quickly.

Wavepaw found himself nodding softly, then snapped out of it and shook his head vigorously. "You'd be surprised. I'm sure there's still plenty you have to learn- hey!"

Cinnamonpaw full-on tackled him, sending him sprawling sideways. By the time he was staggering to his feet, she had whipped behind him and kicked out with her backlegs and flung him in the other direction.

He coughed, trying to regain his bearings and counterattack. He managed a swipe in her general direction, but she was twisting out of his clumsy strike like a snake and slamming her paw onto his head, giving him a face-full of sand.

"Pah!" He spat out a small stone that had invited itself into his mouth.

Cinnamonpaw purred, the sound eerie, and dodged behind him.

He twisted, trying to predict her attack, but her tail wrapped around one of his front paws and he tripped onto his face. Again.

This time, she threw her head back and laughed, a manic note in it. She leapt onto his back and his belly slammed into the ground, effectively knocking the air out of him. She wrapped her tail around his head this time, covering his eyes and blinding him.

"I surrender!" He hissed through a mouthful of sand.

The weight from his back disappeared, he could see again, and air rushed back into his lungs.

"Great StarClan!" He choked. "Flowerpelt must be an incredible mentor. When'd you learn that tail thing?"

"Not something I learned from Flowerpelt," Cinnamonpaw said mysteriously, then her golden eyes flashed with pain.

"Are you okay?" He asked, alarmed.

"Fine, fine, it's nothing…" she muttered, looking away quickly, leading him to believe it might not have been physical pain.

A sharp tug from inside his chest surprised him. He wanted to comfort her, but she was so… _confusing._ _How would she react to me trying to help her?_ He wondered. _Only one way to find out, I guess._

"You can tell me," he said reassuringly, pressing against her lightly. His tail ventured to touch her shoulder lightly, but she jumped like there was an electrical current between them.

"No, no, this is all wrong," she muttered to herself, then straightened up, all emotion fleeing her eyes and only flat golden stone in its place. "I'm fine; promise."

He gave her an uneasy look, but she smiled and he relaxed a little. _If there was something bothering her, she would tell me. Probably. Maybe. Would she?_

"Why don't Clan cats kill?" She asked suddenly.

Wavepaw jumped, startled by the morbid question. "Um… it's dishonorable. An enemy doesn't need to be dead to be beaten."

Cinnamonpaw tilted her head, absorbing his words, then said, "But ThunderClan might attack you again. And you killed their leader."

"They won't attack again soon; Thornstar was the only one who was being aggressive. Uh, I think," he told her.

"They won't attack again _soon,_ " Cinnamonpaw threw his words back at him. "But eventually, they might. Right?" Without waiting for an answer, she swept on. "And since you all seemed to be terribly attached to Badgerfur and Crowswipe or whatever, wouldn't it be better to wipe out ThunderClan before they can kill more of you?"

"That battle never should have happened," he snapped, but she continued.

"You might have rules saying you can't kill, but that didn't stop ThunderClan. Now Crowswipe and Badgerfur will never breathe again because of those scum. I don't understand what's stopping you from unleashing the full force of RiverClan while they're still recovering," Cinnamonpaw growled passionately. "Why don't you protect those you love? What do you stand to gain by leaving ThunderClan alive?"

Her gold eyes flashed with fervor. Her russet fur darkened before his eyes and suddenly her tabby stripes with jagged and white, and _no!_ He shook his head vigorously to dispel the image of Lightningpaw before focusing on Cinnamonpaw again.

"We don't kill," he repeated, but the words sounded hollow. _Why_ don't _we kill ThunderClan? They broke the code in the first place by murdering Crowstrike and Badgerfur. They deserve to burn. Lightningpaw can join RiverClan and the rest of them can burn._

Her eyes flashed with triumph. "ThunderClan deserves to fall."

"I- I can't. I'm just an apprentice," Wavepaw said softly.

"Right now," Cinnamonpaw agreed. "But not always. One day you'll be a warrior, then a mentor, then a deputy if you do it right. A leader too, if you don't mess up."

Wavepaw nodded along, seeing it clearly.

"And then you can wipe them out, once and for all."

He nodded.

The fire in Cinnamonpaw's eyes finally died down and she rocked back on her paws, giving him an appraising expression. "You're an odd cat."

"Thanks?" He replied, stifling a purr of amusement.

Her eyes lit with something unreadable, and he felt the same tug in his chest. Her fur blurred in front of his eyes, and his younger self's mew rang in his ears. _She was pretty and red…_

Cinnamonpaw looked away suddenly, her tail tip switching back and forth.

"Cinnamonpaw…" he began slowly, finally taking the opportunity that had been missing for nearly a moon. _I need to find out why she's here. I know she didn't come from 'far away', she was in the twolegs place right next to our territory. But how do I start?_

"I know," she silenced him.

He gaped. "You know what?"

She tilted her head slowly. "I know that you know who I am. Or at least, you have an idea of who I am. And I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you were the 'little silver tom over by the fence.'"

He nodded, the words that had plagued his nightmares for moons echoing in his ears.

"Then what do you want to know?" She smiled daringly.

His stomach lurched. "Uh… who's Embyr?"

She smiled again, but this time it was so painfully bittersweet it felt like his heart was twisting. "He… well… he and I were… paired. We were… fond of each other, I suppose you could say."

"Paired?" Wavepaw was confused.

"In… where I come from… cats don't choose their mates," Cinnamonpaw said uneasily. "The leader, Willy, chooses them. He doesn't rule with the benevolence of Snowstar or whatever; his leadership is mostly dependant on cats staying complacent and satisfied. Not happy, but satisfied. Because he knew that to keep a population quiet, happiness will make them greedy, so it's more important to grind the hope out of them."

Wavepaw shuddered. _That's awful…_

"And love gives cats hope. So they're not allowed to choose mates. Those that do are put to death," Cinnamonpaw said coldly. "But I had special privileges and so Willy allowed me to choose my own mate. I knew better than to fall in love. But Embyr was my best friend, and I knew that if I couldn't have love, I could at least avoid misery."

Wavepaw felt sorry for her. _Having to choose a cat but not being able to pick one you might actually love? That would be awful…_

"But I escaped," she said. "Willy wanted me to do something horrible, and I escaped instead. I came to the Clans, just like many before me. Patches, Benny, even Kitsune tried to escape once. That last one didn't work out so well…"

He shuddered, not wanting to know what 'didn't work out so well' would entail. "I'm so glad you left them," he murmured.

"Me too." She fell silent for a moment. "I'm sure Embyr's been repaired by now."

He laid his tail on her shoulder softly, and she turned to him, her eyes misted with memories.

"I've done awful things Wavepaw," she murmured. "Awful, horrifying things. If you knew half of it, you'd run away screaming."

He shook his head, hard. "I'm sure it's not that bad," he offered.

"Once Willy made me kill a litter of kits in front of their mother for disobeying him," she said calmly.

Wavepaw's eyes widened. "Great StarClan."

"Exactly," she said, looking away. "But… I'm going to try to fix things. I don't want be his ki- killing tool anymore. I'm going to change."

 _Now Crowswipe and Badgerfur will never breathe again because of those scum. I don't understand what's stopping you from unleashing the full force of RiverClan while they're still recovering._ The words from before rang in his ears. _She doesn't understand mercy, does she?_

"Can I ask you something?" He asked quietly.

She looked at him, tilting her head slightly in that way she had.

"Why do you have special privileges?"

Cinnamonpaw blinked. She looked torn.

"I- I'm his… he raised me," she murmured. "Alongside my sister Scar- Scarlet."

"Scarlet," Wavepaw breathed. _Where have I heard that name before?_

He thought he heard a sharp intake of breath, but then it was gone. _Pondfrost? Was that you?_

"We grew up together, we fought together, we scavenged together… and she left. And- well, my mission was to find her and kill her for leaving," Cinnamonpaw admitted. "But… she was my sister. I could never do that. So I ran away and joined RiverClan instead. And here we are."

"Here we are," he agreed uneasily.

"I _hated_ Willy," Cinnamonpaw snapped, seeing his distrustful expression. "I hated what he made me do. I would have killed him if I could, but… but I was too weak. Too scared. Too _cowardly._ "

Wavepaw was struck with horror by the idea of the enigmatic, capricious, confusing she-cat reduced to terror by one cat who was supposed to be her father, if Wavepaw understood her correctly. _But she said_ raised _, not that he was her father… so does that mean she's Acornkit and something inside her rejects him as a father? But she would have been too young to remember being taken by the rogues. Something's not quite right here…_

"I- I just want to forget," she murmured, her eyes suddenly filled with tears.

 _Oh no! She's crying! Oh StarClan, what do I do?_ Alarm raced through him, and he laid his feathery silver tail across her shoulders. She just sniffled louder.

Suddenly, a shriek of pain echoed over the territory.

"Some cat's in trouble!" He exclaimed over the long, wailing cry.

Cinnamonpaw's eyes widened in panic. "It's coming from camp!"

Together, they retraced their steps and bounded back into camp. Wavepaw was winded after the run; he wasn't cut out for sprinting.

"What's happening?" He demanded to the nearest cat.

"Poolfur's giving birth!" Flameleaf exclaimed, looking like he was about to have a breakdown.

"Everything is alright!" Pikepaw suddenly appeared, his normally monotone voice powerful and commanding. "Sheepbelly has everything under control. The birth is going fine, and I'd ask every cat to please remain calm for Poolfur's sake."

Flameleaf stopped his squirming, but his eyes were still wide and panicked.

Worry seeped through Wavepaw's fur. _Are cats supposed to scream like that when they give birth?_

He heard Sheepbelly's muffled voice through the nursery walls and Poolfur's next shriek abruptly faded out and was cut off with sharp panting.

"I can't do this," Cinnamonpaw suddenly breathed, and turned tail and shot out of camp like her whole body had been electrocuted.

"Cinnamonpaw! Wait!" He called after her. _She killed kits. No wonder she can't be around nursing queens… her life must have been awful,_ he thought, sympathy rushing through him.

Poolfur howled in pain again. _I'm so glad I'm not a she-cat,_ he thought suddenly. _I never want to give birth. Sounds awful._

Sheepbelly said something inaudible again. It continued this way for many more heartbeats before Sheepbelly finally popped out of the nursery with the news of, "It's done! You can visit her now, but please be quiet; she needs her rest."

Flameleaf immediately rushed into the nursery, and Wavepaw trailed after him a moment later, curious.

As he peeped into the nursery, he spotted the four newest additions to RiverClan in the dim light. They all squirmed together, tiny paws beating tiny ears.

 _So cute!_ He thought, stifling a purr as one of them rolled over and let out a high-pitched squeal.

"Four kits, all she-cats," Pikepaw informed him, appearing right next to him and making Wavepaw jump.

"Have they chosen names yet?" He asked.

"I think they're doing that now," Pikepaw commented, not taking his eyes off of the couple that was now hunched over their kits and talking to each other in low tones. "C'mon, let's get out of the way."

Wavepaw allowed Pikepaw to lead him away from the nursery and they picked a shady spot to sit together.

"Have you ever regretted your decision to be a medicine cat?" Wavepaw asked suddenly. "Y'know, have you ever wanted kits or had a crush on a she-cat or something?"

"No," he replied simply.

Wavepaw blinked. "But what if you met a cat that made you change your mind? Is it worth giving up the code to be with them?"

"I wouldn't," Pikepaw said decisively. "I have no interest in a mate."

Wavepaw looked at him, puzzled. "Really?"

Pikepaw nodded.

Wavepaw squinted at him, trying to figure it out. _He doesn't want a mate? Why not? Doesn't every cat want to be loved?_

"I think they've finished naming their kits," Pikepaw commented banally. "Snowstar's going to officially welcome them, I think."

Wavepaw nodded lightly and trailed away from the brown tom. _Huh. He really doesn't want a mate. That's… interesting, I guess…_

"Clanmates!" Snowstar called, sounding weary and blinking blearily at the Clan. "I have an announcement."

Cats trailed out of their dens and various resting points at the leader's call, all looking spent and bloody, but patched up with poultices and cobwebs.

"As you all know, Poolfur has kitted," Snowstar announced. "She has four healthy she-kits, named Splashkit, Trilliumkit, Islandkit, and Quailkit."

Cheers rose from the weary Clan and Wavepaw added his voice to the clamor.

 _And as one ends, another begins._

But Cinnamonpaw was still missing.

 **So QOTC is: Do you like Cinnamonpaw? Dang I'm starting to ship her with Wavepaw, and now I wanna write a one-shot where she and him have kits but she hates kits- dang it my stupid shipping brain…**

 **~Pondfrost**


	54. Dark: Backstories and Backstabbing

**Yeah. Shocker. I'm not dead.**

 **This chapter's kinda filler-y but that's the way the wind blows; there's not a whole lot to go through after this battle. The chapters are probably going to start getting shorter (sad sad yes I know) but it'll be more plot centred hopefully. (And lol before people start squealing about author-inserts, yes, there's a character named Kitsune in here, but it's not me, I promise. The only author-insert in here is Pondfrost and I swear she has a good reason for being around.)**

 **RR**

 **Stormbreeze: Trilliums are a kind of flower. Perhaps he is. It wasn't particularly subtle.**

 **And we're off on the Darkpaw train.**

Chapter 52.

"You just visited Mudpaw; you can be away from her for ten heartbeats without dying," Wildwind told her brusquely.

Darkpaw's hackles rose, but she forced her tone to be steady. "That's what I'll say to you the next time you're trying to visit Shiningsnow every heartbeat of the day."

Wildwind narrowed his eyes at her. "Cut the sass. We need your help after this battle; there's plenty to be done and most cats are too injured."

Darkpaw shrank back at his harsh words. "Fine then, what do you need?"

"You can start by getting fresh moss for the elders. The rain is going to make every damp, so hurry," Wildwind ordered.

She looked up and realized he was right. Dark clouds covered the sky in thick swathes and the wind buffeted her fur when she stepped out of the cover of the trees.

Resentment curling beneath her fur at the quick command to fetch moss, Darkpaw flounced away and promptly crashed into a black and white tom with bright yellow eyes.

Patchy let out a low, pained noise. Her eyes widened and her shoulder stung where she had banged into him. His shoulders were like boulders. _I didn't know elders were that strong!_

"Alright there?" Wildwind said, worried. "Darkpaw, look where you're going!"

She bit back a sharp retort and turned to Patchy with a repentant expression. "Sorry, I didn't see you."

The elder's eyes lit with amusement. "Don't worry yourself about it. I heard you telling young Darkpaw here to collect moss, is that right, Wildwind?"

"Yes," her mentor replied, a note of firmness in his voice as though he was daring Patchy to challenge the command.

"I reckon my legs could use a stretch," the black and white tom commented. "Alright if I tag along?"

"Are you sure?" Wildwind said, looking worried. "Your shoulder…"

"My shoulder'll survive a little walk through the forest," Patchy snorted. "You act like I'm going to crumble away into dust at any second. I can handle myself."

Wildwind nodded, still looking nervous.

 _They have some kind of history…_ Darkpaw narrowed her eyes at the odd pair of them.

"Well, go on then, Darkpaw," Wildwind said softly.

She nodded, still staring at them. Then with a little start, she turned and dashed out of camp. Patchy followed easily, his stride relaxed and smooth.

"So how has your training been?" Patchy asked awkwardly.

"Fine," Darkpaw replied stiffly, eyeing him sideways.

"I'd impart some of my worldly old-cat wisdom but I'm not sure Wildwind would appreciate it," Patchy snorted, gazing into the distance with an oddly misty look.

"And why is that?" Curiosity suddenly bubbled inside Darkpaw.

"Uh…" Patchy stammered. "I dunno if that's really a good story for… a young cat… and I-"

"Go on, I'm sure I've heard worse," Darkpaw said, an open challenge in her voice.

Patchy narrowed his eyes at her as they reached the moss-tree and began the collecting.

"I wouldn't be so sure. My past isn't… the most appropriate thing for an apprentice to hear," Patchy said slowly, his eyes flashing with memories.

Darkpaw's curiosity was well and truly piqued now. _Not appropriate for an apprentice to hear? What did he do, go around killing cats?_ She wondered.

"C'mon, please?" She widened her eyes like a kit, then realized looking _less_ old was probably a surefire way to ensure Patchy didn't tell her his story. Clearing her throat, she attempted to look mature and trustworthy.

"I-" Patchy fumbled, then sighed and shrugged. "Well, you asked for it. Just don't tell Wildwind I told you, alright?"

A thrill of triumph shot through Darkpaw.

"Promise," she said solemnly.

Patchy cocked his head at her appraisingly, then began. "Well, you know I wasn't born in ShadowClan."

She nodded.

"I was born into a family of rogues, if family's the right word for them…" Patchy shuddered, before continuing. "I'll spare you the details, but it wasn't exactly… nice. They valued strength above all else. Any cat that couldn't provide for themselves was considered an extra and expendable. I remember there was a litter of kits born… all toms, all white, all blue-eyed, and all deaf and blind. Every cat thought they were cursed. There was no StarClan, just superstition and evil. I wonder what's become of them…

"It wasn't just my family that were rogues… there was a huge group of them living in the twolegs place. They fought over everything and there was one tom who was the undisputed leader. Well, he wasn't undisputed, but those who disputed were torn apart of course, so… sort of undisputed," Patchy muttered. "He ruled mostly through fear, but he had these awful daughters… they… one of them seemed sweet as a berry but she was more vicious than a badger, and would just as soon smile at you as slice you open from muzzle to tail.

"The other one was almost worse… She had this effect on cats… it's hard to describe." He shook his head like he was trying to dislodge a painful memory. "She just made you… relax, I guess."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Darkpaw commented, though unease slid through her fur at his tone.

"It was worse than bad," Patchy said darkly. "I saw cats who would follow her out onto a thunderpath. She was just as good at killing as her sister, but she had this… obsession with others' pain. Sadistic, they called her. Her father usually stayed back and let them do his bidding, but for the cats who _really_ wronged him… he had something much worse."

Darkpaw's mouth was dry as Patchy described the horrific group of rogues. _That's… terrifying,_ she thought uneasily, wondering if she should tell him to stop. _What could be worse than getting hit by a monster, or getting sliced open from muzzle to tail?_

"There was an abandoned twolegs den, but it was much bigger than the ones twolegs usually live in. It was empty, too. Usually twolegs have lots of little, smaller dens within their dens. But this one was different. It was just one, giant den with nothing but cold, shiny, old monster pelts. And inside those… there were rats." Patchy's voice was low and scratchy on the last word. "He would force cats in there at sunset, and the twolegs put some kind of guard there that made the entrance impossible to push through at night. They would stuck in there until morning. With the rats."

Darkpaw shuddered. The stories she had been told about rats, with their beady eyes and whip-thin tails… She wouldn't want to be face-to-face with one, much less trapped in a giant twolegs den full of them with no way of escaping.

"I didn't know any cats that survived it," Patchy said hollowly. "There was a rumour going around that one of the sister had done it, but I don't know why he would force one of his own kits through a nightmare like that… But that's just a rumour. I- my story starts with the leader's mate. She had a sister named Kitsune… and… I loved her."

Darkpaw smiled slightly, grateful for a change in tone.

"But… but in the twolegs place…" Patchy swallowed hard, his yellow eyes liquid with anguish. "Love is banned. Some fox-dung about not giving cats hope. I think it's just because he wanted every cat to be miserable. That's probably where she got her sadistic nature. Kitsune and I were mates in secret and we had kits together, but Satin -the leader's mate- found out and told him. He… he-"

Patchy broke off into a choked noise. He looked at her slowly. "I shouldn't be telling you this. Forget it."

"No! I need to know!" Darkpaw burst out desperately. She was perversely fascinated in the story and she _had_ to see Kitsune and Patchy have their happy ending.

Patchy let out a shaky sigh. "I've told you this much, I might as well tell you the rest. The leader told his daughter to kill all our kits in front of Kitsune and banned us from ever seeing us again. Some might have called it mercy, but he wanted us to suffer alone in the knowledge we had lost everything.

"But Kitsune was stubborn, and she wouldn't give up on me that easily." Bittersweetness filled his voice and it shook as he continued. "We- we made plans to escape. To find the Clans that the leader hated so much. But… they caught us. He sent her to the rats. I never saw her again. The last thing she told me was 'run'. So I did. And I've run my whole life, but now-"

Darkpaw pressed against him silently and felt that he was shaking.

"Now they've returned," he said hoarsely. "And this time, he's not going to stop until he's killed me and every last one of us."

"We're safe though," she told him, her voice shaking slightly. "We're fine."

"Don't be so sure," he said quietly, then turned away. "Sorry, sorry, don't listen to me. I'm… I'm sure everything's fine."

Darkpaw still felt uneasy though. _Why did he think they were going to come back? What does he know?_

"I think we've got enough moss now," Patchy said suddenly, his tone bright even though his gaze was shadowed by the ghosts of his past. "Let's head back."

Darkpaw nodded but she couldn't shake a sense of creeping foreboding from his words. _Don't be so sure… what does that even mean?_ She wondered.

 _Well, that was fun,_ Ripple said quietly. _I guess they aren't gone, huh?_

 _They?_ Darkpaw frowned. _You mean the rogues?_

Ripple was silent.

Patchy and Darkpaw padded silently into camp, their hefty supply of moss dangling from their jaws and neck.

"You- you go see Wildwind, I'll take the moss back," Patchy said too quickly, nervousness flashing in his eyes.

"I can do it," she snapped. "I'm plenty strong enough to bring some _moss_ to the elders!"

"I- I know!" Patchy reassured her, panic spiking his fur suddenly. "But don't worry about it, I'm sure Wildwind has an actual job for you."

Darkpaw's argument subsided as she considered that. _I suppose I would be more helpful doing something else…_ she thought contemplatively.

"Alright then," she agreed, still eyeing him with a little suspicion.

He smiled brightly and waved her away with his tail, then dashed to the elder's den, limping a little.

She watched him go, curiosity and suspicion tingling in her thoughts. _Why was he so set on making sure I didn't go into the elder's den with him?_ Briefly pondering following him and finding out what he was hiding, she eventually concluded, _I'm sure it's nothing. I mean, it's the elder's den, not the moon-pool or something._

She scanned the camp for Wildwind, not entirely sure she wanted to find him. _That's just one more thing I'll have to do…_ she thought resentfully as her eyes landed on the mottled brown tom.

"Darkpaw!" He shouted, calling her over. "I'd like you to fetch some water for the injured."

Biting back a sarcastic comment, she nodded and turned to leave the camp when he added:

"And you can take Lionpaw and Robinpaw with you."

She stiffened slightly. While she imagine many things worse than a trek to the lake with Robinpaw as the sun rose, bringing Lionpaw along certainly wasn't an appealing idea.

"Do I have to?" She said, trying to sound mature and challengingly and coming off as a whiny kit.

"Yes, you have to," Wildwind snapped. "I expect my orders to be carried out, not talked back to. Lionpaw will be good to have along, she can carry more moss than you can."

The barb stung, probably more than Wildwind recognized. Darkpaw bristled and whipped around. _Right, of course, I should be blessed to be in the presence of her majesty, Lionpaw the great and wonderful and carries-more-moss than a hollow badger._

She gritted her teeth as her golden sister fell into step with her.

"Hi Darkpaw!" Lionpaw said brightly.

Darkpaw didn't even bother flicking her tail to show she'd heard. She feared that if she opened her mouth, a flood of obscenities and unfair accusations would stream out.

Robinpaw appeared on her other side, not saying anything but nudging her shoulder comfortingly. She glanced at him, grateful for his silent support.

Lionpaw babbled about the battle and ThunderClan and apparently everything that came into her head, but it sounded as though she was coming from far away. Darkpaw's head felt fuzzy and her tongue felt like it was swimming in liquid stone. Her throat was as scratchy as a cornered weasel and she felt like she had swallowed a lake's worth of sand. Her eyelids felt like they had a layer of rock across each one… and they were closing...

"Darkpaw! Darkpaw!" Robinpaw was suddenly calling her name.

"E- eh? What?" She mumbled, stumbling to her paws. _I don't remember lying down…_ she thought vaguely, but it didn't feel particularly important.

"You fainted," Lionpaw supplied helpfully.

"No I di'n'," she croaked, blinking heavily.

"Darkpaw, what's wrong with you?" Robinpaw asked, a heavy layer of worry over his normally laid-back voice. "You just… collapsed!"

She blinked at him, her muddled brain trying to connect thoughts to each other with a low degree of success. "I- I did? No…"

"Yes," Lionpaw confirmed.

She narrowed her eyes, a throbbing headache making actual coherent thoughts rather difficult. _I… I fainted._

"I-" she grunted, her vision obscured by fuzzy black spots. "I think I need to lie down…"

"Let's get her to the lake," Robinpaw told Lionpaw fiercely. "I think she's dehydrated."

Her tongue lay in her mouth like a fat, dried out fish. She attempted to swallow, but it felt like she was choking on her own mouth.

Lionpaw made a panicked noise, and Darkpaw felt herself being lifted off the ground by the two other apprentices. _Haha, they're carrying me like I'm a kit or something,_ she thought, hysteria biting at the edges of her mind.

"Hurry!" Robinpaw grunted through his mouthful of Darkpaw's scruff.

She tried to swallow again, but her tongue just grated on the top of her mouth. They dumped her unceremoniously onto the pebbles of lake bed, and Robinpaw nudged her forwards until her muzzle hung in the softly lapping water.

"Now drink," he commanded nervously.

Shrugging, she opened her mouth and lapped up a few drops. They felt like starlight on her tongue, cold and shimmering, but when it moved to the back of her throat, she fought back a gag.

"That's it, just have a drink and you'll feel better," Robinpaw assured her, but the slight tremulation in his voice made her think he wasn't quite as calm as his confident words made him sound.

Forcing herself to lap up another few mouthfuls, she attempted a smile but it came out faint and sickly.

Her head pounded harder than ever, but Lionpaw said:

"I think she's fine, Robinpaw, let's just get some moss and bring the water back to camp."

Darkpaw curled her lip at her sister's dismissive tone. _I just_ fainted _, would it be to much to ask for you to care a little?_

She lapped up another few mouthfuls of the lake water and found that she could properly swallow now. The cool water felt good as it trickled down her throat, and she slowly felt her vision come back into focus. Her headache subsided with one last resentful throb.

"You alright?" Robinpaw asked her nervously.

"I'm fine; let's just get this over with," she grunted, stumbling to her paws.

He nodded, still looking doubtful. Together, they pulled moss off of one of the lower growing trees where the underbrush was thicker. Robinpaw kept giving her sideways glances, as though expecting her to keel over at any moment.

 _I'm not a flower!_ She thought, irritated by his constant evaluating. _Just because I got a_ little _bit dehydrated doesn't mean I'm fragile and liable to smash into little pieces!_

They finished with the moss and went to soak it in the lake when Darkpaw suddenly felt her paw hook under a root, then she was tumbling head over heels.

"Darkpaw! Oh StarClan, Darkpaw, are you okay?" Robinpaw demanded.

"I'm _fine,_ I just tripped," she snapped, irritation building at his constant fussing.

Robinpaw looked like he wanted to send her straight back to camp, but he appeared to take notice of her raised fur and thought better of it.

Darkpaw's lip curled involuntarily. _I thought he of all cats would at least understand not wanting constant monitoring, but noooo, guess he thinks he's the exception._

 _He just cares,_ Ripple murmured. _Don't push him away for trying to help._

 _Haven't I made it clear enough that I_ don't need help _?_ she snapped at Ripple.

 _Right, by dehydrating yourself, fainting, and tripping over a root a blind mouse could've seen?_ The silver tom snorted. _Absolutely. You definitely seem like you don't need help._

She clenched her teeth, wishing Ripple was corporeal so she could bash him over the head with a well-placed blow.

 _Sorry love, not happening any time soon,_ he told her as though he had read her mind. Which, now that Darkpaw thought about it, he probably had. _The cost was too high anyways._

 _The cost of what?_ she asked. _That made no sense._

 _Exactly,_ he replied mysteriously.

She fought the urge to project as many images of her ripping out his viscera at him as she could.

 _Eurgh, you're a pleasant one,_ Ripple muttered, making a gagging noise.

"Darkpaw?" Robinpaw interrupted her conversation. "You aren't going to faint again, are you?"  
Her first instinct was to snap at him and then storm away, but she took a deep breath and said calmly, "I'm fine. Let's soak this and head back to camp. I think it's going to rain before sunhigh."

Robinpaw nodded and they finished with the moss and turned their paws in the direction of camp.

 _That's the way,_ Ripple encouraged.

 _The way to camp?_ Darkpaw snorted. _Yeah, I know._

 _No, no, I meant the way to handle your frustration with other cats,_ Ripple said, sounding oddly relieved. _It's… it's a useful thing to know. You should definitely… uh, definitely practice that. Getting angry is the wrong way to handle things._

 _Getting angry and attacking some cat?_ She pushed curiously.

It sounded as though she'd hit Ripple with a lightning bolt. _Er, yeah?_ he wheezed. _Or… or anything else you do when you're angry. You know…_

Darkpaw nodded absentmindedly, the wet moss slowly soaking into her fur and chilling her.

"Brr, I'm freezing," she commented, shivering. "Let's hurry. I want to be curled up in my nest by the time this storm hits."

"Hear hear," Robinpaw agreed, delicately craning his neck out to put more distance between his dampened neck. "I want to check on- um, the injured cats."

"You want to check on Duskpaw," Darkpaw supplied helpfully, purring. "I know, Robinpaw. It's no secret you're sweet on her."

Robinpaw flushed and glanced away. "It's just with her father, and her sister, and now she's hurt again, and-"

Darkpaw laid her tail gently on his shoulders. "I get it. I want to go see her too."

Robinpaw nodded, and they fell into companionable silence, nothing but the rustling of the forest around them.

Until they reached camp.

"You _killed_ her!" A shriek came from the middle of the camp.

"I- I-" a quieter voice that Darkpaw recognized responded weakly.

"How could you _do_ this?" Another voice, this one that Darkpaw knew _very_ well. "We let you in! We gave you a second chance! And you repay us by… by _murdering_ one of us?!"

"What's going on?" Robinpaw demanded, panic rising in his eyes.

"I don't know!" Darkpaw hissed back, her stomach churning with foreboding. "But it doesn't sound good…"

"Let's hurry," Robinpaw muttered, the moss swinging against his chest as they rushed into the tight ring of pines.

"What's going on?" Darkpaw asked the nearest cat, Feathermist.

"He- he-" she choked, her eyes watery. " _Look_!"

And Darkpaw looked.

In the middle of camp stood Patchy, surrounded by her spitting Clanmates. At his paws lay Maplenose, her throat viciously slashed open. And her blood, on Patchy's paws.

 **EHEHEHEHEH. QOTC: Who killed Maplenose?**

 **Don't you love cliff-hangers? ;)**

 **~Akila**


	55. Lightning: Gathering Storms

**Armed with a sadly empty cup of coffee, a misshapen lemon scone, and some medicine for my crippling cramps and horrible headaches, I bring you….** _ **Chapter 53!**_

 **RR:**

 **Stormbreeze: Aye aye cap'n. Listened; liked it :P. And are your predictions correct? VE SHALL SEE VON'T VE.**

 **I think I actually love Vixenpaw. Up there in my favourites.**

 **And yes, I'll be doing a Hallowe'en special. What is it? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out. Picking right up where we left off about thirty six years ago.**

Chapter 53.

"H- help me?" Lightningpaw stammered, her jaw hanging limply. "Help me how?"

"Well, you want to make that tom like you, right?" Vixenpaw inquired. "Hey, what's his name anyways?"

"B- Breezepaw," the flustered she-cat replied. "And- and yeah, I want him to like me. But he's from WindClan! It's- it's wrong! It's against the code!"

Vixenpaw rolled her eyes dismissively. "What's wrong with living a little? Rules are made to be broken."

Lightningpaw didn't know what to think of that philosophy, but if it excused her crush on Breezepaw, she was all for it. "I guess."

"Oh, come on. I saw how you looked him." Vixenpaw's amber eyes glimmered as she teased her sister. "Don't deny it."

"Fine," Lightningpaw snapped, heat flushing through her fur. "What's your brilliant plan anyways?"

Vixenpaw grinned, her amber eyes sparkling with mischief and delight. "Aw, this is so cute."

"Tell me your stupid plan before I go to my nest and never come back," Lightningpaw retorted, her golden eyes flashing in warning.

"Fine, fine," Vixenpaw nodded. "Alright, so here it is. The Gathering's tonight, right? Right. So what better way to shake some sense into Breezepaw than to totally ignore him and flirt with Rainwater?"

" _What?!_ "

Lightningpaw's jaw nearly broke the ground it dropped so fast. Her eyes widened until they could have rivalled the sun in golden intensity. She wasn't looking at Vixenpaw like she had bees in her brain so much as looking at her as though she had suddenly turned into a giant bee and invited her to go patrol some trees.

When her breath returned, it returned with flair.

" _ARE YOU INSANE?!_ " Lightningpaw's yell nearly shook all of the leaves off the trees a couple moons early.

"Hush, keep your voice down!" Vixenpaw snapped and then smirked widely. "Insane? Possibly. I prefer the term 'evil genius'."

Lightningpaw was still shell-shocked by her sister's outlandish proposition.

" _WHY IN STARCLAN'S NAME-_ " Her next shriek was cut off by Vixenpaw stuffing her paw into her sister's mouth.

"Shhh!" She exclaimed. "This is going to work, promise. You just have to listen."

Lightningpaw sat with a resigned expression. "Alright. Spill."

Vixenpaw's devious smirk grew. "So toms are stupid sometimes, I think we can all agree. They pine after she-cats and then seem to lose interest for a moon, then they're wondering why we're ignoring them."

Lightningpaw nodded, privately wondering how exactly Vixenpaw was so knowledgeable in the inner workings of the brains of toms, but said nothing. Whiteshadow let out a gusty sigh in her mind.

"What better way to knock some sense into him than to make him jealous?" The ginger and white she-cat suggested. "Besides, Rainwater's so oblivious I could run up to him now and yell that the sky was falling and he'd probably just blink at me."

Lightningpaw stifled a laugh. _That's probably true…_

"I guess," she allowed. "But how are we gonna be sure it worked?

"I'll strike up a conversation while you flirt with Rainwater," Vixenpaw explained easily. "If he seems distracted, or on edge, then we'll have our answer, won't we?"

She nodded slowly. Vixenpaw's plan was logical, but… "You want me to flirt with Rainwater? B- but…"

"But nothing! You want this to work!" Vixenpaw snickered. "C'mon, he's a jerk. He deserves it."

Lightningpaw nodded, though it was hard to keep the utterly lost expression Rainwater had wore when Petalpaw- that is, Molly -left ThunderClan out of her mind. _He's gone through nothing worse than I have. We all have troubles, but just because his sister left the Clan doesn't mean he gets the right to be a sour badger all the time._

With that thought firmly in her head, she said to Vixenpaw, "Let's do it."

A slow smile spread across her sister's face. "Knew you'd come around."  
And with that, she stretched out her paw.

Lightningpaw met it with a press of her pad.

 _Sisters once more._

…

"Lightningpaw!" Blackpool called to her from across the clearing.

Lightningpaw bounded over, irritation burning her. _I just want to go to my nest! Is that so much to ask? I did way more than any other cat. I've been hunting and I was in the fight and I'm just_ sick _of working!_

"I have a job for you," he informed her.

"Shocker," she muttered.

"What was that?" His eyes narrowed sharply.

"Nothing," she muttered mutinously. "What's the job?"

Blackpool shuffled his paws, looking embarrassed. "Well, since… Fawnshade… passed, the kits have been restless. I was wondering if you could… um, distract them?"

Lightningpaw stiffened. _He wants me to go play with the kits of my dead mother and that_ monster _?!_ She opened her jaws to tell Blackpool exactly what she thought about that idea when Leaffur rushed up to her.

"Thank you so much, I've been so stressed with handling all eight of them," Leaffur exclaimed, her eyes tearing up. "And Fawnshade… with Fawnshade gone, I just… I just don't know… You remind me so much of her, you know? Thank you for everything, Lightningpaw. Your mother would be proud."

Lightningpaw gaped, but quickly collected herself. "Yeah, yeah, it's no problem…"

Leaffur's eyes filled with gratitude and guilt swamped Lightningpaw.

Brushing off her exhaustion, she headed for the nursery. _I owe it to Leaffur, at least. I'm not the only one impacted by Fawnshade's 'passing', as Blackpool so delicately put it…_

She tried not to think about her mother.

"White-ningpaw!" a kit exclaimed, bounding out of the nursery.

The 'kit' was nearly as big as her, and she recognized him as Birchkit. His green eyes glowed in the sunlight as he bounced up to her.

His sister, Stormkit, dashed up behind him and nudged him aside to greet Lightningpaw.

"Hi Lightningpaw! Are you going to show us a fighting move? I asked Leaffur but she said no…" the smoke-gray kit exclaimed.

"Well, if your mother says no…" Lightningpaw mewed uncomfortably, but temptation curled her fur. Stormkit was so eager.

"She should show me first!" Birchkit insisted. "I asked first."

Lightningpaw was saved from having to tell Birchkit that no, he didn't actually ask first, or at all, when five kits came dashing out of the nursery. Their expressions were too innocent, too sweet, too soon.

Lightningpaw winced.

"Lightningpaw!" Sweetkit exclaimed, her face lighting up. "You're teaching us fighting moves?"

"No," Lightningpaw growled.

Seven pairs of big kit eyes blinked up at her. Her half-siblings' eyes hadn't even changed from the kit-blue and they were already asking about ways to murder others. _I should expect nothing less from the kin of that scum._

"Really?" Stormkit pouted. "Fine."

"Let's play mothball!" Birchkit suggested eagerly.

"Mossball," his sister corrected.

"Yeah, mothball," Birchkit nodded.

Lightningpaw rolled her eyes affectionately. _They might've grown, but I guess Birchkit's still got his lisp…_

Whiteshadow made a noise that sounded like it might have been a whimper, but Lightningpaw wasn't sure.

"But you guys always win!" Pearlkit exclaimed, pouting.

"That's 'cause your legs are short!" Stormkit shot back.

Pearlkit looked like she was about to burst into tears and Sweetkit looked heartbeats away from tackling Stormkit and scratching her up.

"Well now, there's no need to be rude," Lightningpaw said diplomatically, itching to put Pearlkit in her place but refraining.

Sunkit laid his tail on Pearlkit's shoulders comfortingly. "It s'okay, Pearlkit, we can play mossball on our own. See, my legs short too!"

Lightningpaw nodded gratefully to Sunkit, internally hoping that maybe not all of the cursed offspring were terrible cats in the making, and he lit up like his namesake and started batting a morsel of moss to his sister.

"C'mon, Stormkit, I'll play," Lightningpaw said.

"I'm play too," Sweetkit said defiantly. "You too, Clou'ykit."

Lightningpaw bit her lip, but said nothing. 'Clou'ykit' tottered up to them with a dazed expression.

"I play mossball?"

 _Well, he's certainly not the quickest cloud in the sky…_ Lightningpaw observed to herself wryly.

The game started with Cloudykit tripping over his own tail and banging his muzzle into the ground, squealing in pain, and dashing back into the nursery. _Well that didn't last,_ Lightningpaw thought with a prick of dark amusement.

After that, things rolled smoothly. Two teams were formed, and to Lightningpaw's chagrin she found herself facing off Birchkit and Stormkit with Sweetkit by her side.

The game started, the mossball being flung high into the air. Sweetkit was put out of commission briefly when Stormkit headbutted her into the side of the nursery. Lightningpaw made up for it by flicking the ball in a soaring arc over the heads of the two kits.

Birchkit launched himself into the air and batted at it with one paw. When he inevitably landed, it was clumsy. He staggered sideways and yanked his other front paw off the ground like it was lava.

"Are you okay?" Lightningpaw asked nervously, the game briefly forgotten.

"That's his bad paw," Stormkit informed her wisely. "Dawnsplash says it's cursed. He's always banging it and hurting it. That's the only paw he's gotten a thorn in."

Lightningpaw blinked. "It's cursed?"

"I… I'm going to see Dawnspash," Birchkit muttered, wincing as he inspected his paw gingerly.

Lightningpaw nodded nervously. _I've only been watching them for a few minutes and Cloudykit already banged his muzzle, Sweetkit crashed into the thorns, and Birchkit banged his 'cursed paw'. Wow, I'm doing great. Tip-top job there, me._

 _Don't be so hard on yourself. Kits can be a pawful,_ Whiteshadow said softly. _Although I suppose neither of them were quite as much trouble as eight kits would be._

 _Neither of them?_ Lightningpaw narrowed her eyes, preparing a sneaky interrogation, but Stormkit distracted her.

"Will you show us a fighting move now? We can't play mossball with three cats," the smoke-gray kitten said, pouting.

Lightningpaw hesitated. On one paw, the kits were eager and she really didn't want to turn down the kit that might be her future apprentice. On the other paw, if Leaffur had said no, she didn't want trouble with Stormkit's mother. _Well… maybe not a fighting move…_ Thinking fast, she crouched, stalking an imaginary mouse.

"How about I show you how to hunt?" Lightningpaw suggested, smiling as enticingly as possible.

"But that's _boring_!" Sweetkit squealed, scowling at Lightningpaw. "Don't you know? Rainwater showed us how to stalk _yesterday_ and that was _ages_ ago! We wanna learn how to fight! We're going to play warriors and foxes!"

Lightningpawpaw frowned at the she-cat. _When I was her age, I would have loved if an apprentice showed us how to stalk!_ She thought haughtily, then pictured Rosepaw swaggering over to them to teach. _Well… maybe not her. But I'm not nearly as bossy or annoying as Rosepaw! I… hope…_

"Well… maybe one fighting move," she relented, dodging at glance at the entrance of camp where Leaffur still had not returned from her walk.

"Yay!" Both kits cheered.

Sunkit and Pearlkit paused their game to join in the fighting. Cloudykit returned from his injured sulking in the nursery as well.

But when Lightningpaw saw who was with him, she had second thoughts. _Rainbowkit,_ she thought, her lip curling involuntarily.

"Hi, can I try a fighting move?" Her voice was cool and sweet, like honeysuckle dew.

Lightningpaw wavered again. It wasn't fair to Stormkit to shut down the idea, but she didn't want to interact with the little long-furred calico she-cat anymore than she had to…

"I- I guess," Lightningpaw muttered resentfully.

"Great!" Her kit-blue eyes shimmered with excitement.

The dark brown and white she-cat debated briefly what move she should show them. _Nothing too graphic… how about how to jump onto an enemy and stay on? That should be good for their kit-games but not lethal._

"Alright, I'm going to show you the jump-grab," Lightningpaw announced, and the kits cheered. "Like this; watch carefully."

Imagining a dead stump as her adversary, Lightningpaw squared off against it and growled menacingly. The kits watched with wide eyes, and the dark brown apprentice heard Cloudykit's low mutter to his sister:

"Why're her eyes and ears all squished up?"

"I think it's so that the enemy can't claw them," Rainbowkit answered thoughtfully, her eyes glued to the apprentice.

Irritation at Rainbowkit's easy understanding of a concept Blackpool had to explain to her, Lightningpaw launched herself with more force than necessary and overshot the stump. Undaunted, she hooked her claws into the back and pretended to haul it backwards.

"So that's the jump-grab," she said, breathing hard from her large jump.

 _They don't need to know that I completely botched it…_ she thought to herself, frustration zinging through her.

"Wouldn't it be easier to pull over an enemy if you landed on top of them instead of beside them?" Rainbowkit asked, tilting her head innocently.

" _No,_ duh, because then you'd fall over too!" Lightningpaw snapped, though she knew that the move also involved leaping off at the last heartbeat.

"Well, then you could just leap off at the last heartbeat," Rainbowkit replied quickly.

Lightningpaw's claws flexed, but she held her tongue, managing, "Well, you can take that up with the generations of warriors who have used that move effortlessly and _without_ complaint."

Rainbowkit shrugged. Lightningpaw fought back a snarl.

…

"Thank you so much," Leaffur repeated gratefully.

Lightningpaw nodded absently. She had been whiskers away from launching herself out of camp to stop herself from beating up a kit when Leaffur had burst back into camp.

As Leaffur went back to the kits, Lightningpaw hurried towards her nest, only to be stopped again. _Grr. Let me sleep,_ she thought, but she turned with a vacant expression to her newest hassler.

"Yes?" She blinked suddenly as she recognized the pale green eyes of the new leader.

"Lightningpaw, I'd like you to do something for me," Redstar said smoothly.

The dark brown she-cat unsheathed her claws. _I'm sick and tired of running errands for everybody! Just let me sleep!_

"What," she said as sharply as she dared.

"Get some rest," Redstar told her, blinking kindly at her. "You look like you're going to fall asleep on your paws, and for your courage in the battle and perseverance in helping out around the camp today, I'd like you to attend the Gathering."

Lightningpaw blinked. _The Gathering? How… how can the Clans all unite in one place after ripping each other apart only hours before?_ Her thoughts spun like the lake in a storm, and she winced as a headache began to build behind her nest.

"Yes, Redstar," she murmured, and hurried into the damp and cool apprentice den.

She tucked her tail over her nose and fell asleep in heartbeats.

…

When she woke, the last of the sun's rays were dripping off the trees. She blinked blearily, trying hold onto the last fluttering wisps of her dream.

She remembered Fawnshade's troubled amber eyes, her last scream…

Shuddering, she brushed it off and stretched in the dark den. She felt her muscles pulse sorely, an ache squeezing every bone.

As she padded out of the den, a yawn split her jaws.

"Lightningpaw," a cool mew greeted her.

Lightningpaw cut herself off mid-yawn and readied a scowl at the young warrior, when she remembered. _I'm supposed to make him like me…_ Taking, a deep breath, she employed a winning smile and tilted her head.

"Hi Rainwater!" She trilled. _Okay, okay, take it down a notch, that sounded ridiculous…_ she berated herself. "Uh, I mean…"

The gray tom blinked at her blankly. He continued to stare at her wordlessly and she felt her fur itch. _This is stupid. I'll try again later,_ she thought, pressing back a glare and quickly slipped past Rainwater.

 _How in StarClan's name am I supposed to make that soggy log flirt with me?_ Lightningpaw wondered irritably, embarrassment flushing heat through her fur. _Well… I suppose he doesn't have to flirt back, I just need to pretend long enough to make Breezepaw a bit jealous._

At the thought of the golden WindClan tom, her heart sped up. _For Breezepaw._

With his image firmly in her mind, she dragged herself to the base of the rock where Redstar was preparing her announcement.

"ThunderClan! All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the highledge," she called, her voice ringing powerfully around the camp.

 _She'll make a good leader,_ Whiteshadow observed. _Despite her name, she reminds me of her sister._

 _Redstar's sister?_ Lightningpaw asked, confused. _Redstar doesn't have a sister; her only littermate is my father, Owlclaw._

 _No, I meant the sister of-_ Whiteshadow was cut off as Redstar called again.

"The cats attending the Gathering will be as follows," the leader announced, "Myself, Blackpool, Dawnsplash, Birdtail, Heatherclaw, Oakpelt, Mallowdrop, Rainwater, Vixenpaw, Lightningpaw, Slatepaw, and Rowanwind."

Lightningpaw breathed a sigh of relief. _I guess our plan could have been derailed if Vixenpaw wasn't invited to the Gathering. Lucky thing she was._

"What about me?!" The irate mew rang across the gathered Clan from the entrance to the medicine den.

A couple of purrs of amusement were quickly silenced by a certain cream and ginger she-cat sending them a blazing look from bright green eyes.

"Rosefire-" Redstar began gently, but the she-cat barrelled on without listening to the leader.

"I deserve to go as much as anyone!" she snapped. "More, even! I got badly injured, and for what? So that Thornstar could bite the dust and go be at peace in StarClan? I deserve to go!"

 _Oh, he's not in StarClan,_ Lightningpaw thought darkly, flexing her claws.

"Rosefire, listen to me," Redstar said authoritatively. "If I cared nothing for your health, I'd bring you along. But you fought so hard, you almost beat RiverClan single-pawed, and you're injured. I need warriors to guard the camp in case of RiverClan attempting a sneaky counterattack on the full moon. You're the best cat for the job."

Rosefire scowled, but there was less bite behind it this time. "If you really need me here…"

Redstar nodded quickly. "I do. Thank you, Rosefire."

The cream and ginger she-cat gave a haughty sniff and slunk back into the medicine den. Dawnsplash shot a grateful look at Redstar.

Lightningpaw looked admiringly up at Redstar. _That was pretty good. Just the right amount of ego-massaging and authority to make even that stubborn stick back down._

 _Yes, like I said. A good leader,_ Whiteshadow said, sounding a little sad.

The dark ginger she-cat leapt down from the highledge, fluffing her tabby pelt out against the chilly leaf-fall wind and led the way out of camp.

Lightningpaw hurried after her, finding that her energy had returned to her after her nap.

"Ready?" Vixenpaw's eyes gleamed in the darkness, and the dark brown she-cat had a feeling she wasn't referring to the Gathering.

"Always," Lightningpaw responded, her stomach fluttering.

 _After tonight, I might finally be with Breezepaw…_ She could have squealed like a kit, but she held the urge back and took a deep breath. _Focus. Focus._

 _Lightningpaw… don't you think that leading Rainwater on is… wrong?_ Whiteshadow pressed.

 _Well… I mean, I guess. But he hates me! It's just tonight anyways. He's not going to_ actually _flirt back or anything,_ Lightningpaw reassured her.

 _Hm._ Whiteshadow made a noncommittal sound. _We'll see._

"Before or after the leaders do their announcements?" Vixenpaw asked.

"What?" Lightningpaw blinked, clearing Whiteshadow's warning to the back of her mind.

Vixenpaw rolled her sparkling amber eyes. "It's like your head is full of fluff. Do you want to enact our brilliant plan before or _after_ the leaders do their announcements?"  
"Oh- uh," Lightningpaw stammered. "Before, I guess."

"Alright. I'll find Breezepaw. What does he look like again?" Vixenpaw tilted her head, her features blurred in the darkness.

"His pelt is like the sun and his paws are like shadows, his eyes are like green-leaf and-" Lightningpaw cut herself off. "Yellow pelt, black paws and tail-tip, green eyes."

Vixenpaw collapsed into a fit of giggles. "Oh, you've got it bad…"

"Shut up," Lightningpaw said, flushing.

…

The clearing was lit by moonlight and little else. The chilly breeze of leaf-bare's breath blew across them as the four Clans assembled, shuffling in and casting suspicious looks in the general direction of ThunderClan.

"It was Thornstar that wanted to attack you, not our elders, not our medicine cat, not any of the warriors," Vixenpaw snorted under her breath.

"Mm," Lightningpaw agreed absently.

"There he is!" her sister suddenly hissed in her ear, making her leap about a fox-length into the air.

"Don't startle me like that!" she snapped at Vixenpaw, then turned her gaze to where her sister was motioning frantically with her bushy tail.

Breezepaw's golden pelt was lit by the moon, colouring it a shimmering bronze. His head swivelled slowly as though he was searching for someone. _Me?_ Lightningpaw's heart jumped into her throat.

"Lightningpaw! Focus!" Vixenpaw bumped her shoulder. "Go find Rainwater!"

"Right, right," she said, nodding briskly and hustling away from Breezepaw and out of her reverie.

She ended up crashing right into her target.

"Argh!" He yelped, leaping away from her and scowling at her. "What was that for?"

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!" she simpered.

His eyes twitched briefly, but he smiled awkwardly. "It's fine, I guess."

She blinked at him. _StarClan, what do I do now? I haven't the faintest idea what I'm doing…_ _Whiteshadow! Help!_

 _Don't ask me for help! My love life was a hot mess!_ Whiteshadow shouted back. _I don't know, ask him something about himself! Toms love bragging._

Lightningpaw took a deep breath. _For Breezepaw,_ she reminded herself, and squared up to Rainwater.

"You fought really well in the battle today," she purred.

"Oh- uh, thanks!" he exclaimed, but his eyes narrowed with what was perhaps suspicion. "You weren't bad yourself."

"Thanks," she muttered. "Um… which Clan do you think fights best?"

"ThunderClan," Rainwater responded easily with a haughty sniff. "If you mean of the other three… I don't know. ShadowClan is weak, RiverClan is lazy, and every cat knows WindClan cats are cowards."

"WindClan cats are not cowards!" Lightningpaw snapped before she could stop herself. "I- lots of them fought well!"  
Rainwater rolled his eyes. "Didn't know you liked WindClan so much. I'm so very sorry I've offended your delicate sensibilities."

Lightningpaw resisted the urge to claw his smug muzzle and said instead,

"I'm glad I'm in ThunderClan."

"Me too," Rainwater said softly, gazing into her eyes.

 _Finally making progress!_ Lightningpaw thought triumphantly, a little uncomfortable with Rainwater's stare. _I hope Breezepaw's looking!_

"Better than being a kittypet," the gray tom added bitterly.

Lightningpaw's stomach lurched guiltily at the reminder of Rainwater's past.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, and against her instinct leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

She felt him tremble, then tense, then relax.

Lightningpaw held still as long as she dared, then pulled away. She caught Rainwater's blue gaze and froze as she realized there was genuine affection there. _Oh no. He doesn't actually- is he really- fox-dung!_

Lightningpaw backpedalled, horror churning through her. _It backfired!_

Rainwater tilted his head, looking like he was about to ask what was wrong when her saviour suddenly melted out of the shadows like he'd been born there.

"Evening, Lightningpaw, is it?" Wavepaw said smoothly. "I'd like to get to know some ThunderClan apprentices better to heal the horrible rift between our Clans."  
Lightningpaw shot a look which she hoped looked rueful to Rainwater and let herself be swept away by Wavepaw.

"Thanks for the save," she muttered to him.

"He was bothering you?" Wavepaw tilted his head with a dark expression.

"It's- a long story," Lightningpaw sighed. "I just- wasn't- y'know."

Wavepaw nodded sympathetically, his posture relaxed and his eyes soft.

"I get it, you just wanted a break."

"Exactly," she agreed warmly. "It's just hard to be on all the time, you know? It's tiring. I just want to let down my guard for once and just be able to talk to some cat who won't expect me to be a certain way."

Wavepaw nodded, his expression open and kind.

"I know. My sisters are great and all, but they're so much to deal with, and they have their own set of problems that they expect me to always listen to…" Wavepaw muttered, looking away.

Lightningpaw nodded. _That's exactly it! It's like there's no time for me!_

Whiteshadow made a disapproving noise, but it was drowned out as Wavepaw turned back to her.

"You know, I'm sorry if I came on a little strong when we first met. I was so determined to make a good impression on every cat, I literally dived into a lake to win your favour and all…" he confessed. "I'd like us to be friends."

Lightningpaw found herself nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that too."

Wavepaw beamed, his white teeth sharp and glistening in the moonlight. "Great! I'm glad RiverClan and ThunderClan don't fight much. Too far away, I suppose. Then again, after last moon, I'm not so sure…"

"Or that was our fighting quota for the next hundred moons," Lightningpaw countered, purring.

"That could be it too," Wavepaw agreed, twitching his whiskers amiably. "Whatever it is, I hope our Clans don't clash again. If we worked together, think about how much more we could accomplish! Loyalty to your Clan might make you strong, but if the Clans were bound together, we'd be able to share prey and herbs and everything, and the weakest link, whichever Clan that is, would be supported until they were strong again."

Lightningpaw nodded, his electric blue eyes hypnotic as he spoke passionately.

"Yeah, yeah, together," she murmured.

He held her gaze for another heartbeat, before looking away quickly with an embarrassment fidget.

"I'm glad there's at least _one_ other cat in the Clans who gets how I feel," he muttered.

Lightningpaw beamed. "So am I."

…

Lightningpaw and Wavepaw chatted until the leaders commanded their attention, Rainwater and Breezepaw forgotten.

 _It's like every time I meet him, he's a new cat,_ Lightningpaw thought affectionately as she waved her tail in farewell to the silver tom.

 _Be careful,_ Whiteshadow cautioned. _In a game of hearts, there a seldom winners._

 _Thanks for obscure prophecy-y warning number I've-completely-lost-count-at-this-point._ Lightningpaw wrinkled her nose.

"WindClan will speak first," Spottedstar announced coldly. "In the horrible and unprovoked attack of yesterday, we lost Oatpad. Sunnyfur, Copperspots, and Rabbitpaw were badly injured and are recovering under the care of Morningpoppy and Littlepaw. Leopardpaw has received her warrior name and is now Leopardheart, Provided no _other_ casualties occur, or another attack," Spottedstar paused to curl her lip at Redstar, then continued, "that is all WindClan has to report."

Lightningpaw bristled a little at the barb thrown at Redstar, but Redstar sat as coolly and unruffled as ever. Cheers for Leopardheart rose up from the Clans, however the majority of ThunderClan was stonily silent.

"ShadowClan will go next," Ivystar said, stepping forwards. "After ThunderClan's brutal assault on an innocent Clan, two of our warriors have died. Mousepelt and Vinestem are gone but not forgotten. We hope that Mudpaw and Poolpaw, Vinestem's two kits, will bring honor to his name. Shiningsnow has moved into the nursery and is expecting Wildwind's kits, who will hopefully grow up with both parents alive. One of our elders has unfortunately passed away. Ratpaw and Pinepaw are now Pineleaf and Rattail. That is all."

Some half-hearted cheers for the new warriors came from ShadowClan, but the other three Clans were silent. _Unpopular, I suppose,_ Lightningpaw thought to herself. _I think I remember them; unpleasant and rude._

As the sparse greetings faded, Snowstar stepped forwards. He was limply slightly and his snow-white fur was matted in places, brownish-red and pale green where blood and poultices had soaked into it.

"RiverClan will share news next," he grunted, wincing as he put weight upon his left foreleg. "RiverClan is grateful for the intervention of WindClan and ShadowClan on our behalf when ThunderClan unfairly accused us and invaded our territory with a savage and unwarranted attack."

 _StarClan, these leaders love talking about how awful ThunderClan is,_ Lightningpaw thought irritably. _I mean, yes, the attack was wrong. But Thornstar's dead, and Shadefur, er, star, publicly announced that he didn't support the attack, and neither did the rest of ThunderClan! It was Thornstar's fault, not ours._

"Crowstrike, a new warrior, and Badgerfur, her previous mentor were killed in the battle," Snowstar continued gravely, his blue eyes darkening with sorrow. "We hope to avoid any conflict with other Clans in the future, and we wish for things to be resolved with words in the place of claws. Poolfur has kitted; four kits by the names of Splashkit, Islandkit, Trilliumkit, and Quailkit. And one of our apprentices has become a warrior after helping to deal with a fox that came onto our territory. Cinnamonpaw is now Cinnamonheart."

Lightningpaw felt indignance rise within her at Snowstar's continued accusations aimed at ThunderClan. _It's not a problem anymore! Now that Thornstar's gone, everything's okay!_

"And ThunderClan will go last," Redstar mewed softly, stepping forwards. "We too have lost cats; Brownwing died in the battle and Fawnshade died during kitting not long before. They will be mourned by their families and we will never forget them. Now that Thornstar is dead and gone, I hope to bring a new era of peace upon us. _However_ , challenges to my leadership or the honor of ThunderClan will not be met with submission and apologies but rather tooth and claw. Thank you, that is all."

The clearing was silent. Lightningpaw felt a rush of pride for their new leader fill her. _That was great! She sure showed those guys!_

Whiteshadow made a noise of approval.

The silence was soon broken as the sounds of mingling returned. _Maybe I can find Breezepaw or Vixenpaw… see if it really worked._

"Lightningpaw!" A mew suddenly startled her and made her turn.

"Darkpaw?" Lightningpaw narrowed her eyes, remembering the tiny calico's vicious attack during yesterday's battle. "Hi…"

"Lightningpaw, I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Darkpaw said, her eyes wide and genuine. "I- I- I'm sorry. But you understand, it's just loyalty to ShadowClan. I didn't _want_ to hurt you."

Lightningpaw had a hard time believing that last statement. The image of Darkpaw's manic grin as she tore into the dark brown she-cat's flesh wasn't going away in a hurry. _But… I should give her another chance,_ she thought ruefully.

"Apology accepted," Lightningpaw said grudgingly. "It'd be great if you didn't try to wrap my kidneys in grass for another couple moons though."

Darkpaw giggled. "I'm sorry."

The giggle only served to energize the crawling feeling on her back, but she attempted a smile and nodded. "I'm sorry too, if I hurt you."

"You didn't," Darkpaw said abruptly, and turned back to leave and return to ShadowClan.

Lightningpaw shrugged and turned to continue her search for Vixenpaw or Breezepaw. _Darkpaw gives me a weird feeling…_ she told Whiteshadow silently. _You're an all-knowing StarClan cat right? What's her deal?_

 _She's just another player in this game of hearts,_ Whiteshadow replied mysteriously.

 _Thanks, very useful,_ Lightningpaw snorted.

Her eyes finally landed on the tell-tale ginger and white pelt of her sister. She hurried over to her.

"Great news!" Vixenpaw exclaimed, her amber eyes sparkling with mischievous delight. "It totally worked. I tried to talk to him and he was acting like his brain was grabbed by an eagle and dropped off the edge of the world."

"Really?" Hope ignited inside of Lightningpaw. _Could I get a happily-ever-after like a cat in an elder's tale? Is StarClan finally repaying me for taking my mother from me?_

"Definitely," Vixenpaw replied, flashing a grin. "You should have heard him. 'Bluh bluh what? Who's that tom over there?'"

Lightningpaw wrinkled her nose at her sister, irritated by how she was portraying Breezepaw as some sort of bumbling rabbit-brain.

"Well… what's next then?" Lightningpaw asked nervously, shuffling her paws. "Should I go talk to him?"

"Are you kidding me?" Vixenpaw rolled her eyes at her sister and the fur along Lightningpaw's spine rose a little. "No, of course not! You wait another moon, flirt more, _then_ talk to him! You can't just give him what he wants before he even knows he wants it! Besides, this is funny. So how'd Rainwater react?"

"He- he- uh," Lightningpaw stammered, not wanting to reveal the gray tom's peculiar behaviour.

"Had no idea what was going on?" Vixenpaw finished, rolling her eyes again. "Of course. That mouse-brain."

Lightningpaw faltered. _Has she always been this mean? And… controlling?_ She wondered.

"Yeah, sure," Lightningpaw replied uncomfortably.

 **Stay tuned for the fun Hallowe'en special! QOTC: Do you ship Lightningpaw and Rainwater? Until next week!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	56. Breeze: Gold, Orange, Amber

**I'M ALIVE.**

 **And…**

 **I HAVE SEEN HAMILTON MY CHILDREN AND ThErE ArE nO wOrDs.**

 **GO WATCH IT. JEFFERSON IS MY CHILD. TURNING OFF CAPS NOW.**

 **Alright; fan-girling finished. Onwards and upwards!**

 **RRs:**

 **Guest: Yeah. Convoluted is certainly one word for it.**

 **Stormbreeze: :P Thanks broski.**

 **I SWEAR TO FRICK IF ANYONE POINTS OUT I SPELLED 'KNIGHT' WRONG I WILL LIGHT MY FRICKIN LAPTOP ON FIRE AND THROW IT AT THEM. CATS DON'T KNOW WHAT KNIGHTS ARE SO I'M IMPROVISING KEH?**

 **Alrighty roo! Next up is Breezy my darling.**

 **P.S. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA 500 REVIEWS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ALSO IF WE GET TO 50 FAVOURITES I WILL MELT INTO A PUDDLE LIKE I'M THE WITCH OF THE FRICKIN WEST.**

 **Scarletpaw my child...**

 **Pssssst blue-cough is leukemia.**

 **When Breezy's gettin' all the ladies and you're listening to Womanizer by Britney Spears… hardee har...**

Chapter 54.

Breezepaw's jaw hung limply.

"Ehem, sorry what?" he stammered.

"She's pregnant," Morningpoppy repeated.

 _Yep. She definitely said those words. In that order._ They didn't make sense together, like a boulder trying to fit in with a collection of pebbles. _Pregnant. Scarletpaw. Is. Scarletpaw. Pregnant._ They whirled around his head, taunting his inability to comprehend.

"She's- she's going to have kits?" He stumbled.

"That's what pregnant means, yes," Morningpoppy affirmed.

Breezepaw blinked blankly. _Kits. As in; there are kits inside of her. Kits will come out of her and they will grow up. But she hasn't grown up! How can that be?_

During this entire interaction, Scarletpaw had simply stared at Morningpoppy. Finally, the optimistic medicine cat turned back to her with a wide smile. "Congratulations. I know apprentices don't usually have kits, but they're quite a way away still. You'll be able to train for at least another moon before you'll have to move to the nursery; perhaps you'll even be a warrior by then!"

Morningpoppy's babbling eddied away like a stream draining into the lake. Silence reigned for another moment, before her voice returned.

"You know, it's not a bad thing that kits are on the way," she exclaimed with fervor. "You would have been to young to remember, but when the blue-cough epidemic swept the Clans, we lost so many cats, and countless others were left alive but unable to continue the line… We need more kits."

"Blue-cough?" Breezepaw frowned.

"It was horrible," Morningpoppy recounted, shuddering. "Every cat, from the strongest warrior to the tiniest kit was defenseless. The chosen few that StarClan spared ran the risk of never having kits, and an entire Clan was wiped out."

Morningpoppy shook her head briskly, brushing it off. "But we mustn't be caught in the past now that a shining example of our future has produced!"  
"Wha- oh," Scarletpaw muttered, glancing away. "Are… are you sure?"

"Sure about what? That it's the future?" Morningpoppy giggled. "Of course, dear! Kits don't just _not_ come out!"  
"Sure that I'm having kits," the apprentice corrected with a skeptical look. "I haven't exactly… y'know."

Breezepaw flushed, turning away. "Well, I'll just be on my way then…"

Morningpoppy giggled again in that kit-like way. "Quite sure! All the normal symptoms; vomiting, strange urges to eat certain herbs, swelling around the stomach… as sure as I can be! That, or it's something I've _never_ seen before. If everything else is in order, I'm not sure what else it could be…"

Scarletpaw narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.

"And even if you haven't properly mated- it's fine to say it, nothing to be ashamed of -these things can still happen. Have you ever shared a nest with a tom you were particularly close to?" Morningpoppy questioned.

Breezepaw died a little inside.

Scarletpaw rolled her eyes, still shaking her head. "No. I'd remember if I had. And besides, I've been in the Clans for too long for there to be any chance it was some cat from my old life. And I'd certainly remember it if it was some cat in my own Clan."

"Even…" Morningpoppy made an incredibly un-subtle gesture in Breezepaw's direction that involved flailing of the front paws and tail.

"No! Of course not!" Scarletpaw said heatedly. "He's a _friend._ "

He breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, he didn't remember ever sharing a nest with Scarletpaw, and certainly not ever actually… _But couldn't there still be some kind of chance?_

A thought suddenly jolted him. _If there is, and it_ is _me… then that would make me the father. Father?! I haven't the slightest idea how to be a father! I don't even know who my own father is and I have no idea how to raise kits!_

Panic rose in his chest. "I- I have to go!" he exclaimed and darted out of the den.

 _Oatpad! Help me!_ he thought desperately, but if she was watching over him she made no indication. _What do I do? Kits?_

"Breezepaw! Wait!" Scarletpaw exclaimed, dodging Morningpoppy's feeble attempt to keep her in the den. "We need to talk!"

"I don't know how to deal with kits!" he yelled.

" _Calm down you feather-brain_!" she shouted back.

His frantic sprinting slowed, then stopped. Scarletpaw stopped behind him with a huff. Breezepaw was breathing hard, but he was ready to run again if she started talking about him taking responsibility for the kits.

"Look; you know it isn't you," she said sensibly, sounding much calmer than he felt. "We've never shared a nest for StarClan's sake. There's no way."

Breezepaw nodded slowly, his breath still coming in ragged gasps. "You're right; you're right. I'm sorry."

"Morningpoppy made a mistake," she stated, her passionate amber gaze drifting up to the sun.

On one paw, he desperately wanted to agree with her. _I can't have_ kits _! I'm an apprentice!_ On the other… _if Morningpoppy was really wrong, what does that say about her as a medicine cat, if she can't even tell when a she-cat's not pregnant?_

"Maybe," he said doubtfully.

" _Either_ way, they're not _your_ kits, so take a deep breath and get your fluff together," Scarletpaw snapped, her calm facade breaking down.

"You're right, I'm sorry," he repeated, following her instructions and breathing in the damp autumn scent. "Well… if she's not wrong, and you _are_ having kits… then whose are they?"

"They're mine," Scarletpaw said fiercely. "I don't care. If they really are from my past life…"

Breezepaw sighed. He understood that she wanted her privacy, yet it was difficult to talk and comfort her when he knew zilch.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked the same question he had asked since the day they had met.

"No, I don't-" her normal reply suddenly petered out. A sob choked her. "Oh, Breezepaw, what if it's true? I ain't ready to be a mother! I dunno what to do with kits!  
"Scarletpaw!" Breezepaw was stricken. Her old accent was pouring through her now almost perfect-Clan one, a sure sign panic had overtaken her.. She was having the same reaction he'd had heartbeats ago, only it was worse because she would be the one giving birth. "You're not having kits! It was a mistake!"

She panted, her eyes wide and panicked. "But what if it wasn't? What then?"  
"Then we'll _make it through_ ," Breezepaw said firmly. "Panicking won't do anything to help. If you really are pregnant, all we can do is wait and train and then you'll move to the nursery and you'll have kits. I'll help you raise them. Even if they're not mine, I don't want any other kit to ever grow up without a father."

Scarletpaw gradually relaxed. "Maybe you're right."

"I _know_ I'm right," Breezepaw replied, trying to push the uncertain tremble out of his voice. "But still, you said it yourself. There's no way you're pregnant. So stop worrying!"

"Maybe we _should_ talk about it," the russet she-cat said in a small voice.

"Talk about- talk about your time before WindClan?" Breezepaw stammered, then collected himself. "Yeah! Sure!"

Scarletpaw shuffled her paws uncomfortably, before wetting her lips and delivering a disclaimer in a strangled voice.

"You might not like me very much afterwards," she murmured, eyes downcast.

"I doubt that," Breezepaw replied. "Did I ever tell you the story of me being at fault for the brutal mauling of one of my Clanmates?"

"Ah, no," Scarletpaw muttered, shooting a sideways glance at nothing in particular, then continued. "So… you probably haven't heard of them, but there are a group of rogues living in the twolegs place. They call themselves… they call themselves 'the order of the rust nights'."

Breezepaw nodded, privately wondering what 'order of the rust nights' could possibly mean.

"Torn, for short," Scarletpaw added. "They… their leader is a tom named Willy. He's more vicious than you could possibly imagine… He feels nothing for any cat, not even his own kits. He's made of evil."

With a cold chill, Breezepaw realized why the name was so familiar. _The one she was screaming when we first met…_

"This tom had a mate named Satin who was almost as awful as he was. Of course, the only reason he had kits was so they could carry on the leadership of Torn, not because he loved Satin or because he wanted kits like a normal tom," Scarletpaw continued bitterly. "These kits were nearly identical, except for their eyes. Their names were Sin and Scar."

Breezepaw nodded, his eyes wide and he braced himself for whatever information had warranted the disclaimer at the beginning of her story.

"These kits… they didn't have a good life, you understand," Scarletpaw muttered. "They were raised by a sociopath and his mate, so… you can imagine. They learned to fight before they learned to speak. Willy turned them into his personal assassins so he could clean his paws of the blood that came with disposing of his enemies. Sin and Scar both had their own specialties. Sin had a way with words that left cats dazed and nodding. I- all of Torn watched her enter a den to speak with the cat heading the rebellion against Willy, and within heartbeats, they would come out looking like they'd been hit with a lakeful of stones. She could… I can't even describe it. She _removes_ them. And then, when they least expected it, Scar would strike."

With the final word, her voice wavered slightly, but she continued.

"She had the strength of a badger and the cunning of a fox, and as far as any cat knew, she felt nothing," Scarletpaw recounted. "She killed so many cats they began to blend together, nothing more than fleas to be cracked between her teeth. Of course, a neck being broken by Scar was nothing compared to those that, for whatever reason, Sin could not charm. Willy had a special place for them."

"What was it?" Breezepaw asked nervously.

"I- I don't think you'd want to know." Scarletpaw's voice had gone from wavering to outright shaking, the rasping noise creeping into it that signalled she was on the verge of a panic attack. "It… I don't want to talk about that."

"Okay," Breezepaw said reassuringly, pressing his side against hers. Beneath her sleek pelt he could feel every one of her bones shaking.

"And… all of Torn was afraid of them. Because of their red pelts and ruthless natures, they became known as the sisters of blood and rust. Only those that knew them well knew their true names. And those cats were either their parents or the next on their hit-lists," Scarletpaw murmured, her tail sweeping the earth agitatedly. "You see, neither 'blood and rust' nor 'Sin and Scar' were their real names."

Foreboding swept over Breezepaw and he stiffened, waiting for her next words.

"What you have to know…" Scarletpaw sighed heavily, blinking at him pityingly. "Sin was short for Cinnamon. And Scar… Scar was short… short for Scarlet."

Breezepaw's breath caught in his throat. He managed to choke out, "So it was you."

"Yes, Breezepaw. I killed all those cats," she replied roughly, and for a moment, Breezepaw was terrified he was about to be her next target, then her amber eyes suddenly filled with tears. "See. There it is. The terror. Every one of them looked at me like that. Every. Single. One. Right before I killed them. But I've changed! Please, Breezepaw, don't you see? I don't- I'm not!"

He shook with terror. _She's going to rip out my throat. She's going to snap my neck._ He pressed back the panic, breathing hard. _No! She's my friend! But… a monster like that…_

"What if it's all another lie?" he muttered, his breath speeding to gasps. "I- how can I trust you? Please, Scarletpaw…"

Scarletpaw's fur rose, and her eyes glinted with anger. "Don't you get it? I _hated_ Willy! I couldn't continue! I ran away! Please! You can't push me away too! I'll… I'll have no one…"

Breezepaw faltered. _But… what if it's just another trick? She's killed so many cats, she said it herself…_ Then he tried to step into her paws. _But if she's telling the truth and I reject her now…_

"Alright," he sighed finally. "I just can't believe… I've known you for so… well, I thought I knew you. I hope I know you."

"You do know me!" she said desperately. "This is the real me! I don't want to be that cat anymore!"

Breezepaw wavered, then his shoulders slackened. "I'm sorry. Alright. Let's- let's just forget about it, okay?"

"That's what I've been trying to do, but cats seem to not like the idea of burying the carrion," Scarletpaw said measuredly.

Breezepaw made an apologetic expression, and Scarletpaw sighed. "Let's just go back to camp."

He nodded gratefully, his mind a whirl of confusion. _So. One of my best friends was secretly a murderer. What now?_

As they walked back to camp, Breezepaw tried his hardest to ignore the niggling paranoia in his gut that urged him to run before she added him to her extensive collection of victims.

When they returned, the Clan was already preparing to leave for the Gathering. Spottedstar had evidently already given her announcement as when they stepped through the entrance, Jaypaw charged up to them.

"You lucky little dog, you're going to the Gathering!" she exclaimed, before shooting a distasteful look at Scarletpaw. "You're the only apprentice who is. I suppose Spottedstar wanted a real WindClan cat to represent us."

"I'm as much of a WindClan cat as you are, which I would suppose to be the reason Spottedstar didn't invite you either," Scarletpaw said coolly, her tone even and icy.

At that moment, Breezepaw thought he caught of a glimpse of what she must have been like before WindClan. Cold and unforgiving, stalking through the alleys of the twolegs place like she owned them, her amber gaze sharp and menacing. A red shadow in the gloom. He could almost imagine the other rogues cowering as she swept past, ducking their heads to avoid her gaze so quickly they banged their muzzle upon the flat, smooth stone of the twolegs place, desperately praying that it wasn't them or any cat they loved.

 _Or am I just being paranoid again?_ he wondered guiltily, Scarletpaw's broken reaction to his altered perception of her flashing through his mind.

As though sensing his thoughts, Scarletpaw shot him a wet-eyed look, before turning and slinking back to the apprentice's den.

 _I- I'm sorry?_ He was slammed with confusion. _But could she read my mind or something?_

"Go on, Breezepaw," Jaypaw said, not meeting his eyes. "I think Palepaw wanted to talk before you left."

"Jaypaw, you shouldn't talk to Scarletpaw like that," he said suddenly. "It's rude, and wrong. It's not blood that makes you a Clan cat, it's loyalty to your Clan. Traitors have been born, and heroes have been rogues."

Jaypaw frowned, still not meeting his eyes. "We know _nothing_ about her, Breezepaw. She could have murdered cats for fun before she joined WindClan."

He figured he probably wouldn't win the argument if he brought up the fact Scarletpaw had done nearly exactly that.

"But she's changed. She's loyal to WindClan," Breezepaw insisted, stepping closer in the heat of the argument.

"You say that, but we'll never know for sure," Jaypaw said coldly. "Go talk to Palepaw."

 _What's her deal?_ he wondered, irritation buzzing from his nose to tail-tip. _Maybe Palepaw will be more reasonable._

"Palepaw?" he called.

"Breezepaw," she murmured, sidling up to him.

"Uh… hi?" he stuttered, blinking.

"You're going to the Gathering?" she asked casually.

"That's right," he agreed, still uncertain.

"Have… fun," she said slowly, blinking just as slow.

He nodded, his brow crinkling in confusion. _What's with her?_

They sat in silence, Palepaw searching his face for something, Breezepaw simply staring off into space and making sure his gaze never flicked to Palepaw for even a moment.

"Breezepaw! Are you coming or not?" Spottedstar called.

"Coming!" he shouted back, shooting a not-so-regretful look at Palepaw. "I've got to go, sorry. Can we talk later?"

It was like the sun had come out from behind the clouds. Her whole face lit up, and she smiled widely. "Yeah!"

 _That's kind of… an overreaction,_ Breezepaw thought, shooting her a weird glance as he left. _But whatever. Glad at least some cat enjoys my company._ He thought resentfully of Jaypaw and her issue with Scarletpaw. _It's so dumb. Who cares? She's one apprentice, in one Clan. Why should Jaypaw even care? Unless she's jealous… but of what? Even if Scarletpaw can fight well, Jaypaw's the better runner. Scarletpaw gets tired quickly, more like a RiverClan cat would than a WindClan cat. But it doesn't matter, because she's pure WindClan now._

 _Like a RiverClan cat would._ Suddenly, he was locking into the fact that he also tired out quicker than Jaypaw. _What if my father was never a kittypet at all? What if he was-_

" _Breezepaw_!" Spottedstar's shout returned.

He scurried after the patrol, looking ruefully back at the fresh-kill pile. _I guess there's no dinner for me tonight…_

Suddenly, he was nearly carried off his feet by a hard nudge from a cat next to him.

"Yeep! Wait a minute, I thought I was the only apprentice going to the Gathering," Breezepaw said, looking at her and blinking in confusion.

"I'm a warrior, fluff-brain," Leopardheart reminded him wryly.

"Right," he exclaimed, shuffling his paws in embarrassment. "Sorry, sorry, I forgot."

"I nearly forgot until Spottedstar had me sit vigil," Leopardheart replied, looking up at the moon. "I'm going to collapse if I don't get some sleep soon."

"Yeah, what was Spottedstar thinking, bringing you?" Breezepaw said, staring at her in shock. "You were at the battle, so you didn't sleep then, and then you stood vigil, and now you're at the Gathering? Has she got bees in her brain?"

"I insisted," Leopardheart cut in. "I wanted to have my first Gathering as a warrior now, I didn't want to wait another entire moon."

"I guess… but don't you need sleep?" Breezepaw demanded.

"I suppose. I'm not exactly half-ShadowClan," Leopardheart said, winking conspiratorially at him.

"I would hope not," Breezepaw replied, shuddering.

"Hey! What's your problem with ShadowClan?" she teased. "I'll have you know I have a friend in ShadowClan, and she's a very nice cat."

"Oh yeah?" Interest glimmered inside him for a moment. _I wonder if Darkpaw knows Leopardheart's friend._

"Her name's Lionpaw," Leopardheart informed him. "Although perhaps she's gotten her warrior name… she's taller than I am, you know, yet she insists she's only ten moons old."

Breezepaw blinked. _Isn't that Darkpaw's sister?_

"Really? Because I know a ShadowClan she-cat as well, Darkpaw. I think she's Lionpaw's sister," Breezepaw confided. "Apparently I look a lot like her. I don't think we've properly met though."

"You'd like her," Leopardheart told him. "You two are like two flowers on the same bush. She even looks a bit like you, to be honest. Except she has golden eyes, but other than that."

Breezepaw nodded, remembering Darkpaw remark on the same thing. _Maybe I should meet this cat, if she's apparently my evil twin. Er, or just regular twin I suppose._

"There's a RiverClan cat that looks like me, too," Leopardheart exclaimed. "His name's Seednose I think. He's got the same sort of speckled pelt. His is more creamy brown, though, like…"

Obviously the realization of exactly who Seednose looked like made Leopardheart's eyes bulge and she immediately silenced herself.

"Like Oatpad," Breezepaw finished softly. "You can say it. She's dead, not possessed or something."

Leopardheart nodded, but said nothing more, glancing away ruefully.

Breezepaw was at a loss for words. _Am I supposed to comfort_ her _?! But it's_ my _mother…_

They walked to the Gathering, the same silence heavy with unsaid words.

…

Breezepaw wasn't sure.

 _Do I go to talk to her? But…_ The memory of her harsh rejection was still too fresh, too new, it stung too much… _But…_ After the battle, the way she had talked, the way she sat, the way she comforted him… _Surely I didn't imagine it…_

He dug his claws into the ground, feeling the deep cold surge into him, cooling his anger. He closed his eyes, concentrating. _Calm. Calm._

Eventually, his stiff muscles slackened and he breathed a deep breath of fresh air. _It's okay. I'll just chat. Like normal. Everything is normal._

But every time he thought of Lightningpaw… her eyes, her voice, her passion…

 _Normal. Right._ He snorted at himself. _I'm pathetic._

Longing surged through him suddenly. _Why couldn't we just have been in the same Clan? That would have made things_ so _much simpler…_

Just the thought of being able to patrol, hunt, train with Lightningpaw made him giddy. _I wonder if she's good at hunting. I wonder if she's good at fighting. I wonder… I wonder…_

Suddenly, his eyes drifted over to a sight that made him feel like his fur was crawling with ants.

 _What is she doing? Who's that tom?_

The tom in question was sturdy, smoke-gray tom with eyes like the sky at the sunhigh on a cloudy day.

Lightningpaw's eyes sparkled like sunshine on a day in green-leaf at something the tom said. She tilted her head up to him and he looked away bashfully.

Breezepaw's stomach tightened painfully. _Rival._ But… he was over Lightningpaw? Wasn't he? She was just a kit crush. Of course, she was really very pretty with the silver moon turning her jagged stripes to lightning and her dark brown to the colour of cocoa…

But it wasn't her remarkably lovely pelt, was it? It was those eyes.

His stomach twisted again as Lightningpaw purred softly and flicked the tom with her tail. The way her eyes glowed as she talked to him…

 _It's not a crush._

The realization hit him like a monster on the thunderpath.

Instead of feeling light and fluffy like he did whenever he talked to her, looked at her, _thought_ about her, he felt steady as a rock in his determination to win her.

Suddenly, a tail was tapping on his shoulder.

He turned to find a remarkably pretty she-cat with the rich scent of the forest rolling off her sleek and gleaming ginger and white pelt. Her amber-gold eyes reminded him of Lightningpaw, though they lacked a certain solemnity and earnesty, instead having a sparkling mischief.

"Hello!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"Hi?" he squeaked.

"Breezepaw, right?" the she-cat barrelled on before he even had the chance to reply. "My name's Vixenpaw. I'm Lightningpaw's sister."

"Nice to-" his tentative reply was cut off immediately.

"Yes, yes, I know all about you," she continued. "She's told me all about you. You're friends?"  
Fighting to keep a glare off his face at the platonic label, he nodded. "Yes. _Friends._ "

Vixenpaw's face split into a sudden grin, looking smug and satisfied.

But Breezepaw's attention was no longer held by the ginger and white 'sister-of-Lightningpaw-she's-told-me-so-much-about-you!'

His gaze had been caught by a pair of intensely golden eyes peering over the shoulder of a certain loathsome gray tom.

His heart raced and he stiffened, breathless. He told himself it was over. He told himself he didn't care. But still… every time she looked at him he was utterly helpless.

The last little inhale was caught his throat like a stubborn piece of fresh-kill. _It's over for me…_ he thought.

"Breezepaw? Hello?" Vixenpaw called, nudging him slightly.

He swivelled his head to acknowledge her. "Yeah?"

She snickered. "Do you like her?"

"NO!" he shrieked immediately.

Vixenpaw blinked at him, cocked her head, then strolled away, looking insufferably smug.

 _Mouse-dung! What did I just do?! Possibly ruined my own life…_ he answered himself, panic racing through him.

Then his gaze returned to Lightningpaw. But she was gone. _No! Where is she? She couldn't have… did she…_ Bile rose in his throat and he methodically shredded the ground beneath his claws.

Then he saw her. She was with the same tom- _no… not the same tom,_ Breezepaw realized. _That's Wavepaw. She's talking to Wavepaw._

His heart ached. _Why won't she talk to_ me?! _I want her to talk to me!_ But if she would rather talk to Wavepaw and that gray tom…

 _Then forget her._ Bitterness rose inside him. _I could hand her my heart and she'd toss it into the lake anyways._

Making up his mind, he strode purposefully towards the ShadowClan area. _If she doesn't want to talk to me, then I don't want to talk to her._ All he needed was to get better at pretending it was true.

"Darkpaw?" he called uncertainly. _Maybe she's not even here. This might have been a dumb idea anyways._

"Breezepaw," her familiar, husky rasp came from beside him.

He started, then turned to her, embarrassment rising inside him. _Call myself a cat; can't even scent another apprentice when she's standing right next to me._

"You weren't too badly injured in the battle?" he asked awkwardly, going for aloof and relaxed and sounding like a badger was sitting on his vocal chords.

"No. Not as badly as my opponents," Darkpaw snickered, rolling her eyes at him conspiratorially. "They don't train 'em like they used to."

"You sound like an elder," Breezepaw joked, the comment seeming strange out of her apprentice-mouth.

"I am an elder," Darkpaw replied, then giggled like a kit.

Despite the utter lack of humor in the response, Breezepaw still felt a purr bubbling out of his throat. Somehow, even random comments could be entertaining when she said them.

He held her gaze for a moment longer, feeling his stomach lurch when he remembered that it wasn't all jokes and purrs around her. "So… I saw you fight," he began awkwardly.

"Not bad, eh?" Darkpaw purred.

"Er, well, yes. You're very good… at, er, hurting?" Breezepaw squawked with the smoothness of a mountain.

Darkpaw blinked, then cocked her head. "Isn't that a good thing? Cats have claws for a reason."

"I just- I- you know, the way you were attacking Lightningpaw…" Breezepaw stammered.

Steel flashed in Darkpaw's shadowed amber eyes, and her lip curled, revealing glimmering white fangs. Just as quickly as it came, the reaction relaxed into her normal stance. "She was the enemy; I was only protecting ShadowClan."

"By attempting to slice her open?" Breezepaw inquired, his insides twisting as he thought of Scarletpaw's brutal past. _What if Darkpaw ends up the same way?_

Darkpaw bit her lip, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry. I was just… you know. My Clan doesn't think I can fight… and it hurts, y'know? No cat believes in me. I didn't really think you were the same way, but maybe… I was wrong…"

Her voice cracked pitifully on the last word and horror and guilt crashed into Breezepaw.

"No! I didn't mean that at all!" he said helplessly. "I- I believe in you! I just think you should maybe apologize to Lightningpaw, is all…"

He trailed off uncertainly as steel slammed over her gaze once more. _I don't want to hurt her feelings, but her attack on Lightningpaw was just so vicious…_

Darkpaw closed her eyes like she was blinking back tears. Breezepaw's heart wrenched.

"Maybe I should apologize," she said hoarsely.

Breezepaw smiled gratefully. "Good idea."

Then, to his utter shock, she pressed herself against him.

The last of his brain cells fizzled and died.

He could feel her heart beating.

He should pull away now.

He could feel the warmth of her body.

He should run away now.

But he was paralyzed. Coherent thoughts were rather difficult to form, he reflected. Perhaps he should just fall over and stop thinking and maybe sleep for a million moons while he tried to sort out his feelings.

Darkpaw seemed to realize his confusion, and she tilted up to look at him with her big, dark eyes. Tear-filled eyes.

And then she pulled away and ran.

He would never understand she-cats, he suddenly realized.

 **La fin. Didn't bother with the Gathering, it's irrelevant anyways.**

 **Troublemaker by Olly Murs is LightningxBreeze anthem, I send thee off to listen to it.**

 **ACK DARKXBREEZE IS SO CUTE BUT SO IS LIGHTNINGXBREEZE MY LIFE IS IN CRISIS.**

 **If you're having a crap day, listen to Classic by MKTO, you will feel better.**

 **QOTD: Do you think Lightningpaw's strat of flirting with Rainwater is an acceptable way of doing things? Why or why not?**

 _ **is low-key becoming a six-grade english teacher**_

 **Anyways. See y'all next week my fluffy readers.**

 **~Akila**


	57. Wave: Frost and Foreshadowing

**Butter chicken flavoured crackers are my will to live.**

 **RRs:**

 **Impatient Stormy: Here you are amigo. And can I recommend Embers and Ashes by Wolfcreations18, or Housemates by 8Silver-Storm8 for a more fun read? If you just want to bust a gut laughing for ten minutes, go find Cynical Britton's rants about warrior cats. "I would rather try to french kiss a woodchipper". If that line doesn't sell you… what are you even doing with your life? That goes for everybody.**

 **Today we are hopping into Wavepaw's perspective!**

Chapter 55.

As Snowstar finished his announcement about Poolfur's kits, he carefully picked his way off the ledge instead of leaping down as he normally would. _It's been hard on all of us,_ Wavepaw thought guiltily.

Rather than heading over to his den as Wavepaw expected, he paused at the base of the rocks and said a few words in a low voice to Mistcloud.

Promptly afterwards, he slunk into his den, pausing to lap at a crusty patch of bloodied white fur.

"I need a border patrol," she said calmly, her soothing voice relaxing the tensed Clan. "Any volunteers? I know you're all exhausted, but any cat up to it would be much appreciated."

Wavepaw wavered for a moment. _I'm tired… but I don't really deserve to rest. Not after what happened,_ he thought guiltily.

"I'll go!" he squeaked, then cleared his throat embarrassedly. "I- I mean, I'll go."

"Thank you, Wavepaw." The warm look the deputy sent him only served to inflame his guilt. "Any others? I'm looking for three or four warriors along with young Wavepaw here."

"I'll go," Cinnamonpaw said, her voice soft but it carried.

"I- I think warriors-" Mistcloud began, but Cinnamonpaw's golden eyes were fixed on her, then a moment later Mistcloud said, "Alright, Cinnamonpaw will go with Wavepaw. Other _warriors_?"

"I will join them," a quiet, broken mew rang from the entrance to the warrior den.

Wavepaw's heart leapt in his throat. _No, no! It's enough to see him in camp, I can't go on patrol with Seednose knowing I practically killed his sister…_

"No, Seednose," Mistcloud said firmly. "You're too badly injured."

Relief swamped Wavepaw, then a crashing wave of bone-shattering guilt, so strong it twisted his stomach and took his breath away.

Flowerpelt and Flameleaf stepped forwards. "We'll go."

Mistcloud nodded. "Flowerpelt, Flameleaf, Cinnamonpaw, and Wavepaw. You're to patrol the ShadowClan border and then return. Don't be long, every cat needs to rest before the Gathering."

Wavepaw nodded and quickly padded to the fresh-kill pile. Only a few, old-looking, fish graced the pebble pit.

Shame twisting his stomach, he hooked out the smallest, oldest one he could find.

Every bite tasted like guilt.

"Hurry along, Wavepaw," Cinnamonpaw murmured. "Flowerpelt and Flameleaf are going to leave without us!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered through his last mouthful.

He stumbled to his feet and padded quickly to the entrance of the RiverClan camp.

"Wavepaw," Flameleaf greeted him, his eyes kind and tired.

Guilt weighed like stones in Wavepaw's belly.

They set off towards the ShadowClan border, the territory ravaged by the battle. _It stretched further than I thought,_ Wavepaw realized. From the first pawsteps out of camp to the last before they reached the scent-markings, stones were overturned, plants were crushed, and blood was spilled.

The rusty, salty tang of blood was overpowering his nose until they reached the border and all he could smell was the heady mix of fishy RiverClan scent that he was used to and tangy, sharp ShadowClan scent that he was not.

The scent was so strong that at first he couldn't smell the fox.

But Cinnamonpaw could.

And before the orange-white beast could tear Wavepaw limb from limb, Cinnamonpaw was throwing herself into its path and tearing into it like she was born to do just that.

The fox roared with anger, and Wavepaw's muddy reflexes finally caught up and he jumped out of the way.

Cinnamonpaw hissed back, her long, silky fur standing on end and making her look twice her size. She was a fearsome sight, russet and bloody and furious, but the fox wasn't deterred.

Flowerpelt and Flameleaf yelped in surprise, then made to attack the fox, but Cinnamonpaw waved them off. Shockingly, they obeyed and backpedalled to stand beside Wavepaw and watched Cinnamonpaw make her move.

The fox and the apprentice squared off, both red and growling and terrifying, but suddenly, Cinnamonpaw's normal growling warning was lowering, going further back in her throat, until it matched the timbre and tone of the fox's.

The fox looked like it had been hit with a tree. It blinked, staring at Cinnamonpaw, enraptured.

Cinnamonpaw's low growling continued, then she cut herself off with a sharp, snapping yap. Like a fox. The fox flinched, cowering slightly.

It growled back, but Cinnamonpaw's voice rose above it, hissing and snarling.

The fox glared at her in pure hatred, but it made no move to attack her.

Then slowly, it circled around the bristling she-cat to angle towards Flowerpelt.

Cinnamonpaw's concentration seemed to falter and her voice shifted back up to a yowling cry much closer to a cat.

"No! Stay away from her, Bern-" she cut herself off, seeming to realize that her voice had shifted back up.

Her voice danced between a cat's and a fox-like growl, and the fox seemed to be weighing its options.

Wavepaw suddenly snapped out of his trance. _I've got to help Cinnamonpaw!_

Wasting no more time, he crouched and pounced onto the beast.

It roared as Wavepaw sank his claws into it, but miraculously, it didn't throw him off or snap at him, or make any sort of attempt to attack him. It just roared again and fled.

Wavepaw remembered to jump off at the last moment before the fox crossed into ShadowClan territory and disappeared among the pines.

He hit the ground with a _thump!_ and staggered to his paws, blinking.

"Wh- what just happened?" he mumbled.

Flowerpelt and Flameleaf were just staring.

…

By the time they reached the camp, Wavepaw had to lean on Cinnamonpaw just to stay up. She seemed to be no worse for the wear, if a little hoarse-throated.

"Flowerpelt, Flameleaf! What happened to the apprentices?" Mistcloud exclaimed, staring at them. "They look like a badger got them."

"Fox, actually," Flameleaf mumbled.

"Did you chase it off? Tell me everything," Mistcloud ordered frantically. "Wavepaw, you had better get to the medicine den and explain things to Sheepbelly."

"I'll go with him," Cinnamonpaw volunteered.

Mistcloud looked doubtful, but once more, Cinnamonpaw tilted her head softly and stared into the deputy's blue eyes. Soon enough, Mistcloud nodded once and Cinnamonpaw and Wavepaw set off towards the medicine den.

"How do you do that?" Wavepaw asked groggily.

"Sorry?" Cinnamonpaw blinked at him, golden eyes wide and innocent. "Do what?"

"Cats… cats just listen to you," he clarified. "They do what… what you say. They agree with you."

"Oh- uh-" she seemed to flounder for words for the first time since he'd met her. "I dunno."

For a moment, her voice sounded… odd. Like it had some kind of accent. _Weird._

But soon it really didn't feel important. Her eyes her warm and golden and calm. He felt calm. Things were calm. It was like a pebble dropping into a lake without making a single ripple.

"Anyway, let's get you to Sheepbelly," Cinnamonpaw said softly.

Wavepaw nodded drowsily.

"Cinnamonpaw? Er- Wavepaw, oh, what happened to you?" Fear crept into Sheepbelly's voice when he laid eyes on the scratched up silver tom.

Wavepaw shifted uncomfortably. "Um, I- we encountered a fox while we were on patrol."

Sheepbelly nodded, looking almost relieved. "Alright, let's get you cleaned up then."

Wavepaw crept into the den, the tang of herbs sharp on his tongue. Cinnamonpaw seemed to hesitate outside. "Sh- should I come in, or…"

"There's not much space," Wavepaw muttered, squeezing in after Sheepbelly, then realizing it opened up further in. "Oh, actually, there's plenty."

Cinnamonpaw shrugged and pushed in behind him. Their fur brushed for a moment and Wavepaw jumped, snapping out of his trance.

"Alright, let's have a look at you," Sheepbelly murmured, settling down.

He checked Wavepaw over, the latter tom uncomfortably aware of how close the old medicine cat was to him. When he was finished, Wavepaw backed away a little until his back was on the mossy walls.

"So it appears to be mostly shallow wounds, with minor to medium bruising along your flank," Sheepbelly declared, then at Wavepaw's confused look, clarified, "Basically, you're fine. I'll just get you some marigold to make sure everything heals up nicely. Some cobwebs for the slices and I'll have Pikepaw get you some poppy seeds if you're not invited to the Gathering. Which… since you're injured… I'll have a word with Snowstar."

"W- wait! I want to go-" Wavepaw began, but Cinnamonpaw was ushering him out of the den before he could properly begin his demand.

"Cinnamonpaw!" Wavepaw hissed.

She looked taken aback at his angry tone. Her eyes flicked down and she looked nearly embarrassed… _But she doesn't- she doesn't get embarrassed,_ he thought, thinking hard. _What's with her?_

"I'm- I'm sorry, Wavepaw," she murmured. "I just- I didn't want you to say something you'd regret."

"It was the wrong thing to say," he said slowly. "What was the right thing to say?"

"Well, Sheepbelly, considering-" she broke off into a cough. "I mean, I have no idea. It's just- what you said… you won't have a chance of going to the Gathering that way."

His frown deepened. _She's… she's keeping something from me...But what?_

Cinnamonpaw held his gaze for a moment longer before looking away quickly. "Haha, well… I…"

She seemed so… off. _Usually she doesn't trail off. Or… stammer?_ His heart sped up. _What's_ with _her? She's acting…_

"Clanmates!"Snowstar's mew broke Wavepaw away from his musings. "I have a great announcement to make!"

Cinnamonpaw perked up and trotted over to the rock. Confusion swept over Wavepaw. _What kind of announcement? The Gathering patrol? But would he call that 'great'?_

"As some of you may have heard, a patrol encountered a fox by the ShadowClan border," Snowstar began. "Flowerpelt, Flameleaf, and Wavepaw witnessed the heroism of one young apprentice today."

 _He must mean Cinnamonpaw…_ Wavepaw realized. _But- Oh StarClan, is he making her a warrior?_

"Flowerpelt, Cinnamonpaw's mentor, has conferred with me, and we've decided," he said grandly. "Cinnamonpaw, please join me on the rock."

 _He is!_ Shock jolted the silver tom. _But- she scared it, sure, but I was the one to fight it! Unless… Fallowspots._ Anger swept over him. _If Flowerpelt and Flameleaf told Snowstar exactly what happened and Snowstar asked Cinnamonpaw's and my mentors… And Fallowspots told him I wasn't ready._

Fury boiled inside Wavepaw, but he forced a smile at Cinnamonpaw.

"Cinnamonpaw, for your courage in fighting the fox today, I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. Despite starting as a rogue, and joining our Clan mere moons ago, she has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn," Snowstar declared, pride displayed evidently in his voice.

Cinnamonpaw's golden eyes stayed placid and calm as a genuine smile broke across her muzzle. _Very genuine,_ Wavepaw thought hazily, then scrunched up his brow. _No! I have to stay concentrated if I'm going to figure out what's up with Cinnamonpaw._

That thought made him snap right out of whatever soft weight had settled over his thoughts. His brain began to pump, sorting through information as he received it through his senses. It was as though everything was clearer. Some sort of fog had lifted.

The ground beneath him was cold deep within, but warm and humid where it met his pads. His nose twitched, the familiar scents of his Clanmates and the distinct fishy RiverClan one that followed him everywhere wreathed around him.

He could see every detail, every hair on his Clanmates' pelts, every facet and irregularity of the rock upon which Snowstar was perched.

And finally, he settled on Cinnamonpaw. He blinked a couple times, staring at her. _Wait… huh?_ He squinted, trying to make sense of it.

Her smile… was fake. _It doesn't reach her eyes. She's- she's faking a smile at her own_ warrior _ceremony? How can that be? This should be the biggest moment of her_ life _!_

Snowstar was still smiling, but it was an odd sort of smile. Like the one upon the muzzle of his Clanmates. _Why is- what…_ his thought process slowed as he stared at Cinnamonpaw.

The fog descended, but he didn't push it off. It was comforting. _Real smile. Real smiles. Real feelings._

 _She did it. She makes them stop thinking properly._ Confusion washed over him. _I knew she could… but…_ this _… this is fish-brained! This- how- I've got to go! I have to snap out of it!_

He scrunched his face again, breaking away from the riveting sight of Cinnamonpaw. Once more, he felt things clear, but he didn't open his eyes. He didn't dare.

"Cinnamonpaw, do you promise to uphold and defend the warrior code, even at the cost of your own life?" Snowstar questioned, but his voice was monotone. Practiced, emotionless.

"I do," Cinnamonpaw's, on the other paw, was velvety and warm.

 _It's not just her eyes… it's her voice too,_ he realized as his thoughts ground to a halt. He shook his head vigorously, clearing the creeping cobwebs. _No! No! I have to keep a straight head!_

But her voice was so nice… He couldn't help but hope she would keep speaking so he could float down into silky oblivion.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Cinnamonpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Cinnamonheart. StarClan honors your courage, fighting prowess, and charisma. We welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." As Snowstar rattled off the last of the words, Wavepaw couldn't help but wonder how it had happened.

 _I mean… sure, charm a couple of apprentices out of their clear-headedness, but the leader? How are we supposed to function properly if everyone's all bubble-headed?_ Wavepaw wondered despairingly.

Suddenly, with a flick of Cinnamonheart's tail, it was broken and his vision crystal-cleared. _She- she ended it? Is this something she does on purpose or does it just happen by accident?_

But even the release didn't stop admiring cats from crowding up to Cinnamonheart to congratulate her.

"Cinnamonheart! Cinnamonheart!" The cries floated up to the open sky where the sun had begun to settle into the tree-tops.

Wavepaw uneasily added his voice to the mix.

Pushing through the Clan, RiverClan's newest warrior bee-lined for him.

"Cinnamonpa-heart," Wavepaw stammered.

"Already tripping up?" she teased, her golden eyes swirling. He felt the same tug he always did.

At first, he had wondered if it was a crush of some kind, that would go away in due time. _But it isn't… it's whatever spell she's got on the Clan._ He narrowed his eyes, willing the mist away.

"Cinnamonheart," he corrected himself. "Could we talk… outside?"

"Sure?" she replied, tilting her head with a confused expression. "Is everything okay?"

Once they were safely out of reach of their Clanmates ears, Wavepaw whirled around to stare at her. "What did you do to them?"

Cinnamonheart flinched, but met his gaze evenly, and in a too-practiced, surprised voice, said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I think you do," Wavepaw replied. "First with Mistcloud, then Sheepbelly, Snowstar, and now all of RiverClan. Something's up with you, and we're not going back to camp until you tell me."

There was a struggle in Cinnamonheart's eyes, then they hardened and she said, "Do you really want to threaten me?"

"I don't want to," he replied, gritting his teeth. "I want answers. What. Did. You. Do."

A muscle in Cinnamonheart's jaw twitched, before she replied, "You don't care. It's okay, you don't care."

Her voice was soft, but Wavepaw was past falling for her tricks. "Stop! I'm not falling for that again."

Her golden eyes widened. "How did you- oh boy."

Wavepaw was about to insist further that she explain, but Cinnamonheart sat with a forlorn expression.

"Alright, looks like you're not as stupid as I thought," she sighed, and Wavepaw curled his lip but stayed silent. "Listen, I get that you think I'm some sort of evil overlord, but what you have to understand is… I'm not hurting anybody. I'm just… placating them, you know? There's nothing wrong with them calming down more than they normally would."

"But you're not really giving them a choice," Wavepaw countered. "You're casting your spell or whatever and every cat's just stupidly nodding along. That's not okay!"

"Why not? If they were as smart as you, they wouldn't fall for it," she murmured, her golden eyes too big, too magnetic.

Wavepaw squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head vigorously. "Quit it! If you want to talk to me, you gotta stop!"

Cinnamonheart sighed. "I guess this is why… you and I…"

Wavepaw peeked at her out of one half-open eye. She had closed her eyes, and when they opened again they were just normal.

"Look, Wavepaw," Cinnamonheart said heavily. "You know where I came from. You know what I've been through. You know I can never go back."

Wavepaw nodded slowly, keeping his guard up just in case she tried to pull anything.

"But Snowstar knows _none_ of that, and he wouldn't keep a random rogue unless I explained," Cinnamonheart continued, staring pleadingly into his eyes. "And if I _did_ explain, he would extra-not keep me. I _murdered_ cats for StarClan's sake!"

Wavepaw wavered, wanting so badly to believe her, but… _What if she's just got me back under her control? I can't let myself get swept away…_

"I-" he struggled.

Cinnamonheart's eyes filled with tears and she pressed closer to him.

"Please. Just trust me. You're all I have! I don't want to force every cat to like me just so I can protect my position," she sobbed. "I need at least one cat to like me for _me_. To know that I can change!"

"I'll- I'll believe you," Wavepaw grunted, and the russet she-cat sagged in relief, before he added, "but you have release Briarpaw and Ripplepaw from the- the whatever-it-is."

"Done," Cinnamonheart replied, the tears slowly drying from her eyes. "Thank you, Wavepaw. You won't regret this."

He shifted uneasily. _I hope I made the right choice. Pondfrost?_

He realized the silver and gray she-cat had been oddly silent. _When was the last time she…_ he racked his brain. _Pondfrost?_

But silence reigned in his mind.

 _The last time I saw her was… my dream… when she went crazy,_ he realized. _What happened to her? Was it that strange cat with the stars for eyes?_

Fear rose inside him. _Did she die? But wasn't she already dead? Pondfrost?! Can you hear me?! Say something!_

"Wavepaw? Are you alright?" Cinnamonheart asked nervously.

He shook his head to clear away the terrifying silence. "I- I'm fine. Maybe. I think. I hope. Let's just go back to camp, alright?"

She nodded, glancing at him in concern.

He looked away, praying she would think it was nothing. When he felt the heat of her gaze lessen, he chanced another look at her.

He blinked a couple times, trying to make sure he was seeing her properly.

It was odd, like some cat had peeled a layer of water off his eyes. She looked… different.

 _Another effect of whatever weird control she has over every cat?_ he wondered.

Her fur was still russet, but it was less of a bright, intrusive red and more brownish. The stripes were less pronounced, fading into her fur like a dappled pattern rather than the striking stripes she had previously possessed. Her fur was sleek, but not shining.

Wavepaw shook his head in amazement. _She really has every cat under her power. So much so, they can't even see her properly... How does she do it?_ And then a smaller, darker part of his mind added, _I wish I could do that._

"Um… Cinnamonheart, do you think you could help me go to the Gathering?" he asked slowly.

Then she turned back to him, her grin not so world-tipping and brain-melting, just sort of crooked and amused, and probably too endearing.

"Thought you'd never ask," she replied.

…

Sure enough, the moment Cinnamonheart turned her charm on Snowstar, he immediately agreed to bring Wavepaw along to the Gathering.

Through the patrol announcement, he was confused and blinking.

Wavepaw wondered uneasily about the ethics of this entire ordeal. _Is it really okay to just- force him like this? But he seems fine with it anyways._ Then the part that was more onboard with Cinnamonheart and everything she stood for muttered, _If he's weak enough to be controlled so easily, he deserves exactly what he's getting._

He tried to crush the thought, but there was an undeniable part of him that agreed wholeheartedly. _Any cat that can't last as a leader doesn't deserve to be one in the first place. I'm practically immune to Cinnamonheart at this point, therefore I am stronger than Snowstar. RiverClan will be so much better once I'm in charge._

As they set off towards the Gathering, Wavepaw began to question things. _Should I stop Cinnamonheart or just go along with it? Should I-_

"Hey Wavepaw," Ripplepaw exclaimed.

He sprang away from her in shock, then chuckled, embarrassed. "H- Hi Ripplepaw. Sorry, guess I'm just a little on edge."

"No kidding," she muttered. "You'd think I pushed you into the lake. Come to think of it, that doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually…"

"Not on your life," he snorted.

Ripplepaw held eye-contact for another few uncomfortable heartbeats, before glancing away and muttering, "Hey… are y'alright?"

"Eh?" Wavepaw blinked at her.

"I said, are you alright?" Ripplepaw repeated, glaring at him.

"Um, yeah, yeah, I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?" he said nervously.

"I dunno, after the battle you just kinda seemed… out of it," Ripplepaw told him, then shrugged. "I could be wrong."

"I- yeah, you're probably wrong," Wavepaw muttered.

Ripplepaw gave him an unimpressed look, and Wavepaw shifted his paws guiltily.

 _What does she think I'm hiding? The fact that I was responsible for the battle? That I protected a_ ThunderClan _cat? That I saw our mother kill a cat and try to kill another, and I'm pretty sure a third was also her doing?_

His stomach churned guiltily at the thought of Creampelt's mangled body. _I don't think she'll ever be avenged. No cat would believe that her own_ sister _… not to mention… the conversation with Fallowspots… what does it all mean?_

He wished Lightningpaw was there. He wished Cinnamonheart was there. He wished Pondfrost was there.

 _Anything except the one cat I can't tell_ any _of this to… that is, besides Briarpaw._

"So… how's Briarpaw?" he attempted awkwardly.

"She's… good," Ripplepaw hissed, curling her lip.

Wavepaw wasn't sure what to make of that response. _That doesn't sound ominous at all…_ he thought.

"She wasn't chosen for the Gathering patrol. Seems kind of weird, considering we were both chosen," Wavepaw replied softly.

"She's been really tired lately," Ripplepaw growled softly. "I'm not surprised. Can't be easy, lugging around all that all day long."

"Ripplepaw! You shouldn't say stuff like that," Wavepaw exclaimed, narrowing his eyes sharply at his sister.

"It's true," Ripplepaw muttered unapologetically.

Wavepaw gritted his teeth. "It's nasty, is what it is. I don't care whether it's true or a bigger lie than a purple squirrel, saying stuff like that is horrible."

Ripplepaw curled her lip silently.

Wavepaw sped up, unwilling to walk beside her.

…

For once, the moment he stepped into the Gathering clearing, he saw Lightningpaw.

The moonlight glanced off of her like she was a pool of water, reflecting starlight. His heart jumped into his throat and sped until he could feel it in every part of his body.

It twisted when he saw her stare at Breezepaw like the golden tom was StarClan's gift to the Clans, but then suddenly, she turned.

 _She finally realized Breezepaw's not all that and a couple of fish?_ Wavepaw wondered, delighted. But things took an abrupt downwards turn as Lightningpaw sidled up to another tom, one he recognized rather well.

 _StarClan, I know that guy. But from where?_ Wavepaw stared, racking his brain. Suddenly, another heavy dose of guilt drowned him once more. _That's… that's the tom that was standing guard when I- visited. Rainwater._

A thorn twisted in his gut as Lightningpaw and the dark gray tom began a conversation. Lightningpaw's eyes were bright and wide, and she smiled at him like he was the sun.

Wavepaw's claws twitched, but he forced himself under control. _Maybe they're just friends, maybe this is just a totally platonic, very not-romantic- I AM GOING TO GUT THAT STARCLAN-FORSAKEN EXCUSE FOR A CAT._

Lightningpaw's head dropped onto his shoulder, and he glanced down at her fondly.

Wavepaw was heartbeats away from pulling a Cloudfall and slicing him open from throat to tail when Lightningpaw suddenly yanked away from him, staring at him.

 _What did he do? I swear, if he tried anything…_ The ominous thought trailed off within.

A force he couldn't put a name to suddenly urged him forwards. His paws were tugged towards Lightningpaw, and he was suddenly darting towards them. He covered the distance in heartbeats and slinked up to Lightningpaw and Rainwater.

"Evening, Lightningpaw, is it?" The words spilled out of his mouth without a second thought. "I'd like to get to know some ThunderClan apprentices better to heal the horrible rift between our Clans."

Lightningpaw glanced back at Rainwater for the barest of heartbeats, but let herself be ushered away by Wavepaw.

"Thanks for the save," she muttered to him.

A thrill of happiness rushed through him, but he couldn't drop the Rainwater thing.

"He was bothering you?" Wavepaw tilted his head with a dark expression.

"It's- a long story," Lightningpaw sighed. "I just- wasn't- y'know."

Wavepaw relaxed and nodded, hitching one half of his mouth up into a sympathetic smile.

"I get it, you just wanted a break."

"Exactly," she agreed warmly. "It's just hard to be on all the time, you know? It's tiring. I just want to let down my guard for once and just be able to talk to some cat who won't expect me to be a certain way."

He nodded again, his heart warming as she spoke. _She understands..._

"I know. My sisters are great and all, but they're so much to deal with, and they have their own set of problems that they expect me to always listen to…" Wavepaw muttered, looking away.

Lightningpaw nodded with fervor.

 _It's time I finally said it,_ Wavepaw decided.

"You know, I'm sorry if I came on a little strong when we first met. I was so determined to make a good impression on every cat, I literally dived into a lake to win your favour and all…" he confessed. "I'd like us to be friends."

Lightningpaw began to nod. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that too."

Wavepaw beamed. _Things are finally going right with her!_ "Great! I'm glad RiverClan and ThunderClan don't fight much. Too far away, I suppose. Then again, after last moon, I'm not so sure…"

"Or that was our fighting quota for the next hundred moons," Lightningpaw countered, purring.

"That could be it too," Wavepaw agreed, twitching his whiskers amiably. "Whatever it is, I hope our Clans don't clash again. If we worked together, think about how much more we could accomplish! Loyalty to your Clan might make you strong, but if the Clans were bound together, we'd be able to share prey and herbs and everything, and the weakest link, whichever Clan that is, would be supported until they were strong again."

Lightningpaw nodded, staring into his eyes rapturously.

"Yeah, yeah, together," she murmured.

He held her gaze for another heartbeat, before looking away quickly with an embarrassment fidget.

"I'm glad there's at least _one_ other cat in the Clans who gets how I feel," he muttered.

Lightningpaw beamed. "So am I."

 _Wow… she… she understands me…_ he realized slowly. _That's… kind of incredible. I didn't think any cat understood._

…

"WindClan will speak first," the WindClan leader announced frigidly.

Wavepaw blinked, suddenly realizing how much time had passed.

"Oh- oh, I should go," he mumbled, backing away. "I'll see you next moon, yeah? Maybe we'll be warriors by then!"

Lightningpaw nodded, waving her tail good-bye with a big smile on her face.

Wavepaw sat with the majority of RiverClan, waiting for Spottedstar to begin her announcement from one of the highest branches.

"In the horrible and unprovoked attack of yesterday, we lost Oatpad. Sunnyfur, Copperspots, and Rabbitpaw were badly injured and are recovering under the care of Morningpoppy and Littlepaw. Leopardpaw has received her warrior name and is now Leopardheart, Provided no _other_ casualties occur, or another attack," Spottedstar paused to curl her lip at Redstar, then continued, "that is all WindClan has to report."

Wavepaw cheered for the new warrior despite his distaste for the Clan of the wind.

"ShadowClan will go next," the ShadowClan leader said, stepping forwards. "After ThunderClan's brutal assault on an innocent Clan, two of our warriors have died. Mousepelt and Vinestem are gone but not forgotten. We hope that Mudpaw and Poolpaw, Vinestem's two kits, will bring honor to his name. Shiningsnow has moved into the nursery and is expecting Wildwind's kits, who will hopefully grow up with both parents alive. One of our elders has unfortunately passed away. Ratpaw and Pinepaw are now Pineleaf and Rattail. That is all."

Some half-hearted cheers for the new warriors came from ShadowClan, but the other three Clans were silent. _Who are they to get so few cheers?_ Wavepaw wondered.

As the sparse greetings faded, Snowstar stepped forwards. Wavepaw winced as he took in just how frail and damaged Snowstar looked compared to the other three, bloody and staggering.

"RiverClan will share news next," he grunted, wincing as he put weight upon his left foreleg. "RiverClan is grateful for the intervention of WindClan and ShadowClan on our behalf when ThunderClan unfairly accused us and invaded our territory with a savage and unwarranted attack."

Wavepaw spotted Lightningpaw glaring up at Snowstar. _Is she mad he's being rude about the attack? Because Snowstar_ is _wrong, after all. It wasn't unprovoked. It was my fault._

"Crowstrike, a new warrior, and Badgerfur, her previous mentor were killed in the battle," Snowstar continued gravely, his blue eyes darkening with sorrow. "We hope to avoid any conflict with other Clans in the future, and we wish for things to be resolved with words in the place of claws. Poolfur has kitted; four kits by the names of Splashkit, Islandkit, Trilliumkit, and Quailkit. And one of our apprentices has become a warrior after helping to deal with a fox that came onto our territory. Cinnamonpaw is now Cinnamonheart."

Wavepaw's throat closed as Snowstar mentioned the silver and black she-cat and the black and white tom. _My fault, my fault,_ his heart pounded out.

"And ThunderClan will go last," the new leader of ThunderClan mewed softly, stepping forwards. "We too have lost cats; Brownwing died in the battle and Fawnshade died during kitting not long before. They will be mourned by their families and we will never forget them. Now that Thornstar is dead and gone, I hope to bring a new era of peace upon us. _However_ , challenges to my leadership or the honor of ThunderClan will not be met with submission and apologies but rather tooth and claw. Thank you, that is all."

 _Hmm._ Wavepaw momentarily forgot his guilt over Crowstrike and Badgerfur. _She seems rather young compared to the others, probably closer to Snowstar's age than Ivystar or Spottedstar. I wonder how she'll be as a leader…_

"Overly aggressive, she is," Wavepaw heard some cat mutter from nearby.

"Darkpaw?" He blinked at her. "What are you doing in the RiverClan group?"

"This isn't the _RiverClan_ group," Darkpaw snapped, glaring at him. "Typical RiverClan, thinking the whole Gathering island belongs to them just because it's closest to their territory."

"Now who's the over-aggressive one?" Waevpaw teased. "Typical ShadowClan."

Darkpaw's eyes flamed, letting him know he was on thin ice.

Suddenly, Wavepaw peered closer at her and noticed something. "Wait… have you been _crying_?"

"No! Shut up, it's none of your business, nosey fish-face!" Darkpaw spat, swinging her head around to stare off at the distance and very pointedly _not_ at Wavepaw. "Piss off. I don't want to talk to you right now."

"But I'm so _bored_ ," he said dramatically, flicking her.

"Then go cozy up with Lightningpaw, because it would appear that's all you're good for," Darkpaw hissed, still not meeting his gaze. Her voice was almost angry enough to cover up the cracking of it.

"Yeesh, not a good day then?" Wavepaw pressed, taking a step forwards.

"Don't make me break the truce, RiverClan scum," Darkpaw growled, her muzzle wrinkling as she pulled back her lips to reveal her teeth.

"Great StarClan," Wavepaw muttered, backpedalling. "I'm sorry, alright? I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything. And that's the _problem_!" Darkpaw snapped at him, whirling around to reveal dark stains on each cheek. "I'm no closer to Breezepaw than I was a moon ago!"

"Could it be because tragedy just rocked the Clans, Breezepaw especially?" Wavepaw spat back caustically. "Patience, she-cat. Things don't happen overnight."

"Easy for you to say!" she yowled in fury, then lowered her voice to a hiss. "You better hope there isn't another battle, or neither you nor Breezepaw are holding me back from stringing up Lightningpaw and finding out once and for all just how many ribs she has."

"If you're that eager to get to StarClan, by all means!" Wavepaw retorted, past furious. "You don't order me around. Besides, if Lightningpaw and I become proper mates, poor Breezepaw will be heartbroken and _you_ can be there to pick up the pieces! So just have a little faith and _wait_ , for StarClan's sake!"

Darkpaw's nostrils flared and she just glared at him.

"And that gray tom she was with?" she challenged.

"I'll deal with him the moment I get the chance," Wavepaw replied darkly, flexing his claw.s.

Darkpaw gave him a once-over, then nodded. "Alright. But if you screw this up, I'm burying you next to her."

Wavepaw rolled his eyes. "Keep talking, short-stuff."

To his surprise, her reaction was only a bitter laugh.

"You're not the first to underestimate me, and you won't be that last," she threatened softly. "We'll see who's laughing at the end of all this."

And with that, she stormed off to the ShadowClan side.

His claws itched to chase after her and give her a piece of his mind, but he didn't. He just purred and shook his head bleakly. _StarClan give me the strength to handle this she-cat._

 _I doubt even StarClan has that,_ a faint, but familiar voice responded wryly.

 _Pondfrost! You're okay?_ Wavepaw exclaimed in his mind, his eyes going wide with shock. _I thought that strange cat turned you into crow-food._

 _I… I've learned to handle her,_ Pondfrost replied ominously, then abruptly changed the subject. _How's Lightningpaw?_

 _Can't you see into my mind? I've got, like, a running database of every detail about her,_ Wavepaw snorted back.

 _True, true,_ Pondfrost allowed, amused. _Sorry. I forgot for a moment the depth of your obsession. I suppose we can just be thankful it wasn't as deep as Cloudfall's._

 _Pardon?_ Wavepaw frowned. Was she implying his attitude towards Lightningpaw was anything even close to resembling that between Cloudfall and Fallowspots?

 _Nothing. Forget about it, let's go,_ Pondfrost said quickly.

 _Go? Oh._ Wavepaw looked up to see Snowstar carefully ease himself off the tree as the other three leaders bounded down without a second thought. His heart ached. _All of RiverClan suffered. Because of me._

 _Oh boy, developed a guilt-complex while I was away I see,_ Pondfrost commented dryly. _We're going to have to get rid of that if I'm gonna be sticking around. And based on these memories… it looks like you're gonna need me._

 **When you be like: Aw, don't think there's enough to fill a full chapter in what I've got planned…**

 **Promptly writes 6000 words.**

 **K.**

 **QOTD: What happened to cat-me aka Pondfrost?! QOTD #2: OH MY GOD DO YOU TOTALLY REVENGE SHIP WAVE DARK OR DO YOU TOTALLY REVENGE SHIP WAVE DARK PEOPLE AHHHH I'M DYING WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF.**

 **~Akila is dying of shippiditis**

 **P.S. This is the second (third?) week in a row I've actually stuck to my updating schedule. You proud Ma? You know what a great present would be? A review!**

 **P.P.S THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL THE FAVOURITERS AND FOLLOWERS (is favouriters a word? Eh, don't care.) AHHHHHH WE'RE OVER 50 AND 50 AND 500 REVIEWS THE FIVES ARE EVERY WHERE ALACK AND ALAS.**


	58. Dark: All Alone

**I was busy.** _ **Really**_ **busy.**

 **RRs:**

 **Stormbreeze: Glad to hear you're starting your own fic! I'm excited to read it! (psst future readers go have a look) And yeah, if you ship Breeze and Lightning, I assume you'll also ship Dark Wave unless you're sadistic and you want Darkpaw and Wavepaw to end up alone… but like… if you do, you got problems besides warrior fanfiction addiction my dude.**

 **And we're off on the Darkpaw Express, please review the safety pamphlet located in your seat pocket SIKE THERE IS NO SAFETY PAMPHLET THE PAMPHLET IS A LIE. Also we're not on a train. You're sitting on your chair/carpet/floor/bed/mushroom/pumpkin carriage. Anyways.**

 **Quick refresher; Maplenose just died, and Patchy was found with her blood on his paws.**

Chapter 56.

"Wildwind… Ivystar… Ravenwing…" Patchy choked, his yellow eyes wide and wild. The eyes of a cat that had gone mad.

 _Did he kill her?! Ripple, what just happened?_ Darkpaw demanded internally.

 _I… I don't know._ He sounded genuinely bewildered. _I mean, as far as I know,_ he _didn't kill her… but why he would be dragging her out of camp is a mystery to me…_

"It wasn't me!" the black and white elder exclaimed desperately. "You have to believe me!"

"It wasn't you. Sure. And you've got her blood all over your paws and you're dragging her dead body out of camp because…" Wildwind trailed off meaningfully, his eyes darkening.

"I- I-" Patchy struggled, his throat bobbing. His eyes filled with tears. "I'll leave you. I did it. It was me."

"A confession," Ivystar said slowly, but cocked her head suspiciously.

 _That doesn't make sense,_ Darkpaw thought. _He was protesting that it wasn't him just heartbeats before… I don't think it was him. But I don't understand why he would take the blame. It just doesn't add up…_

Suddenly, Ravenwing straightened up, his eyes going wide.

"Ivystar," he murmured, drawing the leader aside with his tail and murmuring to her.

Ivystar straightened to take a deep breath, then ducked back into her conversation with the deputy.

Patchy stared at the Clan and the Clan stared back for several awkward moments, before Ivystar strode over to where every cat had gathered and announced,

"Patchy is not at fault for the death of Maplenose."

The Clan immediately broke into groups voicing their opinions.

"He confessed!" Foxwhisker yowled.

"He's just an elder, why would he kill Maplenose!" Voleheart shouted back.

"But why was he trying to drag her out of camp if he didn't kill her?!" Sootfire demanded.

"Seems pretty guilty to me," Rattail snapped.

"Every cat just-" Ravenwing began, but every cat shouted over him.

Ivystar suddenly leapt to the top of the announcement rock. "Be _silent_!" she yowled.

Quiet descended on the clearing like a fog. Every cat shifted uneasily, Patchy most of all, but no cat said a word.

"The scent of rogues hangs heavily on Maplenose's body. Patchy was not at fault for her death," Ivystar declared loudly. "However, Patchy, I would like a good reason for why you were trying to cover up her death."

Patchy swallowed hard, looking cornered.

"I- because I thought… if you saw her body… you would try to attack the rogues," he murmured.

"Well of course," Ivystar said dismissively. "That's what I'd hope we will do; they killed one of our members. You want them to get off free?"

"I want _us_ to get off free!" Patchy exclaimed. "You can't attack the rogues! It would be suicide! I'm trying to _protect_ ShadowClan."

"By hiding the death of one of our elders so we wouldn't exact our rightful revenge?" Ivystar's voice was incredulous.

"The only thing you would be exacting is death on every single cat in this Clan," Patchy growled. "Do not be blinded by revenge. Ivystar, please, I implore you, think of what is best for ShadowClan."

"I've heard enough," she said coldly. "Patchy, you are hereby banished from-"

"Wait!" Darkpaw turned her head to find the source of the cry, before abruptly realizing it was her.

 _Uh-oh, what did I do?_ she thought, her heart speeding up.

"Yes?" Ivystar glared down at her.

"Ivystar- before you banish him-" she panted. "Please, just listen to what I have to say."

Wilwind's glare scorched her, clearly saying, _Sit. Down._ but Darkpaw pushed on.

"Patchy's right," she managed, before the Clan began yowling in protest again. Ivystar waved her tail for silence, staring imposingly down at the young apprentice. "Patchy's right. He- he told me about the rogues. We can't attack them. We should just forget about this. If they attack again, we might need to get revenge, but… for now, I think we should just ignore it."

"Ignore the death of one of our own Clanmates?" Ivystar repeated. "Darkpaw-"

"Listen to her!" Patchy begged. "If you knew the whole truth-"

"Oh, do I not know the whole truth? Then please, inform me," Ivystar snapped, and bounded down from the ledge to beckon Patchy into her den.

Patchy slunk in behind her.

A charged silence fell over the camp.

No cat wanted to be the first to speak after that.

 _Well… I've gotten this far,_ Darkpaw thought to herself and turned to head for the medicine den.

The moment she took her first pawstep, the spell over the clearing seemed to break and soft chatter broke out. _Probably gossip about Patchy and Maplenose,_ Darkpaw grumbled to herself. _Ripple, did I do the right thing, standing up for Patchy like that? He did try to cover up a murder, after all…_

 _I think it was the right thing,_ Ripple replied softly. _Ivystar was going to banish him for trying to protect ShadowClan, even if he was going about it the wrong way._

 _Do you think those rogues are really that dangerous?_ Darkpaw wondered. _ShadowClan's so big, surely we could crush a small group of-_

 _Don't even think about it,_ Ripple said coldly. _They're more numerous than all four Clans together, and where they live, only the strongest survive. Only the cruelest, I should say. Anything less is weakness and will get you torn apart._

 _Wow. I guess Patchy really wasn't exaggerating,_ Darkpaw thought worriedly. _But why… why would they attack the Clans?_

 _I… I might have an idea of why,_ Ripple mumbled.

 _Will you tell me?_ Darkpaw demanded irritably.

 _I… I suppose I could,_ Ripple managed. _Well… before this group of rogues, there was another. And that group was just as bad, but they didn't harbor any hostility towards the Clans. Then, a litter of kits was found in the twolegsplace, six of them. Their mother and father were nowhere to be found, and the litter only knew cruelty when they grew up. But something that none of the cats in the original rogue group knew was that the parents of these kits had been killed at the claws of the Clans. It's not clear how, or why, but… these kits, as they grew up, made it their mission to destroy the Clans. They took over the original group of rogues and killed any dissenters. Even now, their descendants live in that twolegsplace that borders some of RiverClan, WindClan, and most of ThunderClan._

 _And now they're picking us off, one by one,_ Darkpaw thought, a chill running through her fur. _Shouldn't we attack them, full-force, before they gain any sort of advantage over us?_

 _There's no advantage to be gained,_ Ripple said hopelessly. _A battle between the Clans and the rogues wouldn't be a battle, it would be slaughter. The Clans would be wiped out. Our best chance would be to run. Move the Clans as far away as we can. Or every cat will fall._

 _But none of the leaders would ever believe that kind of threat,_ Darkpaw realized slowly. _Even with BloodClan, and Firestar the great, they conquered the rogues by uniting._

 _Uniting won't save you now. It'll just make things easier for the rogues; all of the mice in one nest,_ Ripple muttered. _There's no way out. Ivystar and the other leaders would never relocate the Clans based on one crazy elder and an apprentice with a voice in her head._

 _Then what do we do?!_ Darkpaw demanded. _If we can't get away, and we can't win, how are we supposed to survive?_

 _You aren't supposed to survive. That's the point._ Ripple laughed coldly. _You're supposed to be obliterated._

 _No! I refuse to accept that!_ Darkpaw snapped. _There has to be a way out!_

 _There might be one way. But it won't be easy, and it comes with dangers of its own,_ Ripple murmured. _You must become a revered leader at any cost. But you cannot lose the trust of your Clanmates; they must follow you in every decision._

 _Why? Why couldn't I just pull a Tigerstar and become leader through breaking the warrior code?_ Darkpaw challenged. _I mean, I wouldn't. Probably. But why 'revered'? What does popularity have to with anything?  
Because if a hated leader declares they want to leave the lake, ShadowClan's reaction won't be so much 'alright, let's go!' and more along the lines of, 'she's gone at last!'_ Ripple retorted. _They have to_ want _you to be right, and then they'll believe that you are. Clans must be led carefully, like an apprentice's first venture out of camp. If you let them run wild, they'll be dead in heartbeats. It takes a gentle, guiding paw to rule a Clan._

 _You sound rather knowledgeable about that,_ Darkpaw snapped. _Being a know-it-all, or are you speaking from experience?_

 _I… uh…_ Ripple muttered. _Just go check on Duskpaw._

Darkpaw blinked, realizing that she'd been standing outside of the medicine den for several minutes, merely chatting with the cat inside her head. _Heheh, oops…_

"Darkpaw? Can I do something for you?" Ashmask asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"I- I just wanted to check on Du- Mudpaw," she admitted. "Do you mind if I-"

"Come right on in," he replied, ducking back into the shaded den.

As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she saw two cats, instead of the one she was expecting.

"Silverpuddle?" she muttered.

"Wounded in the battle," Ashmask replied quickly. "She shouldn't have been fighting anyways…"

"I'll tell them," Silverpuddle croaked. "You don't need to go telling every Mousepaw, Shrewpaw, and Birdpaw that comes wandering in here."

"Sorry." Ashmask busied himself among the herb store, so Darkpaw turned her attention towards the lump of brown tabby fur in one of the nests.

"Duskpaw, are you alright?" she murmured.

"Not really, but I think Ashmask has convinced himself I'm on death's door," Mudpaw whispered back. "It's annoying. I don't want him fussing over me every time the wind blows."

"Are you getting better, at least?" Darkpaw asked softly, not wanting to disturb Silverpuddle.

"Maybe. I think. I hope," Mudpaw muttered back. "I don't know anymore. I think it hurts less, but that might just be because I'm used to being in pain all the time…"

Darkpaw felt her heart ache on Mudpaw's behalf. _I can't even imagine…_

 _Don't try. Just be thankful,_ Ripple muttered. _You don't even know… her mind is all warped with the pain and stuff, it's not pretty._

Darkpaw frowned, confused, but brushed it off as just another odd thing Ripple was prone to say.

"Well… I should see if I'm needed for patrol or something…" Darkpaw said awkwardly. "Um… I'll see you around. Or I'll come see you again soon. I- I gotta go."

She rushed out of the den, shame searing her fur.

 _I can't even be in the same den with her,_ she thought helplessly. _How am I supposed to support her when I can barely stand to be around her?_

 _Learn how to be around her,_ Ripple suggested.

 _WOW. Why didn't I think of that?!_ Darkpaw snapped sarcastically.

…

It was past sun-high when Ivystar emerged from her den, looking weary.

Darkpaw's ears perked up and her heart began to beat quicker. _Is he banished?_

"Clanmates!" Ivystar yowled, her voice hoarse. "I have come to a decision! Patchy will remain in ShadowClan, and ShadowClan will not attack the rogues until further provocation."

Relief swamped Darkpaw. _She's not going to attack them and Patchy's okay! It's perfect._

 _It's not perfect,_ Ripple retorted. _You think the rogues will stop at killing a flea-ridden elder? They'll be back, mark my words. You haven't seen the end of them._

 _You sound like you want them to win,_ Darkpaw snarled.

 _Saying 'win' implies there's a fair chance of both sides claiming victory,_ Ripple countered. _And I hope you know by now, if the rogues decide to wipe you out, you can claw and cry and throw your tantrums, but you'll all be on your way to StarClan by the end of the moon._

The Clan muttered a bit, but most cats seemed too tired from the battle to start a discussion of any kind.

"As you know, the Gathering is tonight. We _will_ attend, since ThunderClan's tyrant has been struck down and there is no reason for ThunderClan to break the truce." Ivystar's voice was heavy and exhausted. "I won't force any cat to go, but I would like ShadowClan to be represented. And this is why I will ask you if any cat wishes to go, please volunteer now."

"I'll go," Darkpaw said, stepping forwards.

"Thank you Darkpaw," Ivystar murmured.

"Me too!" Lionpaw exclaimed.

Ivystar dipped her head in acknowledgement as cat after cat stepped forwards. Eventually, they had a sizeable Gathering patrol and Ivystar leapt down to lead them out of the clearing.

"Isn't it weird that the Clans have to be all peaceful now, right after that big fight?" Lionpaw commented, falling in step with her sister's shorter strides.

"Not really," Darkpaw snorted. "That's the way Clans have always worked."

Lionpaw gave her an injured look. Darkpaw didn't bother trying to soften her gaze. _Whatever. If she wants to be so naive as to think one battle will destroy the Clans, then she can. But I'm not playing along._

Her sister was silent after that, and they walked to the Gathering that way.

…

As the leaders began their announcements, Darkpaw slipped away from her sister, hoping to catch sight of… _there he is!_

Her heart leapt into her throat when she saw him. He too was craning his head around, looking for some cat. _Probably Lightningpaw,_ she thought vindictively.

"Darkpaw?" he called softly.

 _Me!_ Her heart pounded and she darted up to him.

"Breezepaw," she greeted him in what she hoped was a casual tone.

He jumped a little, and she felt a giggle attempt to squeeze out of her. Quelling it, she smiled at him.

"You weren't too injured in the battle?" The casual question sounded strangled when he said it, but Darkpaw grinned. _He cares!_

"No. Not as badly as my opponents," she snickered, rolling her eyes at the memory of the so-called ThunderClan deputy. "They don't train 'em like they used to."

"You sound like an elder," he teased.

"I am an elder," Darkpaw replied, then the errant giggle finally made it out of her.

He purred too, but his eyes suddenly dropped away from hers and he shuffled his paws. "So… I saw you fight," he began awkwardly.

"Not bad, eh?" she purred. _Isn't he happy? I'm great at fighting! He was impressed, right?_

"Er, well, yes. You're very good… at, er, hurting?" he stammered.

Darkpaw blinked, then cocked her head. _Is he not impressed? What's wrong?_ "Isn't that a good thing? Cats have claws for a reason."

"I just- I- you know, the way you were attacking Lightningpaw…" he mumbled..

Fury so hot and white and raging that it made her bones shake slammed through her, her blood turning to lava for a heartbeat - _he cares about her more he loves her he hates me-_ before she regained control of herself and replied evenly, "She was the enemy; I was only protecting ShadowClan."

"By attempting to slice her open?" he countered. But instead of looking accusing, he just looked… concerned.

Darkpaw bit her lip and glanced at her paws. Hurt washed over her. "I'm sorry. I was just… you know. My Clan doesn't think I can fight… and it hurts, y'know? No cat believes in me. I didn't really think you were the same way, but maybe… I was wrong…"

Her voice cracked pitifully on the last word and horror and guilt filled Breezepaw's green eyes. A little flame of victory lit inside her.

"No! I didn't mean that at all!" he said helplessly. "I- I believe in you! I just think you should maybe apologize to Lightningpaw, is all…"

The same rage crashed against her. _Apologize to that flea-bitten excuse for a she-cat?_ Never _! I would rather die!_ Breezepaw trailed off as he saw her facial expression.

Darkpaw closed her eyes, willing the fury back down into the black part of her she hid at all costs. _For him, though… anything._

"Maybe I should apologize," she said hoarsely.

Breezepaw smiled gratefully. "Good idea."

She took a deep, shaking breath, and threw caution to the wind. She pressed herself against him, just needing to be a little bit closer… just a little bit.

He froze, utterly still as her flank pressed against his. _What's with him? Doesn't he… I thought we…_ Horror dug into Darkpaw and she looked up at him, terrified of the rejection she was certain she would see.

And there it was.

Confusion. Uncertainty. Not wonder, or happiness, or joy, or anything her _stupid,_ romantic brain had decided he would most certainly be feeling.

And then she pulled away and ran.

 _Mouse-brained, StarClan-forsaken, dung-head,_ idiot _!_ she screamed at herself as she dropped to a halt. _What have I done? He probably thinks I'm a pushy kit!_ She buried her face in her paws and held back a scream of frustration. _There's no fixing this one. I've really screwed up now._

 _There is_ one _way,_ Ripple piped up.

 _Really._

 _Apologize to Lightningpaw._

Darkpaw was about to unleash a scream of primal fury at the suggestion when her rage was suddenly gone, like a fire doused in water. _Will that really work?_ she wondered hollowly.

 _There's only one way to find out. But that's only if you_ really _love Breezepaw,_ Ripple challenged.

 _Fine. I'll do it._

She breathed deeply, shakily. _But how do I stop myself from outright attacking her?_

 _Just remember Breezepaw,_ Ripple advised.

With the tom's face firmly fixed in her mind, she blinked back her tears and cleared her throat.

She walked slowly, carefully over to the ThunderClan side of the clearing and called the name of the she-cat she hated more than any cat in the world.

"Lightningpaw!" she called, her voice trying to close and quiet itself. She pushed past the urge, scanning the wounded ThunderClan cats for the familiar face of the dark brown she-cat.

"Darkpaw? Hi…" The she-cat was suddenly in front of her, her eyes dark and narrow.

 _Maybe she's not quite as stupid as I thought. At least she knows to be afraid._ Satisfaction warmed Darkpaw. _But how am I supposed to get her to forgive me?_

"Lightningpaw, I just wanted to say I'm sorry." The statement sounded flimsy and fake, so she widened her eyes, trying to look innocent and genuine. "I- I- I'm sorry. But you understand, it's just loyalty to ShadowClan. I didn't _want_ to hurt you."

Lightningpaw's golden eyes narrowed distrustfully and suspiciously. _Dang it! She's not falling for it!  
Keep a straight face,_ Ripple urged.

"Apology accepted," the striped she-cat finally muttered. "It'd be great if you didn't try to wrap my kidneys in grass for another couple moons though."

 _I can't believe it!_ Darkpaw crowed. _She really is dumb as a log. She doesn't deserve Breezepaw._

Darkpaw feigned sincerity with a little laugh, and repeated the fake apology. "I'm _sorry_."

Lightningpaw looked uneasy, but she smiled and nodded. "I'm sorry too, if I hurt you."

The comment made Darkpaw's blood boil, but she seized it and held the rage still. "You didn't," she said through gritted teeth and hurried away.

 _Jeez, almost lost it there,_ Darkpaw thought, breathing hard.

 _Good job. I couldn't say that much fox-dung with a straight face,_ Ripple snickered.

Darkpaw smiled faintly, appreciating the truth in the statement. As she looked up, she realized Redstar was just finishing her announcement.

"Now that Thornstar is dead and gone, I hope to bring a new era of peace upon us. _However_ , challenges to my leadership or the honor of ThunderClan will not be met with submission and apologies but rather tooth and claw. Thank you, that is all." Redstar nodded firmly.

"Overly aggressive, she is," Darkpaw muttered. _No reason to try to stir up trouble after we just finished that giant battle._

"Darkpaw?" The crawling, smooth drawl of Wavepaw's voice came from nearby. "What are you doing in the RiverClan group?"

"This isn't the _RiverClan_ group," Darkpaw snapped, glaring at him. "Typical RiverClan, thinking the whole Gathering island belongs to them just because it's closest to their territory."

"Now who's the over-aggressive one?" Wavepaw quipped. "Typical ShadowClan."

Anger and impatience with the irritating silver tom overflowed inside her, but before she could snap out an angry retort, he squinted at her.

"Wait… have you been _crying_?"

"No! Shut up, it's none of your business, nosey fish-face!" she spat, swinging her head away from Wavepaw. _Did I cry?_ "Piss off. I don't want to talk to you right now."

"But I'm so _bored_." He flicked her with his tail.

"Then go cozy up with Lightningpaw, because it would appear that's all you're good for," Darkpaw hissed, still staring pointedly away from him and hating the way her voice was cracking slightly.

"Yeesh, not a good day then?" Wavepaw pressed, taking a step forwards.

"Don't make me break the truce, RiverClan scum," Darkpaw snapped, pulling her lips back to snarl at him.

"Great StarClan," Wavepaw muttered, backpedalling. "I'm sorry, alright? I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything. And that's the _problem_!" she snarled, whipping around to face him furiously. "I'm no closer to Breezepaw than I was a moon ago!"

"Could it be because tragedy just rocked the Clans, Breezepaw especially?" Wavepaw spat back caustically. "Patience, she-cat. Things don't happen overnight."

"Easy for you to say!" Darkpaw yowled, but crushed it down to a whisper. "You better hope there isn't another battle, or neither you nor Breezepaw are holding me back from stringing up Lightningpaw and finding out once and for all just how many ribs she has."

"If you're that eager to get to StarClan, by all means!" Wavepaw retorted, his eyes cold. "You don't order me around. Besides, if Lightningpaw and I become proper mates, poor Breezepaw will be heartbroken and _you_ can be there to pick up the pieces! So just have a little faith and _wait_ , for StarClan's sake!"

Darkpaw simply scowled at him.

"And that gray tom she was with?" she challenged.

"I'll deal with him the moment I get the chance," Wavepaw replied darkly, flexing his claw.s.

She glanced at him, looking him over. "Alright. But if you screw this up, I'm burying you next to her."

Wavepaw rolled his eyes. "Keep talking, short-stuff."

A bitter laugh crawled out of her throat, and Wavepaw looked slightly caught off guard.

"You're not the first to underestimate me, and you won't be that last," she threatened softly. "We'll see who's laughing at the end of all this."

And with that, she stormed off to the ShadowClan side.

 _Good job, you successfully alienated a cat from each other Clan,_ Ripple said sarcastically.

 _Thank you, thank you, it's a talent I have carefully cultivated,_ Darkpaw returned acerbically.

"Darkpaw? ShadowClan's getting ready to go." The voice was so soft and uncertain, Darkpaw almost didn't recognize her sister. "Come- come on."

 _Oh great, an opportunity to make your_ own _Clanmates uneasy,_ Ripple snorted.

"Alright, let's go," Darkpaw sighed.

 **That's it. Pretty not-great chapter, but I had to get this set done with. Next set should be pretty good, but it might not be out until around the twenty first. I've got loads of school work, so we'll see how things go.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	59. Lightning: Ambition Admissions

**I mean, one week, three weeks, what's the diff? I hope my offering of 6.5 k words will suffice as payment. Happy new year by the way! Here's to 2018; please don't be awful k thx.**

 **Get ready for a pretty packed set; we've got lots to cover in just a few chapters, so let's go!**

Chapter 57.

"Are you sure?" He followed her across the camp.

"Yeah, I'm just not feeling well," she said firmly as she snatched a mouse out of the fresh-kill pile. "I just haven't been hungry lately, and I'm really tired."

"Really?" Rainwater eyed her skeptically. "Then why are you taking that mouse?"

"I- I heard Dawnsplash say it was good to eat something when you feel like you're getting sick," Lightningpaw lied quickly, figuring it sounded believable enough.

"I heard her say that a walk is good for you too," Rainwater said earnestly.

Lightningpaw fought an eyeroll. Ever since the last Gathering, Rainwater had been following her around like a dog following a twolegs. She had tried her best to dissuade him, but not so much that he wouldn't go near her at the next Gathering. _Tonight,_ she thought, excitement rippling through her fur.

"Listen, Rainwater, can we talk later?" Feeling silly, she batted her eyes at him.

He twitched a little, and nodded. "Okay! Sure, whatever you want."

She looked at him expectantly, and after a moment he bounded off towards Blackpool.

Lightningpaw sighed, letting her tail trace patterns through the packed dirt. Rainwater had been getting on her nerves with his incessant chatter, insisting on sticking by her side every moment of every day. _I wish I could just up and tell him to leave me alone._

 _That might be for the best,_ Whiteshadow muttered ominously.

 _Well, that would defeat the purpose of flirting with him in the first place._ Lightningpaw scuffed her paw in the dirt, lost in thought. _I think I'd better talk to Vixenpaw, though. I don't know how much longer my sanity will let this go on._

She scanned the clearing for her sister, and spotted her strolling through the thorn barrier, chatting with Mallowdrop. Her mind made up, she beelined for the orange and white she-cat.

"And so I-" Vixenpaw's story was suddenly cut off as Lightningpaw hurried up to them.

"Hey, Vixenpaw, can I talk to you for a second?" Lightningpaw asked, shooting Mallowdrop an apologetic sideways glance.

"Uh, sure?" Vixenpaw's story-telling expression was replaced with one of confusion. "What's this about?"

As Lightningpaw led her to a more secluded part of the camp, she replied, "Rainwater."

"Ooh, _developments_?" Her sister grinned, her white teeth glimmering.

"Er, sort of," Lightningpaw muttered, glancing sideways uneasily. "Look, he's kind of… creeping me out. Like, following me around and always talking to me, and-"

"Wait, so he- he like, he actually- he's got a crush on you?" Vixenpaw stumbled, blinking hard, then shrugged. "Well, what's the problem then? It'll just make the trick work better."

" _Following me around,_ Vixenpaw. He's not leaving me alone!" Lightningpaw repeated, her tone becoming more agitated.

"Well then tell him! If he's so infatuated, he'll do whatever you say! If he really is as in love as you say, which, y'know… I doubt." Vixenpaw eyed her doubtfully.

For whatever reason, that little comment incensed her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Vixenpaw shrugged, giving her a patronizing look. "You really think with a little flirting, Rainwater's just instantly head over heels for you? He used to have a crush on me, you know."

Confusion washed over Lightningpaw, then clarity sparked right before her eyes. " _Oh_ , you're jealous?"  
"Jealous? StarClan, no," Vixenpaw snapped, rolling her eyes. "Why would I be jealous?! Mallowdrop's _way_ better than you could ever do; you can have that rude little warrior-kit! See if I care!"

She stormed off, heading straight for Mallowdrop and nestled up into his side.

 _Great StarClan,_ Lightningpaw thought in wonder, still reeling from her sister's blow-up. _What was that all about? I just tell her that Rainwater's bugging me, and she has a_ melt-down _! What's_ with _her?_

 _I suppose she's used to being the she-cat that all the toms pay attention to,_ Whiteshadow suggested wisely.

 _You're probably right,_ Lightningpaw agreed uneasily. _Still, I don't like it. Is she really so insecure that the mere suggestion a tom who used to have a crush on her maybe doesn't anymore will make her get furious?_

 _Apparently,_ Whiteshadow murmured. _But don't be too hard on her; every cat has insecurities, and she'll get over it eventually._

 _I guess,_ Lightningpaw replied, casting her eyes blankly around camp.

 _Why don't you go see if Blackpool has a job for you? The Gathering's tonight,_ Whiteshadow informed her.

 _I know. You're right; I'd better get my mind off this whole Vixenpaw thing…_

She trailed across the clearing, scanning it for her mentor and ThunderClan's deputy. Finally, her eyes landed on the fluffy black tom himself. He and Redstar were murmuring, their eyes fixed on one another. _I wonder if any cat'll ever look at me like that…_ Lightningpaw sighed to herself.

Brushing the wayward daydreams off, she cleared her throat as she strolled up to them.

Blackpool jumped slightly, but Redstar's intense green gaze just swivelled to her.

"Redstar, Blackpool." Lightningpaw dipped her head respectfully. "I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to help?"

"See? She's the best apprentice," Blackpool joked to Redstar.

Redstar smiled at her warmly. "Thank you for offering, dear. Would you mind helping out with the kits? Leafshade wanted to get a chance to stretch her legs before the kits kept her up all night while they waited for the warriors to come back from the Gathering."

Lightningpaw forced a purr at the comment, but couldn't help a pit of dread that opened up in her stomach at the mention of the infamous kits. "Uh… sure?"

 _I can't really back out now,_ she thought uneasily. _I guess I've got to put up with dealing with them for a bit._

She swallowed back her doubts and forced a smile at her leader. "I'd be happy to help out."

"Thank you very much!" Redstar exclaimed, smiling again.

Blackpool gave her an approving look. The little stab of warmth did little to stem the flow of impending doom. _Do you like kits, Whiteshadow?_

 _I… well… I suppose,_ the she-cat replied uncomfortably. _I had lovely kits, but… they… things didn't turn out well._

 _What do you mean?_ Lightningpaw asked softly.

 _Their lives only brought heartache upon this world. It is a terrible thing for a mother to say, but… perhaps I never should have had them._ Whiteshadow's tone was so empty, hollow, that Lightningpaw wished she could press her flank against the other she-cat's. _But I suppose there's no use in thinking of the past._

 _I'm sorry. Whatever happened… I'm sorry._

Blackpool was looking at her expectantly. Lightningpaw blinked, confused. _Oh right, he's waiting for me to leave._ She smacked herself mentally and turned her paws towards the nursery, purposefully avoiding glancing at Vixenpaw and Mallowdrop, snuggled up together as they shared a squirrel.

 _I suppose more kits aren't far off,_ Lightningpaw grumbled to herself. _That is, if she can keep her eyes on one tom._

 _That's not fair,_ Whiteshadow chided. _She was only upset about Rainwater because she wanted everyone to like her, not because she actually liked Rainwater._

 _I guess,_ Lightningpaw thought, still tempted to sulk.

"Lightningpaw!" Stormkit shrieked, throwing herself towards the older apprentice.

Lightningpaw was bowled over as the gray she-cat jumped at her.

"Oof! Stormkit, get off!" she mumbled.

"You'we not supposed to jump at cats, wemember?" Birchkit chided his sister, then looked at Lightningpaw. "White-ningpaw, will you play with us? We're going to do fox invasion! You be the fox!"  
"Alright, alright," Lightningpaw said affectionately.

"Can we play?" Sunkit asked eagerly, bounding up to them.

Lightningpaw's smile froze as Rainbowkit, Pearlkit, Sweetkit, and Cloudykit all joined their brother.

"Er…" she muttered. "I guess."

"Yay!" Cloudykit squealed, promptly tripping over his own paws and banging his muzzle in the dirt.

Rolling her little blue eyes, Pearlkit helped her klutzy brother up.

"Okay, Rainbowkit, Pearlkit, and Sweetkit, you can all hide over there," Stormkit directed. "Cloudykit, Birchkit, and me will go over here. And Sunkit, you be a fox with Lightningpaw."

"Okay," the little golden tom accepted, shrugging.

Lightningpaw hid her distasteful look with a smile. "Okay, I'm coming to find you!"

"Wait! Wait!" Sweetkit shrieked, frowning at Lightningpaw. "You have to let us hide!"

Lightningpaw stifled an eyeroll and plopped down with her eyes closed. "Alright, alright. Hurry."

There was the sound of tiny, scuffling paws, then silence. Then, "Shift over, Birchkit, you're taking up all the space!" Then silence again. The apprentice opened her eyes with a sigh and cast her eyes around the clearing.

A waving silver and white tail poked out of a bramble patch, but Lightningpaw ignored it, closing her eyes to scent the air for the kits.

Sunkit immediately darted in the direction of Pearlkit's protruding tail.

The scent of Stormkit, Birchkit, and Cloudykit touched the roof of her mouth and she carefully turned her head, noting the direction from which it was strongest.

 _There!_ The little patch of greenery beside the thorn barrier shuddered, a tiny, twitching pink nose poking out. _Got you now!_

Lightningpaw slowly strolled up to the bush, feigning confusion and exaggeratedly scanning the sky. "Where, oh where, could the kits be? I can't find them!"

High-pitched giggles emerged from the bush, quickly hushed by a loud ' _Shh!'_.

Lightningpaw drifted closer, pretending to have her attention captured by something above the bush. Then she pounced.

"Eek! The fox found us! Run!" Stormkit shrieked in delight.

She hared out of the bush, nothing but a flash of gray fur as she rocketed across the clearing, followed by a slightly-limping Birchkit. Cloudykit was much slower; the moment he made it out of the brambles, one had wrapped itself around his leg and he tripped again.

"Help! The fox's gonna _eat_ me!" Cloudykit shrieked, flopping around like a fish on dry land.

Lightningpaw snapped her teeth, amused at his abject terror at a game of make-believe. _He really is mouse-brained, huh?_

"Sunkit!" Cloudykit wailed.

"Raaargh, I'm a fox too!" Sunkit reminded his brother under his breath, his expression mirroring Lightningpaw's feelings of exasperation with the dim gray and white tom-kit. "You better run!"

Lightningpaw reared up, pretending she was about to slam her paws down on him and crunch his spine.

"Eep!" Cloudykit squealed and ran.

Sunkit dashed after him and Lightningpaw surveyed the clearing for the telltale signs of the other kits. It only took her a moment to spot Stormkit huddled down next to the fresh-kill pile.

Lightningpaw stalked quietly towards the kit, preparing to tackle her.

"She's coming!" A hiss sounded from her left.

The dark brown and white she-cat whipped around in time to be attacked full force from the front by Rainbowkit, Sweetkit, and Pearlkit.

"Oof!" Lightningpaw gasped.

Sweetkit's paw slammed into her stomach with force surpassing what she should have had at her age. Lightningpaw realized with a shock like a splash of cold water that the ginger and white she-cat's claws were unsheathed and they pierced her stomach with little stabs of fire.

"Sweetkit!" she snapped. "Your claws shouldn't be out!"

The kit backed off of her with a guilty expression, which suddenly switched to defiance. "Well, why shouldn't they be? You won't get hurt if you dodge! It's not my fault!"

Lightningpaw tried to resist against the red haze over her mind that urged her to slash at the kit and then throw the words back in her smug little face. _Don't. C'mon, Lightningpaw, it's just a stupid kit, you're better than this. Don't hurt a kit for being stupid._

But there was an undeniable urge to punish the foolish kit for such a mouse-brained claim.

 _Lightningpaw,_ Whiteshadow warned her softly. _That's the path to ruin. You shouldn't even be trying to talk yourself out of hurting a defenseless kit, for StarClan's sake. You're better than that._

Shame seared Lightningpaw's fur, followed by a slamming wave of terror. _I can_ never _be a mother. If- if I have to remind myself that hurting kits is wrong, I should_ never _be allowed near them._

She backed away from the three kits, her legs stiff and shaking.

"Lightningpaw? Are you okay?" Rainbowkit asked softly, before turning to her sister. "You know you're not supposed to have your claws out! Mum told you already!"

 _Mum._ Bile rose in Lightningpaw's throat, and her vision fuzzed up slightly.

"I- I have to go," she whispered, her voice choked by the ball of anguish bobbing her throat.

"Well, who's going to watch us then?" Pearlkit challenged.

"I- I'll ask Slatepaw," Lightningpaw muttered, backing away as quickly as she could.

 _She couldn't have known. Don't lash out,_ she berated herself. _Don't. Stay calm. Find Slatepaw, go to your den. Deep breaths._

Following her own advice, she inhaled and exhaled, a slight shake in her breath.

"Slatepaw?" she called uneasily, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

"Good day," her sister replied, drifting over to her. "Did you need something? Daisypelt was looking for me; we're going to go hunting with Oakpelt."

Her favour died her in her throat. _It's not fair to get Slatepaw to cancel her plans just because I can't handle some kits._

"Er, just checking in," Lightningpaw supplied awkwardly. "Have a nice time hunting. Say hello to Daisypelt and Oakpelt for me."

"Sure thing." Her sister gave her a searching look, obviously alerted by her odd behaviour, but she ostensibly hadn't found anything, as she turned away and headed over to where Oakpelt and Daisypelt were seated.

"Bye," Lightningpaw murmured quietly.

 _You know, they went through the same thing as you when Fawnshade died,_ Whiteshadow said brusquely. _There's no reason not to talk to them if you're feeling upset. You're allowed to share the burden, you know. I know sometimes it feels like you're the only one handling a certain problem or situation, but there is always someone else going through the same thing. You're never alone in your suffering._

 _Really? I suppose you know all about suffering,_ Lightningpaw snorted sarcastically, knowing she was being awful and rude, but she couldn't summon a reason to care. _Did your mother die while giving birth to the kits of a monster?_

 _Did your kit take over your Clan and cause numerous unnecessary and fatal battles for everyone?_ Whiteshadow countered, her voice raw. _Did your kit abandon her post to have kits, only to die during birth? Do you know the pain of watching your second litter die, and your first litter being at fault? Did your first mate tear apart your reputation and_ life _after being rejected?_

Lightningpaw was silent. Bitterness rose in her, but she couldn't reply to such heartache, unleashed after what seemed to have been generations.

 _The kits are alone. Go find someone to watch them while you sulk,_ Whiteshadow said abruptly, her voice sharper than usual.

 _Whiteshadow…_

 _I just need a moment. Please._ There was a familiar tremor in the she-cat's voice, so Lightningpaw didn't push her.

Suddenly, the brown apprentice's eyes landed on the two cats she would least like to talk to at that moment.

"Vixenpaw, Mallowdrop," Lightningpaw greeted them quietly, swallowing her pride. "Vixenpaw, can you do me a favour and watch the kits?"

Vixenpaw squinted at her, looking like she wanted to fire off a sneering retort, but then paused as Mallowdrop's gray and white tabby tail landed on her shoulder.

"Sure thing, Lightningpaw," Mallowdrop answered for the apprentice.

Vixenpaw glared at the tom, then glanced back at her sister with a battle in her eyes, before she finally shrugged and murmured, "Alright." Then, after a moment of studying Lightningpaw, added, "Are you okay?"

A little flame of warmth lit in Lightningpaw. _I guess she does care._ "Uh… yeah. I just need some time."

Nothing further to say to her sister, Lightningpaw quickly made her way to the apprentice's den and rested her head on her paws.

…

When she awoke, all that remained of her dream was a little flash of gold in the darkness. _What… what was I even dreaming of?_ she wondered as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes.

But as was typical for such a dream, every time she reached for more of it, it wisped further out of her grasp.

 _Oh well._

Suddenly, a smell caught in her nose. Her nose twitched, her eyes closed, and her muzzle drifted downwards until her mouth was buried in a fresh, juicy vole. That held the scent of Slatepaw.

 _She brought me something from her hunting venture, it would seem,_ Lightningpaw thought gratefully.

 _You're not alone, as much as your martyr complex would like you to believe the opposite,_ Whiteshadow murmured, her voice sounding rough. Like she had been crying.

 _Thanks for the tough love,_ Lightningpaw mewed grudgingly. _I suppose I deserved that._

 _Great StarClan, you most definitely did,_ Whiteshadow muttered with a rusty purr.

 _Alright, alright, no need to rub it in,_ she grumbled as she tore into the vole, realizing just how hungry she was as every bite went down.

As she felt her energy begin to return to her, she stood and stretched, every limb quivering. She strode into the camp, the sunlight shining weakly as leaf-bare closed around the sky.

"Lightningpaw? I saw you go to your den. Are you alright?" Blackpool suddenly appeared at her side.

"Er, yeah. Just-" her jaws were split with a yaw, "just- having a nap. Say, could I go to the Gathering tonight?"

"Uh, well, I guess," Blackpool said. "I'll have a word with Redstar. Thanks Lightningpaw, you've been a real help."

She offered her mentor a tight smile, her mind wandering. _Whiteshadow, do you think I should keep up this Rainwater thing?_

 _According to Vixenpaw, it was working, so if you're so desperate for Breezepaw that you'd pay a price like_ that _, then be my guest._ Whiteshadow's mew sounded a little strangled.

 _Are you okay?_ Lightningpaw asked nervously. _What's wrong?_

 _I'm just saying, just because- well, you can't know the effects, can you?_ The she-cat sighed ruefully. _Just- remember, Rainwater is dealing with his own things, and he doesn't deserve to be led on. If you're right, and he_ does _have a crush on you, what do you think his reaction to being used like that will be?_

 _Well, he just doesn't ever have to find out,_ Lightningpaw said dismissively. _That's easy enough. Once Breezepaw actually comes to his senses and tells me how he feels, I'll just slowly stop talking to Rainwater._

 _He's your Clanmate,_ Whiteshadow countered. _And if things go well for him, he might even be deputy._

 _No! He'd never be deputy,_ Lightningpaw snorted derisively to hide her tremor of insecurity. _Right? Surely not. I mean, I'm the much better choice, right? Redstar's mate is my mentor! I mean, I shouldn't get special treatment, but I'm sure she knows more about_ me _than that furball. But anyways, that's not the point._

 _Well… I suppose if you really_ love _Breezepaw,_ Whiteshadow said, sounding a little scornful of the idea. _Still though… the point is, there will be consequences for everything, and you know as well as I that what you're doing isn't exactly… morally ambiguous. It's wrong, and if you're okay with the backlash from this, than I suppose I can't stop you._

 _Is that a yes?_ Lightningpaw wondered.

 _It's a 'do whatever you want, I don't control you'. But remember, do the crime, do the time,_ Whiteshadow muttered ominously.

 _Alright._ Lightningpaw brushed her off, but the words rang in her head. _If you're okay with the backlash… What does that mean, anyways? What backlash? Rainwater being sad for a bit?_

Whiteshadow was silent.

Lightningpaw's stomach churned uneasily, an odd feeling of foreboding creeping through her fur. Trying to shake it off, she lifted her head only to see the sky darkening. _But the sun's not down… Oh._

A snowflake landed gently on her nose and melted instantly with the heat of her exhale.

 _It's snowing. The first snow of leaf-bare,_ she realized. _And I know that this season brings cold, darkness, sadness, isolation, sickness, and prey-loss, but it's… beautiful._

A smile slowly broke over her face.

…

"... and Lightningpaw," Redstar finished with a smile, before hopping down from the rock. "One more thing; leaf-bare's starting and if _any_ of you begin to cough or feel ill, see Dawnsplash immediately. You'll be doing your Clan a favour by getting cured before the illness takes hold."

"I've got plenty of catmint, don't be shy!" Dawnsplash added cheerfully.

Amusement rippled through the Clan.

Lightningpaw breathed a sigh of relief. _Looks like Rainwater's coming. Guess that makes my choice for me._

 _There's always a choice,_ Whiteshadow reminded her. _You can still tell him straight that all you want to be is friends, before things get out of control._

 _Well then, who am I going to use to make Breezepaw jealous?_ Lightningpaw threw back, shaking her head at the illogical statement.

Whiteshadow merely sighed.

"Are you glad you're going to the Gathering?" Rainwater asked, sidling up beside her.

"More than you could know," she snorted involuntarily.

"What do you mean?" His brow furrowed in confusion. "Is something else happening? Are you looking for someone? Are the leaders going to say something important?"  
"Oh! Um… no, I just like going to the Gathering," she fibbed quickly.

Rainwater regarded her uncertainly, his cobalt-eyes clouding with confusion. "If you say so. Personally, I don't like consorting with the other Clans. Distrustful fleabags, if you ask me."

"I didn't," she retorted, unable to contain her irritation with the smoky tom.

To her surprise, he purred and rubbed his cheek against hers. She started, but tried to hold still and not claw his eyes out like her first instinct screeched to do.

Whiteshadow sounded like she was breathing through clenched teeth.

Rainwater drew back after what felt like a hundred moons. He was smiling with too many teeth and it made Lightningpaw's skin crawl.

"Well, we better get going," she said loudly.

"Mm," he agreed, blinking slowly.

Bile rose in her throat, but she forced it down with a tight smile.

Vixenpaw suddenly inserted herself between them.

"Lovely evening, _HMMM_?" she practically screeched.

"YES IT IS LOVELY!" Lightningpaw matched her over-the-top yell.

Rainwater looked utterly lost.

Vixenpaw and Lightningpaw exchanged amused looks, and Lightningpaw felt immensely grateful to her sister in that moment. _She might be petty and annoying sometimes, but I'm like that too,_ she reflected. _At the end of the day, she always has my back._

Her orange and white sister began chattering about a RiverClan she-cat and Rainwater rolled his eyes surreptitiously. Vixenpaw narrowed her eyes at him, but feigned the bubble-headed she-cat as she continued to fill the tense air with meaningless blabber.

They made it to the Gathering island without Vixenpaw shredding Rainwater's ears; a miracle from StarClan themselves, in Lightningpaw's opinion.

"Lightningpaw! Do you want to cross first!?" Rainwater ask-shouted over Vixenpaw.

"Sure!" she shouted back.

After hopping onto the log, she felt a tingle of unease run up her tail, but she ignored it and picked her way across the log, wary of slipping in after the first Gathering.

By the time she stepped down from the roots, the sun had descended all the way to the edge of the horizon and a dusk glow had settled over the land.

Lightningpaw felt a fizz of apprehension in her stomach, but she took a deep breath and strode into the main clearing of the Gathering island.

"Ready?" Vixenpaw muttered.

"Let's go," Lightningpaw sighed, not looking forwards to it.

Vixenpaw gave her a questioning look, and Lightningpaw could almost hear the echo of her voice; _are you okay?_

She nodded and sealed her lips. _Not the time._

Her sister shrugged in acceptance and Lightningpaw surveyed the clearing that was chockfull of cats, the other Clans already having arrived.

Most of them sported small patches of cobweb with green mush peeking out around the edges. Evidence they were healing, that they were strong. _I bet every Clan left all the_ really _injured cats back at camp._

 _Of course they did,_ Whiteshadow chided. _You wouldn't want a cat with say, a broken leg to be walking to the island and back. If they fell in like you did, I doubt they'd have a dozen admirers jumping on the chance to jump into the lake._

 _I guess so,_ Lightningpaw agreed, feeling the familiar slight ache of pain as she took a deep breath. _I'm glad nothing bad happened to me or anyone I care about._

 _Well…_ Whiteshadow muttered uneasily. A picture of Brownwing suddenly returned to Lightningpaw.

 _Right. Um, at least Blackpool has Redstar,_ Lightningpaw offered. _Do you think they're going to have kits?_

 _I hope so. ThunderClan is dwindling in numbers after that battle,_ Whiteshadow murmured. _Let's hope you can rebuild._

 _Let's hope,_ Lightningpaw agreed, her stomach twisting with nerves.

"Clans! Gather 'round!" Spottedstar called, leaping up onto the lower hanging branches of the central tree.

Redstar and Ivystar joined her, and Lightningpaw realized with a little shock that Snowstar wasn't present; his deputy, Mistcloud had taken his place. The silver and gray she-cat hopped up gracefully, looking less imposing but just as regal as the other leaders.

Redstar greeted her with an amiable tail flick and Lightningpaw wondered if the two she-cats might have been friends. Mistcloud dipped her head formally, but she looked pleased to see the long-furred, reddish ThunderClan leader.

As Ivystar began her announcement, Lightningpaw searched for a familiar golden and black tom. She spotted him right before his head turned and his gaze caught hers. She looked away quickly, only to see the tom that she needed but didn't want to see.

"Rainwater," she greeted him.

"Looks like every cat had a rather boring moon," Rainwater grumbled.

She purred, his characteristic grouchiness familiar. "Not feeling well?"

"Just irritated," he snorted.

"About what?" Now she was genuinely curious.

"It's just-" he struggled. "Um, you know…"

She narrowed her eyes at him. He was acting oddly. _What's up with him?_ she wondered.

"Every leader up there is a she-cat," he snapped finally. "I just think it's dumb. Toms shouldn't take orders from she-cats."

Confusion washed over Lightningpaw. "But… that's what a leader is. That's kind of the point of a Clan; do you think we shouldn't have leaders? Then who'd-"

"I think leaders should be toms," Rainwater interrupted. "It just makes more sense. They can have kits and mates and whatever, but they can still be leaders and function properly. If a she-cat has kits, or a mate, she gets soft, and then no one-"

" _Excuse_ me?" Lightningpaw couldn't believe her ears. She stared at him. "You know I'm a she-cat, right?"

"Exactly!" Rainwater rolled his eyes like she was missing the point.

 _I believe the point he's trying to make is that he has no idea what in StarClan's name is coming out of his muzzle,_ Whiteshadow said dryly.

Lightningpaw let out an acidic bout of laughter. "You really think she-cats are somehow inferior to toms?"

"Well, it's kind of obvious," Rainwater snorted. "I mean, for example, on the assessment, you, me, Petalpaw, Vixenpaw, Slatepaw, we were all on equal footing. I won, because I'm the tom and we're generally stronger, smarter, and better."

"Better at what? Giving birth?" Lightningpaw challenged, incendiary irritation bubbling in her. "I'm sure Hollybird would be interested in this twisted worldview."

A muscle in Rainwater's jaw flickered. "That's not the point. She-cats give birth, toms hunt, fight, and lead."

"Why can't we give birth, hunt, fight, _and_ lead?" Lightningpaw demanded.

 _This is going nowhere,_ Whiteshadow snorted. _He's clearly been eating crowfood and he's gone mad. There's not much more to it._

"Because toms are better at that! Every cat should just do what they're supposed-" Rainwater snapped, but Lightningpaw cut him off.

"You're drawing a lot of conclusions, but I fail to see your logic," Lightningpaw snarled. " _Why_ are toms better? Answer; they aren't, duh. She-cats and toms can do different things, sure, but that doesn't mean that just because nature allows she-cats to have kits, that's the _only_ thing they should do. You'd be cutting a Clan's hunting and fighting potential in half."

"Not in half, because toms already basically support she-cats entirely," Rainwater pointed out.

"No they don't! Obviously they don't! Our leader is a she-cat!" Lightningpaw shot back.

"Yeah, and look at the deputy! Her mate; you're just proving my point for me. She's soft," Rainwater growled.

"That's my mentor you're talking about," Lightningpaw hissed, her claws sliding out, but she reined in her anger. "Look; it's not my responsibility to fix your idiocy, but I would recommend not sharing it, especially not with she-cats, because it's going to go about as well as this."

"It's cute when you pretend to argue," Rainwater snickered, flicking her with his tail.

Lightningpaw's jaw almost broke her paws, it dropped so fast.

 _Pretend?_ Was the only thought she could form. _What part of that was pretend?_

All she could do was stare at him like he was utterly insane.

 _Y'know, maybe he is,_ she thought. _That certainly doesn't sound like a sane tom. 'Better than she-cats' my tail. He's a nutcase._

No interest in continuing their ridiculous argument, Lightningpaw strolled through the Clans as they listened to Ivystar give an update on the current events of ShadowClan's previous moons.

"Hey, Lightningpaw," a familiar mew greeted her as she made her way into ShadowClan's section.

"Darkpaw," she replied, a tingle of unease running through her at the sight of the dark tortoiseshell. "Evening."

Darkpaw's throat bobbed as she seemed to search for words. "Nice- day- huh?"

Lightningpaw raised one eyebrow, but shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose. What do you think happened to Snowstar?"

"Looks like we're about to find out," Darkpaw replied, nodding towards Mistcloud- star? -as she stepped forwards to deliver her announcement.

"As I'm sure you've noticed, Snowstar is not present tonight," she began. "Unfortunately, his wounds from the battle of last moon became infected and he has lost a life. He is currently recovering under the care of Sheepbelly. It is expected that he will make a full recovery in the next half-moon."

"I guess that answers that then," Lightningpaw said to herself. "But why would he need to recover? I thought StarClan heals your wounds when you lose a life."

"Well, since he lost it to infection, I assume they just cured his infection," Darkpaw suggested. "I don't know if they have the power to fix him up entirely."

"What if he lost a life to bloodloss or something? Would they give him more blood, only for him to bleed out again?" Lightningpaw shook her head in confusion.

"They'd make it so he could stay alive," Darkpaw replied. "That's kind of the point."

Their conversation ground to a halt. Lightningpaw fumbled for a way to keep it alive, but Darkpaw seemed content just sitting in silence.

Or so she assumed, and was therefore taken by surprise when Darkpaw said,

"I know things have been weird between us, but now that the Clans are at peace, I hope we can give friendship another try."

Lightningpaw's eyes widened a little, but she took a deep breath and tried a smile. "Yeah. Me too. I don't want to fight anymore."

Darkpaw nodded as if this settled it, and the two she-cats lapsed back into silence.

 _Wait a minute, is she…_ Whiteshadow's mew sounded suspicious. _I think… hmm… I think Ripplest-_

 _What?_ Lightningpaw asked. _Who are you talking about?_

 _Nevermind, I just thought I…_ Whiteshadow muttered. _Nevermind._

Lightningpaw furrowed her brow in confusion, but didn't press her. _Alright, then…_

"ThunderClan will speak next," Redstar announced, stepping forwards.

"Darkpaw," a tom's voice suddenly greeted Lightningpaw's companion. The dark brown and white apprentice turned to find the broad-shouldered, long-furred silver tom by the name of Wavepaw sitting comfortably as though he'd been there all along.

"Hello Wavepaw," Darkpaw said primly, eyeing him with a hint of distrust but the acceptance of an equal.

"Hi Wavepaw," Lightningpaw mewed cheerfully.

"Can we talk in private?" he asked, his gaze flickering to Darkpaw for the barest of moments.

"Oh! Uh, sure, I guess," Lightningpaw fumbled, following him as he led her away from the dark amber-eyed ShadowClan she-cat.

Wavepaw gazed at her intensely. She shrank slightly under the penetrating stare, but tried to meet it without wavering. After a moment, he said,

"So I see you and Darkpaw are getting along now."

"Uh, yeah? Why?" She was tempted to ask why he thought it was his business, but she didn't want to be rude and held her tongue.

"Er… no reason," he covered quickly. "Um, I just- a thing is sort of happening, and I don't really… I don't want to talk about this stuff with cats in _my_ Clan."

Lightningpaw nodded slowly, but she wasn't sure she followed. "What stuff?"

"You heard Mistcloud's announcement?" he asked in a low voice. "About Snowstar?"

"Yeah? He lost a life, right?" She wasn't sure where he was going with this, but she answered anyways.

"He did, it's just, Sheepbelly thinks it might be more than that," Wavepaw muttered.

"More than one life?" Lightningpaw squinted at him, not understanding. "Like, he might lose more lives?"

"No… like him losing a life might be _more_ than just an unfortunate side-effect of the battle," Wavepaw said softly, not meeting her eyes. "Like it might be a sign."

Whatever she had expected him to say, it wasn't this. She sat down with a _thump_ and tried to calm her racing thoughts. "Well, I'm no medicine cat, but if him losing a life really was a sign, I don't think that's a good one."

Wavepaw purred dryly. "Indeed. Sheepbelly yowled something about RiverClan being rotten from the inside… but… I don't know. Maybe he's senile."

"Well… of all the interpretations, that doesn't seem that far-fetched," Lightningpaw pointed out. "I don't know what 'rotten' would entail though. Have you noticed any of your Clanmates acting weird?"

"Yeah, but for different reasons. The only possible reason that I could think of-" Wavepaw abruptly cut off his own explanation as a cat joined them.

"Is any cat sitting here?" Her voice had an odd quality, light but warm and smooth. Lightningpaw hoped she would talk again.

She sat before either of them answered, both of them wordless for different reasons. Lightningpaw silently absorbed the she-cat's presence, Wavepaw narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and with more than a touch of distrust.

"Cinnamonheart," he said, a hint of a growl creeping into his voice.

She gave him a reproachful look, then turned to Lightningpaw. The dark brown and white she-cat realized with a shock that this so-called Cinnamonheart's eyes were the same shade as hers. She stared, mesmerized, then blinked and realized she was being a little rude.

"Hi, I'm Lightningpaw," she said at the same time that Cinnamonheart murmured to Wavepaw without looking away from the ThunderClanner, "So who's this?"

Lightningpaw giggled, slightly nervous. "I guess that answers your question."

Slowly, Cinnamonheart tilted her head from one side then to the other. Sizing her up. "Hm."

Suddenly feeling intimidated and out-of-place, Lightningpaw lowered her gaze. "Maybe… maybe I should, um, I should go-"

"No, stay. Cinnamonheart, knock it off. I'm extending it to her too." Wavepaw gave her a meaningful look.

Lightningpaw watched the exchange, confused by his cryptic wording.

Cinnamonheart sucked air through her teeth. "Mm, if you say so. You're no fun."

She flicked her tail, and Lightningpaw blinked, an odd sensation throwing her off balance. Cinnamonheart's yellow eyes regarded her as she gathered her bearings.

"What in StarClan's name…" she began.

"Don't worry about it," Cinnamonheart ordered.

Lightningpaw nodded, squinting.

"I said knock it off!" Wavepaw snapped.

Cinnmonheart heaved a giant sigh. "C'mon, just enough to make her not ask too many questions?"

Wavepaw deliberated, then finally sighed as well. "Okay, fine. But don't give her a reason to."

The reddish she-cat nodded with an innocent smile. Lightningpaw briefly wondered if they were talking about her, but it wasn't really important, was it?  
A moment of a heated eye-contact conversation between the two RiverClan cats later, Wavepaw finally exhaled through his teeth and looked at Cinnamonheart meaningfully.

She shrugged and turned around to stroll away.

Wavepaw watched her go, a look of frustration on his face. Finally, as she disappeared back into the crowd of cats, he turned back to Lightningpaw.

"So, uh, anyways," he grunted. "Before Cinnamonheart showed up, I wanted to ask you about the leadership in ThunderClan."

"What about it?" The strange she-cat's departure had sharpened Lightningpaw's senses and the peculiar request set off alarms in Lightningpaw's head immediately.

"Well, you know about Snowstar," Wavepaw began carefully, like he was picking his way over stones and could fall into the river at any moment. "I just wanted to know if your medicine cat has ever thought-"

Anticipating his question, she replied, "No. Not to my knowledge."

Wavepaw nodded and rocked back on his paws, looking contemplative. Then finally, he burst out, "Do you think I have a chance of ever being leader?"

Lightningpaw's eyes widened. "Where did that come from?  
"I dunno. Just thinking. You seem like you'd be the kind to get that sort of thing," he said evasively. "I just wanted to get a second opinion."

"Well, I don't know how you fish-faces pick your leaders, but I assume it's probably something like whose scales are prettiest," Lightningpaw teased.

Wavepaw looked bemused for a moment, then he rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her. "Haha, very funny."

"Thank you, I know I am," she replied. "But seriously, I don't know what Snowstar would value in a deputy, so I really couldn't say. But you're brave, and loyal, and… I don't know, a good cat I guess."

His chest swelled up so much Lightningpaw was genuinely afraid he was going to blow up.

"Careful, the size of that ego will give you back pain," she warned him with an innocent smile.

He frowned at her playfully. "Well that's not very nice."

"Fine. What I meant was, I think you'd be a good leader, I just have no idea how RiverClan cats get there," she supplied. "But good luck, I guess. Maybe I'll see you up on that tree one day."

"I'll meet you there," he replied without missing a beat.

 _I guess he knows me pretty well,_ Lightningpaw thought, giving him an amused look.

"Well, looks like things are wrapping up. Guess I'd better get going," she said softly.

He kept her gaze for another moment, looking like he wanted to protest, but he just shrugged. "Alright. I'll see you next moon, if you haven't been exiled for trying to take over ThunderClan."

" _Pfft_ ," she snickered. "Yeah right. We'll see."

As she returned to ThunderClan's side of the Gathering where her Clanmates were preparing their departure, her eyes met the wounded green ones of a familiar tom.

Her heart almost stopped, but she forced away the uncertainties and dropped her gaze. _Soon, we'll have all the time we need. I just need to keep up this charade a little longer. Breezepaw, wait for me._

 ***Whistles* oh I'm sorry, you wanted Lightningbreeze fluff? Myyyyy bad. Just wait. We'll get there.**

 **Anyways. PLOT TWIST turns out Rainwater's an asshole. Oops?**

 **We'll see if I can actually manage to hold onto my schedule for two consecutive weeks…**

 **~Akila**


	60. Breeze: Belief Broken

**I AM THE WORST. BUT HERE'S A CHAPTER BECAUSE Y'ALL ARE THE BEST. (If anyone's still reading eheheh….)**

Chapter 58.

"I'm telling you, you're going to hurt yourself if you're not careful! Don't be reckless!" Littleflame, the WindClan medicine cat, shouted.

Breezepaw's ears perked up and he swung his head around to see the ginger and white tom facing off with a glaring, hissing Scarletpaw.

"I'm telling you, I'm _fine,_ " the dark russet she-cat snapped. "I ain't- I'm not- I _won't_ go to the nursery."

Annoyance flickered across Littleflame's face, but it faded into concern. "Scarletpaw, the kits could be injured if you aren't careful."

"They're not my kits," Scarletpaw snarled softly. "I never asked for any of this. Larkfeather and Dustpetal's kits are coming soon, can't I just give mine to them?"

"It's not so easy," Littleflame murmured. "Things will change once they're born. It may not be so easy to give them up."

"Isn't there still a chance I'm not with kits?" Scarletpaw asked desperately, her abrasive demeanor fading slightly as her eyes filled with terror. "I mean, my belly isn't exactly getting bigger."

"Well… no… I suppose there might be a chance," Littleflame admitted. "It's just… Morningpoppy is infrequently wrong. I trust her. If she says you're pregnant, then you're pregnant."

Breezepaw felt himself get to his paws almost subconsciously. He made his way towards them with the full intention of comforting Scarletpaw, though he had no idea what he would say when he got there.

"Breezepaw?" She turned to him with a startled look. "This ain't real, right? I'm not… I'm not having kits."

"We don't know." He couldn't find it in himself to lie to her, not when she was so vulnerable. "On one paw, you don't exactly _look_ pregnant. But there isn't really another explanation for everything else. The sickness, the flower…"

Scarletpaw opened and closed her mouth, looking slightly guilty and very uneasy. "Those flowers… they're… um… it's not because I'm pregnant."

"Those flowers are poisonous. You're lucky you threw up or you'd be dead," Littleflame shot back, his words hard but his eyes filled with concern and a strange note of longing.

Her amber eyes were conflicted. Breezepaw wished desperately that he could understand what was going on in her mind, but it was beyond his reach.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" he invited. "You'll feel better once you've gotten some fresh air out on the moor."

"We _are_ on the moor," Scarletpaw pointed out wryly, but shrugged. "Alright, if you say so."

They had barely taken four steps towards the camp entrance when four bundles of fur threw themselves at Breezepaw.

"Warriors, attack!" one of them squeaked.

 _Icestorm's kits,_ Breezepaw thought warmly, smiling down at them as they sank their tiny paws into his soft pelt and hung on.

"Come on kits, I'm busy. Go attack the elders or something," he told them, shaking a little in an effort to dislodge them.

With heavy sighs, they released him and Breezepaw turned back to Scarletpaw with an apologetic smile. To his surprise, she was staring down at them, horror filling her eyes.

"Um, Scarletpaw?" He waved his tail in front of her.

"On- on second thought, you stay here. I need to be alone," she muttered, her breath picking up and her chest heaving. She looked like she was on the verge of throwing up.

Concern filled him as she darted out of the camp, her strides lengthening as she began to run. His paws tugged with the urge to follow her, but he knew that when she wanted to be alone, he wouldn't be welcome intruding on her personal thoughts.

"Breezy, you said you'd play with us today!" Dandelionkit shouted, clambering up his tail.

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I don't remember that."

"You definitely did," Warblerkit announced, nodding firmly. "Yesterday. Definitely."

He scrutinized the little silver and white tabby. "I think you made that up."

"Maybe a little bit." The kit smiled angelically.

"Unbelievable," Breezepaw snorted and glanced away, amusement washing through him. "Utterly unbelievable."

"Please!" Goldenkit exclaimed. "It's so boring in the camp! No cat wants to play with us!"

"Warriors have duties, you know," Breezepaw reminded her.

"We _know_ , we're just so _bored_!" Warblerkit exclaimed, flinging herself down dramatically at Breezepaw's paws. "Plaaaaay with us! Please! Or we'll go bug Mummy."

Breezepaw grimaced. He certainly didn't want to be the reason for a quartet of furballs climbing all over Icestorm while she got some rest. _And they_ are _pretty cute… so maybe I could… for just a little bit. But if Spottedstar or Honeythorn wants me on patrol…_

"Yay!" Dandelionkit had obviously seen the decision on his face, for she seized one of his paws and yanked him over to the nursery entrance. "Okay! You stand here, ThunderClan intruder. We're going to attack you! But it'll be a surprise."

"Except you just told me," Breezepaw pointed out, cocking an eyebrow.

"But you don't know _when_ it's coming," Warblerkit said, her fur rising with excitement. "So that's the trick. You'll be taken so by surprise, your surprisedness will be surprised!"

"Sorry, what?" Breezepaw blinked at the apparent gibberish, but the three she-kits were already rushing away to hide for their 'surprise attack', leaving their brown-furred brother behind. "Um, Rufflekit? Are you going to go hide?"

"Why should I? It's rather pointless, if we're immediately going to jump out again," the kit deadpanned, his face expressionless. "Besides which, you can scent us easily. I'm sure apprentices could pinpoint a single cat's location within such a small, contained area with relative ease. It is a pointless endeavour."

Breezepaw blinked at the kit's age-defying eloquence. "Um, but it would be fun? I mean… you don't have to. I just figured-"

"No. I won't," he said firmly, and turned back to the dirt where he was observing a caterpillar crawl across a strand of long grass.

The apprentice shrugged, amused but struck off-guard by the kit. _Hm. He's a bit of a strange case I guess. What kind of kit doesn't want to play surprise-attack? A medicine cat, maybe?_

"WARRIORS OF WINDCLAN, ATTACK!" A high-pitched shriek echoed across the camp as Breezepaw was knocked to the ground by three kits attacking him from behind.

He faintly registered that they had snuck into the nursery while he had talked to Rufflekit. _Clever,_ he thought as kit paws pummeled his side. Having enough of the under-grown pads smushing into his side, he shook the kits off gently and pretended to snarl.

"Yarrrgh, this badger-"

"ThunderClan warrior," Warblerkit corrected instantly.

"ThunderClan warrior," he ameliorated, "is going to kitnap these kits and eat them for a snack!"

He snatched Dandelionkit by her white and black scruff and darted away.

"Noooo! He's getting away!" Warblerkit shrieked, and Goldenkit's eyes widened in bewilderment.

"Quick! Catch him!" The white and golden she-cat exclaimed. "He's going to eat Dandelionkit!"

"Nom nom nom!" Breezepaw exclaimed through the kit's scruff as he charged through the camp, the two other kits hard on his paws. "Grrr! Tasty kit!"

Dandelionkit shrieked theatrically as Breezepaw ran laps around the fresh-kill pile.

Tiny kit jaws closed around his tail, and Breezepaw realized with a shock like cold water hitting his muzzle that the kits were gaining on him. _But… how? They're just kittens!_

Focusing, he tried to elongate his strides, like his mentor taught him, but his muscles burned and strained like he had already expended most of his energy. _I'm tired?_ Confusion washed over him and he stumbled as Warblerkit flung herself onto his back.

He panted hard through Dandelionkit's scruff and dropped her to the ground gently. _They're faster than me. But that's impossible! They're just little kits! They couldn't be…_ faster _than me… how?_ he wondered in vain. _It's just because I'm still healing from the battle._

But his wounds were closing up just fine. His strength hadn't been any weaker than before the last moon. _So that means… they're naturally quicker than me?_

His mind was whirling with layer after layer of explanation, but he already knew what lay at the bottom. _I'm weak. I'm weak, and kits are stronger than me._

"Breezepaw!" Warblerkit squeaked. "Aren't you going to _try_?"

"I- I can't play with you, kits, I've got to go…" he said, feeling bile rising in his throat.

He rushed away from the confused trio and immediately encountered Scarletpaw, also looking like she was going to throw up.

"Rough walk?" he muttered, eyeing her sympathetically.

"Hey! You don't look great yourself." She jostled his shoulder amiably, and he realized that despite her queasy expression she looked more invigorated than she had for the past moon. "I wouldn't start picking apart _other_ cats' appearances if I looked like _that_."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" he demanded, but she just purred and rolled her eyes at him.

"C'mon, let's go find Honeythorn. I need a patrol to get my mind off this… _stuff_ ," Scarletpaw said meaningfully.

"You said it," Breezepaw agreed mournfully, looking back at the kits, now racing energetically around the clearing like their paws were carried on the wind.

Scarletpaw must have misread the look, as she promptly sighed heavily and looked down at her belly. After a beat, she said, "Well, let's go then."

They padded across to Honeythorn, who was deep in conversation with Morningpoppy. Both she-cats wore dark expressions.

"Honeythorn? Do you have a patrol that needs cats?" Scarletpaw asked hopefully, barging right into their conversation without a hint of remorse.

"I… I suppose you could go on a border patrol to the RiverClan border," the deputy said uncertainly. "But it's not necessary. We have enough-"

"RiverClan? Alright... Let's go!" Scarletpaw exclaimed, about to charge out of camp when Honeythorn cleared her throat.

"Take at least another warrior," the golden she-cat said with a slight frown. "It's getting cold; I think it'll snow and I don't want to waste time right before the Gathering rounding up young apprentices lost on the moor."

Breezepaw's pelt burned with irritation and embarrassment. _I wouldn't get lost on the moor just because of a little thing like_ snow _! That's just ridiculous!_

"We'll find someone," Scarletpaw assured her, turned sharply to charge at her mentor Copperspots, who was looking dubiously at the fresh-kill pile.

"Hold o-" Breezepaw cut himself off, sighing and hurrying after the former rogue.

"Oh! Okay, sure, I'd be up for a patrol," Copperspots agreed with a shrug, giving the fresh-kill pile a regretful look.

"Excellent! Let's head out!" Scarletpaw shifted her paws impatiently, looking like she was on the verge of floating up into the air and flying away.

Breezepaw and Copperspots exchanged looks. Copperspots's asked the question that Breezepaw had long since given up asking, _what's wrong with her?_

To which Breezepaw's eyeroll answered, _what isn't?_

Scarletpaw was already halfway out of the camp when she threw over her shoulder, "And I saw that, by the way!"

This incited, unseen by Scarletpaw, another eyeroll from the golden apprentice tom. Purring, Copperspots bounded after her energetic apprentice and with a heavy sigh, Breezepaw followed.

Comfortable banter was kept up between Scarletpaw and Copperspots as Breezepaw reflected on his situation.

 _Why did I go along with this? Why am I on this moor, with this frozen wind, staring at the nuttiest cat in the world?_ With the final question, he realized he was staring down Scarletpaw like she was about to perform an impossible stunt. Flushing, he averted his eyes.

He tried to focus on what they were saying to find a place to insert himself and join the conversation, but it was so quick he could barely manage the simple task of attaching the mouth sounds to the brain-place where words made sense once.

At the apparent failure to interact with the world around him, he defaulted to what he always did.

Thinking about the Gathering and Lightningpaw.

Which of course only served to stress him further; things hadn't exactly been simple. Everything was just so… confusing. _StarClan why? Why am I like this?_ For the first time, he began to question the depth of his feelings. _Surely it'll go away. Surely… I'm not a traitor._ But it felt like a lie.

"Good evening," an unfamiliar voice suddenly called out a greeting.

Breezepaw froze as he realized who it was. _That she-cat… she's the one who attacked me in the battle!_

But Copperspots and Scarletpaw simply flicked their tails in greeting and went on with marking the border.

That is, until the rest of the RiverClan patrol slunk out of the bushes and the russet former-rogue stiffened.

It was as though they weren't looking across the border, but rather into an undisturbed pond. The cat across the border from Scarletpaw was her image exactly, with the exception of her bright golden eyes. Strangely familiar golden eyes, Breezepaw noted as his stomach lurched slightly.

"No…" Scarletpaw's utterance was so soft and breathy that it might have been whisked away by a breeze; alas, there was no wind that day and Breezepaw heard her just fine. "Sin."

The name struck a chord within Breezepaw and he realized with a chill that Scarletpaw had told him who she was. And so, when a lull of calm fell across Copperspots's face, Breezepaw was on alert.

 _That must be Cinnamon. She's the one who… who 'removes' them, like Scarletpaw said…_

"Good afternoon," Cinnamon said, smiling pleasantly with just a few too many teeth for Breezepaw to feel safe.

Breezepaw's voice caught in his throat when he saw a particularly familiar silver apprentice step out of the reeds to join the infamous russet she-cat. _Wavepaw…_

"You know her?" he muttered to Cinnamon, glancing at Scarletpaw, when his blue eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "You're- you're that rogue who… who saved me."

"What?!" Breezepaw's voice suddenly jerked out of him. "Uh, when?"

"I'll explain everything later," Scarletpaw muttered to him, her gaze darting over to Cinnamon every few moments. "We've gotta get out of here. Let's hurry up and mark the borders."

Breezepaw was still trying to make sense of the situation. _So hold on… Scarletpaw's murderer sister is in RiverClan now? And Wavepaw and Cinnamon know each other. And Scarletpaw and Wavepaw know each other… What is going on?!_

Copperspots was still smiling placidly, so Breezepaw flicked her, and muttered lowly, "Let's hurry up."

"There's no rush," Cinnamon purred, tilting her head slightly.

 _I guess not,_ he agreed silently, taking a deep breath. _Wait! This is exactly what Scarletpaw was talking about!_

And Scarletpaw seemed to register it as well. Her face twisted in anger and she bared her teeth at Cinnamon. "Get. Out. Of. Here."

"I can't leave," her sister told her with a shrug. "And you'd know _all_ about being trapped, hmm?"

The words had an effect on Scarletpaw like Breezepaw had never seen. Her eyes widened and she stiffened, her fur rising along her spine. Her breathing picked up, and she looked like she was going to throw up.

"No… no…"

Cinnamon wore a smug smile as her sister dissolved into panic. _What's wrong with her? What happened?_ Breezepaw wondered wildly, lurching forwards to try to calm Scarletpaw.

His sudden approach only served to worsen things when she hopped away from him and bared her teeth. _She's not even in her right mind anymore,_ he realized with a cold chill when her gaze swung wildly from him to Cinnamon.

"Scarletpaw, calm down. No one's going to hurt you," he assured her, and her gaze fixed on him. "It's okay. You're okay."

She panted, her paws twitching from side to side. "I- I- please, I have to go."

And then she shot away, across the moor.

"Okay, bye," Copperspots murmured, looking sleepy.

"Let's go," Breezepaw told the warrior, bumping her shoulder to snap her back to reality.

Copperspots blinked lazily, then jolted. "Right, right, come on."

Worry for Scarletpaw churned in his stomach and he shot Cinnamon a look full of hatred. She merely smiled.

"Wavepaw, Cinnamonheart, we should be on our way as well," the white she-cat that had previously tried to kill Breezepaw said to her patrol.

 _Cinnamonheart? They made that fox-heart a warrior?_ Breezepaw wondered furiously. _Wow, RiverClan_ really _has low standards. What was Snowstar thinking?!_

But he had a nagging feeling that Snowstar _wasn't_ thinking. _She's too dangerous; there must be something Scarletpaw's not telling me. Why else would she be in RiverClan in the first place?_

By the time they had made it back to camp, Scarletpaw was nowhere. Breezepaw scanned the moor anyways with a sinking feeling. _I've got to find her. To find out what's going on, and to make sure she's okay._

Not even bothering to make sure Copperspots was functioning properly after the Cinnamonheart incident, he wheeled around and pelted out of camp.

Tossing discretion to the wind, he dashed across the rises and dips in the land, yelling Scarletpaw's name all the while.

On his second sweep of the territory, he finally realized that she didn't want to be found. Knowing panic wouldn't serve him, he took a deep breath and raised his head to scent the air.

He could smell her faintly, but pinpointing her position was impossible as the wind picked up, blowing it in all directions.

"Scarletpaw?" he called, softer. "I know you're here. Please just listen. I know that Cinnamon- Cinnamonheart freaked you out, and I wish I knew why, but I know that you're probably not going to tell me. But if you'll at least come talk to me… so I know you're alright?"  
He waited with bated breath. As the wind rustling through the grass was the only noise he heard, he sighed, prepared to give up and return to camp empty-pawed.

A heartbeat later, a russet shape emerged from a clump of grass.

"Alright, we can talk."

Breezepaw sighed with relief as Scarletpaw stepped out of her hiding spot.

"All I want to know is, why is Cinnamonheart in RiverClan?" he asked quietly, trying not to set her off.

"I- In truth, I don't know," she admitted, but there was a guilty gleam in her eye. "But… I think I might be able to guess. See, I haven't… been… totally honest with you. When you found me that day, I hadn't escaped, exactly, I- I was sent here."

"As a spy?" Breezepaw couldn't keep the hint of a growl out of his voice. _How am I ever supposed to trust her when she keeps uncovering more and more lies? First the murdering, now this?_

"Just let me explain," she said, sounding a little hurt. "I didn't have a choice… but when I left the twolegs-place, I realized there was another option. I was supposed to go to RiverClan, but I came here instead. I thought it would be fine, I thought they would just forget about me and… and let me have a normal life." She purred bitterly. "I was a fool. And now he's sent her to find me. Maybe kill me. Maybe force me back."

"But- how-" Breezepaw fumbled, trying to sort through his swirling thoughts. "Why did were you sent to RiverClan?"

"I- I don't know, honestly! I know our leader… he hates the Clans. I just don't know why," she stammered.

"That might've been useful for Spottedstar to know when you first came here," Breezepaw growled. "How is any cat going to trust you?"

Her eyes widened. _Did you not consider that before lying to every cat?!_ he wondered incredulously.

"I just-" Scarletpaw began. "I was so afraid, Breezepaw! You don't know what it's like. I've seen things that would send most fully grown cats far off the deep end. Please… I can't lose the one cat that trusts me."

After a beat, Breezepaw realized she was talking about him. "I- I don't know if I _do_ trust you, Scarletpaw… How am I supposed to be sure that this isn't just another trick to earn my trust? If the rogues hate the Clans as much as you say, and your own _sister_ is trying to force you back to them, why aren't you loyal to the rogues?"

"I- I'm sorry." Her amber eyes filled with glistening tears. "There are some things that I can't share with even you."

He stared at her.

Then he let out a bitter laugh.

"And you expect me to trust you?!" The words burst out of him before he had a chance to mull over what he would say. "You're crazier than the rest of your gang of rogues if you think I'll brush off a past of murder and lies without batting an eye. Why would I accept you withholding secrets from me after _everything_?"  
"Be- because- I-" she stuttered.

Breezepaw curled his lip. "Just leave me alone."

And with that, he turned sharply and pelted back to camp. _So, so stupid. Giving her another chance, what in StarClan's name was I thinking?! She_ killed _cats. Murdered them in cold blood. What kind of utter hare-brained, fluff-headed_ idiot _was I to think she had changed? She's just a rotten spy, and that's all she'll ever be._

And with that, the tears finally spilled over.

…

Breezepaw took a deep breath as he touched down from the log-bridge. _Tonight. I'll finally tell her. I'll tell her, and hopefully… everything doesn't blow up in my face._

As his heart pounded out a desperate cry to Lightningpaw, he concentrated on keeping himself in check. _Just… stay calm. Say what you feel. It can't go wrong. It just… it just can't._

Unbidden, the image of the gray tom and Lightningpaw together blocked his vision. _No!_ He tried to brush it off, and then abruptly realized it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him. _Why? StarClan,_ why _? Why would she want to spend time with_ him _, when I'm right here!?_

It felt like his heart was closing in on itself, pressing, compressing, then nothing.

He closed his eyes, begging for a respite from the pain. His breathing grew heavy, and then suddenly some cat was calling his name. _Lightningpaw?_

"Breezepaw?" Palepaw mumbled, shuffling up to him.

His teeth ground together as he realized no, she was still cozying up with that gray tom. His light brown Clanmate tilted her head concernedly at him.

"Palepaw," he greeted her flatly, his hopes dashed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.

His paws twitched and he was tempted to snap and lash out at her. Just then, an idea occurred to him. _Well, if she's so attached to him… what will she do if I…_

"Thanks for asking," he purred, moving closer. "I'm alright."

She looked momentarily confused, but pleased. Breezepaw felt scummy for playing on her feelings like that, but he forced it away and tried to fix the smile on his face.

"Have you talked to any cat from the other Clans yet?" she asked.

His heart twisted. _Other Clans…_ "Nope."

"C'mon, let's try ShadowClan!" she invited.

"Or… we could just stay here," he returned desperately. _I can't move out of the line of sight of Lightningpaw, otherwise this'll be totally pointless!_

It had been simple when she was pretty and he was 'in love'. But now… they had met outside of Clan territory and things hadn't been as shiny as before. Then Lightningpaw had straight-up rejected him, then all of one moon later, she was back to smiles and shoulder-nudges and comfort.

How was he ever going to figure out what was going on with that she-cat, much less the other three? Darkpaw was beyond confusing to him; she would be genuine and kind one moment, then mysterious and perplexing the next. He thought he had a friend in Jaypaw until she had flat-out shut him out. Palepaw was no help either with all her shuffling and weirdness.

And then there was Scarletpaw.

Just the thought made anger and hurt pulse through his heart.

"Uh, yeah, sure, we can stay here," Palepaw agreed, tilting her head with a little sympathetic smile. "I would understand if you didn't exactly want to talk to _RiverClan_ right now."

 _Was that supposed to be kind and understanding?_ Breezepaw wondered faintly, the waves of sorrow that accompanied thoughts of the still-painful death of his mother washing over him once more. _Is she just that oblivious to how cats work?_

He snuck a glance in Lightningpaw's direction and promptly sank his claws into the earth upon spotting her still solidly locked into a conversation with Rainwater. His heart ached, but he forced his attention back to the pale brown she-cat.

"Breezepaw, do you think you'll ever have kits?" Palepaw suddenly asked.

He blinked, caught off guard by the out-of-the-blue question. "Um, maybe? I dunno. If I found the right cat, I guess." Remembering the incident earlier that day, he added, "I don't really like kits, but I guess that'll probably change when I become a warrior."

Palepaw nodded, looking thoughtful. He darted another glance at Lightningpaw.

 _Huh?_ A familiar tortoiseshell and white she-cat was inserting herself between Rainwater and Lightningpaw. _What's Darkpaw doing?_ But he wasn't sure he cared, because if some cat was finally peeling that rotten gray tom away from Lightningpaw, Breezepaw was all for it.

And just like that, Lightningpaw finally, _finally,_ separated herself from Rainwater and scanned the gathered cats. Her eyes suddenly met his and he caught his breath.

She held eye contact for just a moment, too short for Breezepaw, then gave him a little fluttering smile and disappeared into the crowd.

His heart beat faster and the tiny part that was occupied with being thrilled that she wasn't talking to Rainwater anymore chided him for being so easily led on.

"Breezepaw?" A voice sounded from beside him.

He snapped back to reality, but the dreamy smile stayed fixed on his face as he turned to Darkpaw. _Darkpaw._ The smile transformed into a genuine grin of gratitude. _Any cat that removes Rainwater has my thanks._

"Hey, Darkpaw!" He greeted her enthusiastically. "What've you been up to this month?"  
"Er… not much," she said evasively. "Hey, can I talk to you privately?"

"Sure thing. What about?" he asked, ignoring Palepaw's yelp of protest at being brushed off so easily.

"Um… well, I've been thinking, and I've decided that it's time I told you…" she began uncertainly.

"Tell me what? Not you too?" A nervous laugh tripped over his lips as he thought of Scarletpaw.

"Me too?" A little flame lit in her eyes and her claws slipped out.

"Um, go ahead," he avoided quickly. "What was it you wanted to say?"

She looked at him earnestly, her eyes wide and honest. "Just let me get it all out before you say anything, please."

The words were strangely familiar, and he was thrown back to the Gathering where he had awkwardly told Lightningpaw how he felt. He winced at the memory; _she must have thought I was an utter mouse-brain._

"Okay sure," he acquiesced.

"Breezepaw, I think I might like you. Like _really_ like you," she burst out.

"I like you too?" he offered, but he had a feeling that this wasn't what she meant.

"No, like I- I-" her mouth moved, but her words seemed to be caught in her throat. "I think I'm in love with you."

Breezepaw's jaw dropped open. His first thought was, _fox-dung._ And his second thought was, _she must be wrong. She's not in love with me._

"Are you sure?" The words were out of his mouth before he had time to add inflection or tone and resulted in a clinical, analytical question. _Let's see, what sort of symptoms have you experienced? Do you have a history of falling in love with cats from other Clans?_

"No! I'm not sure! But I am sure that being away from you hurts and I don't want you to leave me," she snapped. "What do you mean, _am I sure,_ I have no idea! You're from another mouse-brained Clan and you're a mouse-brained enemy, and I'm a fluff-head!"

Breezepaw floundered for something to say. "I'm- I don't know what to say…"

"Well maybe you could have told me if you feel the same way, but you _obviously_ don't, because you're a mouse-brained _tom_ and-" Darkpaw growled.

"Hold on, I-" Breezepaw began, but had no idea how he was going to end that particular sentence. _I love you? I didn't say that? I'm not a mouse-brained tom? I'm not sure if I love you?_ Well, he was pretty sure that he didn't love her, but he wasn't sure of how to say it.

"We're from different Clans, and we're just apprentices," he finally choked out. "You're probably just confused."

"Confused. Uhuh. That's it," she spat. "I'm confused. Thanks for nothing."

 _What am I supposed to say?_ He wailed internally. _She can't possibly_ actually _love me, besides which, it's against the warrior code, so even if I did love her-_ but he knew that if he loved her, if he loved her the way he… the way he knew he would love a cat, that wouldn't stop him from wishing they could be together no matter what the cost. _But I don't love her the way she wants me too._

Then suddenly he was unsure. _I've already figured out that I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to this kind of thing. Is what I feel actually love? Is this what my parents felt?_ And the latter only uncovered another nest of snakes. _Did my father love Oatpad?_

The torrent of emotions that came with that question finally broke his resolve.

"This is too much," he muttered. "I have to go."

And with that, he rushed away from Darkpaw, unable to face the lost look she had.

Unable to face the flood of emotions that were threatening to drown him in their depths.

 **Alrighty, so I think we're out of the rough patch, for me both in terms of schedule and the emotional rollercoaster more commonly referred to as 'puberty'.**

 **But I know that promising a regular uploading schedule is something I have been routinely awful at sticking too, so for now, I wish you all a happy Singles Awareness Day and bid you farewell until the next time the scourge of my existence allows me to write.**

 **Signing off, but hopefully not for** _ **too**_ **long,**

 **~Akila**


	61. Wave: Armillaria

**Hoo boy, working on this early because I just got quite the mammoth of a ranting review.**

 **So long time readers, feel free to ignore the response that I'd like to put here because it was a guest, so I couldn't reply directly. I felt that ignoring this wasn't right, because it isn't a flame, it's criticism, some valid, most not.**

 **RR:**

 **Guest: Alright, we're going to go point by point here. 1. You tried to read this fanfiction a few times, but couldn't get past Lightningpaw, the 'absolutely perfect daughter of Thornstar'. Right out of the gate, she's not Thornstar's daughter, she's Owlclaw's, so I'm assuming you didn't get very far. 2. You hate, sorry,** _ **loathe**_ **her because she's 'a mary-sue' and her 'traits are despicable'. I'll keep this brief. Main characters are the most important (or one of the most important) character(s) in the story. 'Mary-sues' are basically the only characters, because the other characters only exist to react to her. TEOA has four main characters, each with their own plot threads. Some mingle, many don't. Lightningpaw is not a mary-sue. Her traits are despicable? Okay, you dislike the character. Sure. A lot of the time, I dislike Lightningpaw. 3. Two toms, both from other Clans are chasing her. I can** _ **kinda**_ **see where this is coming from, and disliking inter-clan relationships as a plot point is a valid opinion, however it's not a error on my part, just your personal preference. Cliche or not, if I can make an enjoyable story out of it, then I haven't made a mistake. 4. Lightningpaw is attractive. I have a hard time seeing the problem here. People are good-looking in real life; I see no reason to ignore this fact just because insecurity is a thing. My justification for her prettiness kind of leads into your next point. 5. She ruined Breezepaw's character and it's unrealistic that he would fall for her that fast. This is just flat-out wrong. People (especially teenagers, which is the human age that the characters are currently at) fall for each other on appearances alone** _ **very**_ **frequently. If you don't believe that, I'm guessing you've never set foot into a high school. It's been almost** _ **explicitly**_ **stated within the fanfiction that at first, it was entirely infatuation. 6. You dislike her personality because she's overly friendly and girly. Personal opinion. Again, I dislike Lightningpaw all the time when I'm writing her. She's annoying as hell sometimes. But if that ruins my entire fanfiction, I bid you good day sir. 7. They fall in love too quickly. Again, infatuation, not love. 8th and final point: You want Lightningpaw to be eliminated from the fanfiction altogether. This one honestly made me snort. While many of the plot points would play out without her, she's the one who binds the main characters together and without her, Wavepaw and Breezepaw would probably interact very little. Darkpaw and Wavepaw would interact very little. And before you decry this as proving the point that she's a Mary-sue, that goes for any of the main characters. Without Wavepaw, the battle between the four Clans wouldn't have happened. Without Breezepaw, no drama with Oatpad and Cloudfall. Without Darkpaw, no… things in the future ;). And you wouldn't be the only one smiling if she died, I promise you that LOL.**

 **Anyways, I hope the message reached the intended guest.**

 **Again, apologies for the enormous block, but I really wanted to make sure I addressed that! Anyways, let's get going with Chapter 59!**

 **Disclaimer: This chapter contains Lightningpaw :P. Disclaimer two: Rude language (T rating) and reference to eating disorders.**

Chapter 59.

Wavepaw was half-way through his midday meal, a fat trout, when a voice he hadn't heard in awhile greeted him.

 _Morning,_ Pondfrost muttered weakly.

He nearly choked on the scaly bite before responding silently. _Haven't heard from you in awhile; where were you? And what was with that weird dream?_

She made a noise like air whistling through her teeth. _I'd rather not talk about that._

 _Seriously? You disappear for nearly a moon and you can't even tell me why?_ Wavepaw demanded.

 _Well… no. I can't. I'm sure you'll find out eventually, but for now…_

Wavepaw rolled his eyes, exasperated. _You're not going to disappear_ again _, are you?_

 _No, hopefully not,_ she said. _I think I've sorted out my little… problem… for the time being._

 _Sure,_ Wavepaw accepted. _Can't wait for all the fun times of you yelling at me to come back._

Pondfrost purred, but it sounded half-hearted. _I'm glad to be back._

Suddenly, a terrified cry rang over the camp.

"Snowstar!" Sheepbelly's yowl came from the leader's den. "No! It's a _sign_!"

The last yelp was particularly disturbing, but before Wavepaw even had a chance to react, the elderly medicine cat hared out of the den and stood in the middle of camp with his shaggy pelt on end.

"Snowstar is _dead_!" he growled.

"What?!" Wavepaw's cry of disbelief wasn't the only one. Cats that had previously been lounging around camp bleary-eyed suddenly snapped to attention.

"But he wasn't on his last life! He couldn't have been; he's so young!" Timberheart called out in shock.

Mistcloud stiffened from her position at the edge of camp sorting out the day's patrols. "No… he can't be dead."

The camp was bedlam for several moments, a wild-eyed Sheepbelly repeated yowling that _it was a_ _sign!_ but silence suddenly reigned as Snowstar stepped out of his den. His wounds were still present, but he walked with purpose to the middle of the camp to stand strongly in front of Sheepbelly.

"Every cat calm down. I'm not dead," he snapped. "My wounds became terribly infected, too fast for Sheepbelly to heal me and I lost a life to infection. As you can see, I'm fine now. I would appreciate it if there was no more panic about my supposed demise."

With that, a collective breath of relief was exhaled by every cat in camp, none more heavy than Mistcloud's.

Sheepbelly was still staring at Snowstar, terrified. "But Snowstar-"

"Sheepbelly, quiet," he ordered.

The medicine cat fell silent. Wavepaw noticed Pikepaw watching it with a disturbed look in his eyes.

"We should talk in my den. Mistcloud and the rest of you, carry on as normal. The Gathering is tonight, and I won't have any cat panicking over this new development," Snowstar said briskly, ushering the old tom into his den.

But as Sheepbelly slunk into the shadows of the leader's den, he shot a wide-eyed, terrified look at Wavepaw.

 _For the cat that just died, he's remarkably calm,_ Pondfrost remarked.

 _Mm,_ Wavepaw said absentmindedly, trying to puzzle out Sheepbelly's peculiarly fearful look in his direction.

"The best thing we can do for Snowstar is to carry on as normal," Mistcloud said sensibly, seeming to have recovered from her panic-attack at the prospect of taking control of RiverClan. "I'd like a border patrol on the outer border and the WindClan border please; any volunteers?"

"I'll go on the WindClan one," Cinnamonheart called out, shooting Wavepaw a questioning look.

"Me too," he said grudgingly, wishing he could just forget about this entire distressing day, even though it was only late afternoon.

"I'll go as well," Cloudfall volunteered. Wavepaw's heart sank.

"Any cat for the outer border patrol? We had a few rogue sightings the other day, I want to make sure the scents are fresh," Mistcloud said, but Wavepaw was occupied with the prospect of going on patrol with his mother and _Cinnamonheart_ of all cats.

 _StarClan, this should be funny,_ Pondfrost observed dryly, then her tone changed. _Ooh. Oh… oh my._

Wavepaw did _not_ like the sound of that, but he didn't need Pondfrost's alarming warning to tell him that a patrol with two of RiverClan's most unpleasant creatures wasn't going to be mice and moonlight.

"Let's go," Cloudfall said briskly, ushering him out of camp, Cinnamonheart right behind them.

Wavepaw made an effort to look as uninterested in conversation as possible, but Cinnamonheart was apparently undeterred.

"So Wavepaw, what do you think is up with Sheepbelly?" she asked, her tone light but an undeniable gleam of interest in her eyes.

"I dunno, probably going senile or something," he said harshly.

"Hmmm, you think? He seemed rather lucid, if a bit overexcited," Cinnamonheart mused, sounding like she was observing the weather rather than debating the mental state of one of the most important cats in the Clan.

Wavepaw shrugged, trying to send a subtle-not-subtle hint of _let's stop talking now_.

"If _is_ supposedly a sign, what do you suppose it means?" She either missed the hint - _unlikely,_ Wavepaw thought - or outright ignored it.

"I'm no medicine cat; I have no idea," Wavepaw said shortly, attempting to end the conversation.

Cinnamonheart pursed her lips, giving him an impatient look, but this time _he_ ignored _her_ look.

They reached the WindClan border after another few of Wavepaw's artful dodges of conversation attempts. Cloudfall stalked straight up to the border, but Wavepaw felt an inexplicable sinking feeling in his gut; something was wrong.

 _Here we go,_ Pondfrost muttered, anticipation curdling her tone.

"Good evening," Cloudfall called out in greeting.

 _Who's she talking to? A WindClan cat?_ Wavepaw wondered anxiously. _Oh no. This-_

But Cinnamonheart was already pushing through the patch of reeds as well, and he followed her to find… _Breezepaw? And- wait_ what _?!_

He stared across the border, finding himself face-to-face with an incredibly familiar cat, and not just because she looked nearly identical to Cinnamonheart, but because…

His train of thought was cut off when Cinnamonheart tensed beside him.

"You know her?" he muttered, and looked back to Cinnamonheart's double. "You're- you're that rogue who… who saved me."

HIs mind flashed back to a hazy memory.

...

 _"You alright?" A flash of reddish-brown loomed over him. "Wakey, wakey."_

 _His eyes fluttered open._

 _"Who- who are you?" He managed, his words muddled._

 _"Your mother," the cat snorted. "Not. It don't matter in the least, just- are you alright? Flippin' Clan cats, always fainting when they see me, weaklings. No offence. I'm not that ugly, am I?"_

 _"Sin?" He mumbled, the named alighting on his tongue when he saw the familiar bright pelt of red with darker brown tabby stripes._

 _"Sin?" She echoed. "'aven't heard that one in a while. Some memories there… nope. I don't know who you are, little silver, but you better go before the Rust gets their claws into ya."_

 _He nodded slowly, delirious._

 _"Thanks, Acornkit…"_

 _"Who?" She looked completely nonplussed by the name. "I ain't no kit. Or an acorn. Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"_

 _He lifted his tail to give her a shaky salute, and walked away._

…

"What? Uh, when?" Breezepaw's voice snapped him out of the recollection.

Cinnamonheart's double, the cat from his memory, muttered something to Breezepaw.

 _Wait, if she's on patrol… is she a WindClan cat? But she said something about Clan cats always fainting when they see her… so…_ Wavepaw's mind spun.

Pondfrost made a pained noise.

Breezepaw flicked the other cat on their patrol, a heavy-set calico and muttered something to her too, that sounded something like, "Let's go."

"There's no rush," Cinnamon purred, tilting her head slightly.

 _She's stopping them. But why?_ Unease tingled through him.

For whatever reason, Cinnamonheart's twin seemed to be immune and highly displeased. "Get. Out. Of. Here."

"I can't leave," Cinnamonheart said with a careless shrug, but her tone and smile were vicious. "And you'd know _all_ about being trapped, hmm?"

The other russet she-cat crumpled like a dead leaf, panting and wide-eyed.

"No… no…"

Cinnamonheart said nothing more, only letting a cruel smile twist her features.

Breezepaw stepped forwards in the direction of the shaking she-cat, but she only seemed to get worse. Wavepaw watched in shock as he tried to calm her, but she kept shaking her head back and forth as though trying to throw something off. They exchanged words, Breezepaw's forcedly calm tone clashing with her heavy breathing and shaking and broken speech.

And then she shot away, across the moor.

"Okay, bye," the calico murmured.

"Let's go," Breezepaw told the warrior, bumping her shoulder .

"Right, right, come on," the warrior said sleepily.

Breezepaw shot Cinnamonheart a look of pure hatred, to which the russet she-cat answered with the same vicious little smile.

"Wavepaw, Cinnamonheart, we should be on our way as well," Cloudfall said, sounding relaxed but not quite as sleepy as the WindClan calico.

Wavepaw nodded, deeply disturbed by the exchange. _Cinnamonheart's hiding something, and I'm not sure I want to know what it is. Who is that she-cat that looks so much like her?!_

Unable to restrain his curiosity, he dropped into step with Cinnamonheart and murmured in a low voice, "Who's that she-cat that looks like you?"

She gave him an appraising look. "You still haven't figured it out? She's… she's Willy's daughter. Scarlet."

Wavepaw felt like his stomach was dropping out from underneath him. "How… why is she in WindClan?"

"She's…" Cinnamonheart trailed off, frowning slightly, then relaxed. "She's on a mission for the rogues, to destroy WindClan."

He gaped at the new information. "Destroy- destroy WindClan?"

Cinnamonheart nodded, looking forlorn. "But I can't stop her. I can only try to scare her out of messing with RiverClan. She- she was unruly when she was younger, and she was a bit out of control when Willy sent her to kill cats. He finally- well, I don't want to talk about it. It's awful, but she deserved it. She killed so… so many cats."

Wavepaw's stomach twisted unpleasantly. He thought Cinnamonheart had looked rather evil when she was setting off whatever awful memories of her punishment Scarlet had, but knowing this changed his perspective.

Pondfrost sighed heavily.

"I don't know if even _she_ could destroy an entire Clan, but as long as she doesn't hurt you or RiverClan, I'm not going near her. She might act innocent, but she's _dangerous_ , ruthless like a trapped, starving fox. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away," Cinanmonheart said lowly.

He shook his head. "She sounds horrible, you don't have to convince me. But how- how did you avoid becoming just as cruel, if the circumstances of your lives were so similar?"  
He felt there was something he was missing, one piece of information he had overlooked. Something was off about her story.

"Because I wasn't a rogue. I wasn't a cold-hearted, cruel monster like the rest of them." Cinnamonheart's voice dropped until it was nothing but a breath. "Because I'm Acornkit."

Wavepaw's jaw dropped and reeled from the new information. _The little red she-kit. Her kit-blue eyes must have turned gold when she was with the rogues, and now she's finally returned to RiverClan…_

"Why haven't you told every cat?!" Wavepaw demanded.

"I'm afraid, to tell you the truth," she murmured, tracing patterns in the dirt with her tail. "Being with the rogues… it's made me into the cat I am, like as not. I held on to the knowledge that I didn't have to sink to their level, but I did such awful things, and I couldn't bear the disappointment or hatred of my true mother and brother."

Wavepaw lapsed into silence, his heart aching at the idea of Cherryfish's broken heart if she found out the rogues had corrupted her daughter to the point of murder. _It makes more sense to leave things as they are,_ he conceded. Yet he still couldn't shake the feeling of missing something.

"But… is Willy going to come after you?" Wavepaw asked.

Cinnamonheart - Acornkit? - opened and closed her jaws. "I- I don't think so. His fight is with WindClan."

He frowned slightly. The flashback he had from Cloudfall's perspective, the night of the rogue attack, the abducted kit, it just didn't make sense if Willy was only fighting with WindClan.

 _"Sparx, these cats have taken everything from us," The gray tom seemed to have forgotten Cherryfish as he advanced on his compatriot. "Benny abandoned us for that stupid old ThunderClanner, Patchy joined that ShadowClan and even fought on their side when we tried to recover him, and now we're down two cats. I'm not giving up! These Clans need to learn their place;_ below _us!"_

It didn't add up, but he couldn't find it in him to contradict Cinnamonheart after she shared such a secret with him.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he murmured instead, and they fell silent for the rest of the walk back to camp.

…

"Snowstar has requested that I lead the Clan to the Gathering to prevent any damage to his current condition," Mistcloud announced, her voice level. "He has also asked that I report the 'sign' that Sheepbelly believes to have seen. At the moment, Snowstar and Sheepbelly are discussing. Sheepbelly believes that Snowstar losing his life to infection is a sign that the Clan is rotting from the inside. However, he isn't sure of anything, so we will carry on as normal until more is known about the 'sign'."

Wavepaw thought uneasily of Sheepbelly's wild-eyed stare at him the moment before Wavepaw left for the patrol. _I'd bet a moon of dawn patrols he thinks it's me._

 _You might lose that bet,_ Pondfrost replied.

"The cats attending the Gathering will be as follows," Mistcloud announced, rattling off a long list of names that included Wavepaw and Cinnamonheart, along with Fallowspots and Cloudfall.

When Mistcloud hopped down from her perch, ending the announcement, many cats bee-lined for the fresh-kill pile, and Wavepaw joined them. The moment he had his food, he left the camp, heading for a patch of weak leaf-fall sunlight just outside the camp. Despite maturing in nearly every other way, he still couldn't shake off the nausea that greeted him whenever he heard other cats eat.

"Just leave me alone for once!" Ripplepaw's snap rang over his quiet eating place.

Wavepaw, alarmed by the aggressiveness of his sister's voice, sprang to his feet and dashed towards her voice.

He knocked into a small mossy clearing framed by reeds where a peculiar sight greeted him. It was his sisters, facing each other with lips drawn back in snarls.

"What's happening?" he demanded, worried by the level of fury in both pairs of eyes, stormy blue and furious green clashing.

Both of them turned to him at the same time and shouted something that he couldn't understand because they both spoke at the same time.

"Rrgh!" Ripplepaw snarled, storming up to Wavepaw. "She called me- she called me a slut."

Wavepaw's eyes widened, and he couldn't manage a word in the face of such an accusation against Briarpaw.

Seeing his helpless expression, Ripplepaw rolled her eyes that were rapidly filling with tears and stormed away.

"Briarpaw, what happened?" he breathed when he finally found his voice.

She was breathing hard, choppily, and when she finally turned to him he saw that her eyes were unfocused.

"So… cold," she murmured, her eyes fluttering shut, and then she finally collapsed.

"Briarpaw!" Wavepaw exclaimed in horror, rushing to his fallen sister's side.

Panic swelled inside him as he vainly latched onto her scruff and tried to pull her. With a shock like ice-cold water splashing onto him, he realized she weighed no more than a kit.

He nudged his shoulder underneath her, trying to lift her and feeling sickened by how easily it was. Her belly pressed into his back and he realized with a yelp of panic that he could feel every one of her ribs.

 _Great_ StarClan _, she's… emaciated!_

Wavepaw hurried back to camp, encumbered by his sister but emboldened by his panic-fuelled adrenaline. "Pikepaw! I need your help!"

The brown tom rushed out of the medicine den, a leaf stuck to his muzzle. "What is it? Is some cat hurt?"

"Briarpaw collapsed, and she's- she's so skinny," he breathed.

The tom's eyes widened in shock, but he quickly took control of the situation, ushering Wavepaw with Briarpaw slung over his back into the medicine den.

"Did you find her unconscious, or did she faint?" Pikepaw demanded, rolling Briarpaw carefully off of Wavepaw's back and into an empty nest. "Anything she did, or said, might help."

"She… she and Ripplepaw were arguing, but like nothing I've ever seen. It was- it was awful, and then Ripplepaw ran off-" a sob Wavepaw didn't even realize was coming choked out of him. "and then Briarpaw was breathing strangely, her eyes were unfocused and she couldn't look straight at me, and then she said that she was cold and fainted. Do you know what's wrong with her? Please, Pikepaw, she isn't going to die is she?"

With a grim expression, the tom finally said, "I know what's wrong with her. I've seen these symptoms before; it's like Sheepbelly was telling me, but it shouldn't have happened so soon… it's usually leaf-bare, when prey is scarce…"

"What is it?" Wavepaw demanded, darting another glance at the still-unconscious Briarpaw.

"She's starving," Pikepaw told him, his tone flat but his eyes panicked.

"How is that possible? We have so much prey!" Wavepaw gaped, but suddenly memories that had seemed fairly inconsequential at the time were resurfacing. _Briarpaw being absent from meals, always turning down offers to share food, belly grumbling but never eating…_

"In a circumstance like this, it's probably not because she _couldn't_ eat," Pikepaw said uneasily. "She would have done this on purpose."

 _Ripplepaw's little comments, Ripplepaw glancing disapprovingly at the size of fish that Briarpaw ate, Ripplepaw glancing pointedly at Briarpaw's belly…_

Wavepaw felt like he was going to be sick. _This is Ripplepaw's fault, isn't it…_

"How do we fix it?" Wavepaw demanded.

"At the moment, we need to get her something eat when she wakes up, even if she isn't hungry," Pikepaw said decisively.

"How could she not be hungry?" His voice cracked.

"It's another effect, if a cat doesn't eat for long enough they stop feeling hungry," Pikepaw said somberly. "But it's vital she gets food before she actually starves to death."  
"How are we supposed to fix things long-term?" he asked nervously, already afraid he knew the answer.

"First, some cat always needs to be watching when she's eating. We also need to find out _why_ she's doing it, and fix the problem," Pikepaw responded.

Wavepaw felt his heart sink. _Ripplepaw. It's Ripplepaw._

…

By the time the sun set, Briarpaw still hadn't woken up, but Pikepaw had requested permission to stay behind and watch over her.

Wavepaw still felt the out-of-control, helpless feeling of before, but could at least reassure himself that she was in the paws of a medicine cat apprentice who cared deeply about her.

The silver tom-cat walked to the island in the cluster of his Clanmates, but had still never felt so alone. _Briarpaw…_ he thought helplessly, her collapse replaying in his mind over and over again.

 _You can't do anything to help her._ He had never heard Pondfrost sound so sorrowful. _I can promise you she makes it through alive, but there will be consequences that reach far. For now, try not to think about it too much. If you fall into a guilt spiral again, you'll be useless to every cat, including Briarpaw, who will need your support in the future._

He nodded to himself, sighing heavily. _I guess there's no use in worrying when I can't help yet._ But his fears and anxiety were not so easily brushed off and worry churned in his stomach.

When he finally reached the log bridge, he realized it seemed much shorter than the last time he had been there. _I guess things have changed more than I expected._

He realized after he crossed that the clearing was full, the other Clans already having arrived. Mistcloud leaped up onto the Great tree, looking like she belonged there amidst the other leaders and greeted Redstar respectfully.

As the leaders began their announcements, Wavepaw threaded through the gathered cats, searching for Lightningpaw. His heart ached, and he was praying that a quick conversation might help.

When he finally spotted her, he realized that he knew who she was talking to. _I guess Darkpaw's better at that inter-Clan friendship thing than I am…_ The two seemed to be getting on fine, but not exactly locked in a deep conversation and Wavepaw felt no remorse butting in.

"Darkpaw," he greeted the tortoise-shell and white apprentice first.

"Hello Wavepaw," she replied, lifting her chin in a slightly challenging motion.

"Hi Wavepaw!" Lightningpaw said cheerfully.

A smile broke over his face at her tone, but his gaze flicked to Darkpaw before turning back to Lightningpaw. "Can we talk in private?"

"Oh! Uh, sure, I guess," she stammered, moving away from Darkpaw.

 _Finally a moment alone_ , he thought, relieved. The mere sight of her had eased the tightness in his chest a little and his voice was gone for a few moments.

"So I see you and Darkpaw are getting along now," he eventually observed.

"Uh, yeah? Why?" A little frown showed on her face, but she relaxed soon after.

 _Try asking her about the sign that Sheepbelly supposedly saw,_ Pondfrost muttered.

"Er… no reason," he said noncommittally. "Um, I just- a thing is sort of happening, and I don't really… I don't want to talk about this stuff with cats in _my_ Clan."

Lightningpaw nodded slowly, but didn't seem to quite understand what he meant. "What stuff?"

"You heard Mistcloud's announcement?" he asked in a low voice. "About Snowstar?"

"Yeah? He lost a life, right?"

"He did, it's just, Sheepbelly thinks it might be more than that," Wavepaw muttered.

"More than one life?" Lightningpaw squinted at him, incomprehension in her eyes. "Like, he might lose more lives?"

"No… like him losing a life might be _more_ than just an unfortunate side-effect of the battle," Wavepaw said softly, not meeting her eyes. "Like it might be a sign."

She sat down heavily, looking perplexed. "Well, I'm no medicine cat, but if him losing a life really was a sign, I don't think that's a good one."

Wavepaw purred dryly. "Indeed. Sheepbelly yowled something about RiverClan being rotten from the inside… but… I don't know. Maybe he's senile."

"Well… of all the interpretations, that doesn't seem that far-fetched," Lightningpaw pointed out. "I don't know what 'rotten' would entail though. Have you noticed any of your Clanmates acting weird?"

"Yeah, but for different reasons. The only possible reason that I could think of-" Wavepaw abruptly cut off his own explanation as he suddenly felt a presence. _Oh no..._

"Is any cat sitting here?" Cinnamonheart asked sweetly.

She sat before either of them answered. Lightningpaw stared openly at her, and Wavepaw fought back a growl that was creeping into his throat. _I know she just told me a secret really important to her, but does she seriously have to butt into the only time I ever get with Lightningpaw?_

"Cinnamonheart," he said, a hint of a growl creeping into his voice.

She gave him a reproachful look, then turned to Lightningpaw, who stared back, apparently hypnotized by the golden eyes.

"So who's this?" Cinnamonheart murmured to Wavepaw right as Lightningpaw said, "Hi, I'm Lightningpaw."

The dark brown she-cat giggled a little. "I guess that answers your question."

Slowly, Cinnamonheart tilted her head from one side then to the other. Sizing her up. "Hm."

 _This isn't good._ A chill of foreboding ran over him. _Even if she's changed, I don't want Lightningpaw hanging around her._

Lightningpaw lowered her gaze. "Maybe… maybe I should, um, I should go-"

"No, stay. Cinnamonheart, knock it off. I'm extending it to her too." Wavepaw glared at her. _Stop using whatever you do on Lightningpaw._

Cinnamonheart sucked air through her teeth. "Mm, if you say so. You're no fun."

She flicked her tail and Wavepaw felt the change in the air.

"What in StarClan's name…" she began.

"Don't worry about it," Cinnamonheart ordered.

Lightningpaw nodded, squinting.

"I said knock it off!" Wavepaw snapped, impatience with the former rogue running through him.

"C'mon, just enough to make her not ask too many questions?" Cinnamonheart asked like a chided kit with a heavy sigh.

He weighed his options, then finally caved. "Okay, fine. But don't give her a reason to."

The reddish she-cat nodded with an innocent smile that Wavepaw didn't trust at all.

He stared her down, trying to communicate, _can you leave us please?_

Her answering smile seemed to say, _oh, but it's so fun._

One scowl from him later, and she shrugged and strolled away.

Wavepaw watched her go, frustrated. Finally, as she disappeared back into the crowd of cats, he turned back to Lightningpaw.

"So, uh, anyways," he grunted. "Before Cinnamonheart showed up, I wanted to ask you about the leadership in ThunderClan."

"What about it?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Well, you know about Snowstar," Wavepaw began carefully. "I just wanted to know if your medicine cat has ever thought-"

Anticipating his question, she replied, "No. Not to my knowledge."

Wavepaw nodded and rocked back on his paws, looking contemplative. _I need to steer this conversation back to_ us _._ "Do you think I have a chance of ever being leader?"

Lightningpaw's eyes widened. "Where did that come from?  
"I dunno. Just thinking. You seem like you'd be the kind to get that sort of thing," he said evasively, offering a smile. "I just wanted to get a second opinion."

"Well, I don't know how you fish-faces pick your leaders, but I assume it's probably something like whose scales are prettiest," Lightningpaw teased.

He was confused, then registered that she was joking. "Haha, very funny."

"Thank you, I know I am," she replied. "But seriously, I don't know what Snowstar would value in a deputy, so I really couldn't say. But you're brave, and loyal, and… I don't know, a good cat I guess."

The comment made Wavepaw feel like he was floating. _She thinks I'm brave and loyal, and a good cat._

"Careful, the size of that ego will give you back pain," she warned him with an innocent smile.

He frowned at her playfully, his teasing belied by his pounding heart. "Well that's not very nice."

"Fine. What I meant was, I think you'd be a good leader, I just have no idea how RiverClan cats get there," she supplied. "But good luck, I guess. Maybe I'll see you up on that tree one day."

"I'll meet you there," he replied instantly, knowing her ambition well enough at this point.

Lightningpaw simply regarded him with amusement and a note of curiosity.

"Well, looks like things are wrapping up. Guess I'd better get going," she said softly.

He kept her gaze for another moment, wanting to protest, but he just shrugged. "Alright. I'll see you next moon, if you haven't been exiled for trying to take over ThunderClan."

" _Pfft_ ," she snickered. "Yeah right. We'll see."

A little sense of loss permeated his bubble of happiness as she left, but not enough to stop the feeling of floating across the ground.

 _Why don't you go talk to Darkpaw?_ Pondfrost suggested. _See how she's getting on with Lightningpaw. Maybe find out what they were talking about._

 _Maybe they were talking about me,_ Wavepaw pondered giddily.

 _Great StarClan, one compliment from a pretty she-cat and his ego's swelled to the size of the lake,_ Pondfrost observed sarcastically, but without any real edge behind her words.

 _Alright, alright,_ he snorted, _I get it._

Caving to Pondfrost's recommendation, he looked around for Darkpaw, but she'd disappeared over the course of his conversation with Lightningpaw. Sighing, he stepped over to the ShadowClan side of the island and searched for the tiny tortoise-shell and white apprentice she-cat.

Instead, he spotted a confusingly familiar pelt. _Is that Oatpad? No… she drowned. I know she did. I saw her._

The she-cat tilted her head back in a laugh, and Wavepaw realized with an icy shock that it wasn't Oatpad, simply a she-cat that looked very much like her. But in terms of her face, it reminded him more of someone else.

He walked closer, trying to place the niggling feeling in the back of his mind. Moving around to see her profile, he jumped slightly when he saw who the she-cat was talking to.

 _Is that- no. Wait, what is_ going on _?! How-_ The cat that not-Oatpad was talking to was practically she-cat-Breezepaw. _The clones are everywhere!_

 _Try talking to them,_ Pondfrost suggested. _Figure out what's going on._

 _Alright,_ Wavepaw agreed, shrugging. _Nothing to lose, I suppose._

"Good evening," he said brightly, knowing that creepiness in his own introductions was something he struggled with sometimes.

"Oh! Hello," the Breezepaw-she-cat greeted him with a wide smile.

"I'm Wavepaw," he introduced himself.

"I'm Leopardheart, and this is Lionpaw," not-Oatpad said, flicking her tail at she-Breezepaw.

"Are you two from WindClan?" he asked, the scent of WindClan mingling into the cloud of ShadowClan that surrounded them.

"No, I'm ShadowClan," Lionpaw corrected him.

 _Oh, they're from different Clans,_ he realized, then registered that he had assumed they were littermates. Though they had different patterned pelts, the general shade was similar and though they had different colours of eyes, green and gold, Leopardheart's green eyes had speckles of gold in them. _Nevermind._

"Mm," he said absentmindedly. "Er, how are your Clans then?"  
"WindClan is fine," Leopardheart said proudly. "We recovered pretty quickly from the battle."

"ShadowClan as well," Lionpaw nodded.

"That's- that's good," he said awkwardly. "Even though Snowstar lost a life, he's fine now."

"Mm, I heard about that," Lionpaw said sympathetically and Leopardheart's eyes sparked with interest.

"Do you think he'll have recovered in a half-moon like Mistcloud said?" Leopardheart said, a little leadingly. "I know leaders sometimes embellish to sound strong."

Wavepaw chuckled nervously. "Well, then I would be embellishing too, however Snowstar _will_ be fine, he was the one who had to calm down the Clan when Sheepbelly freaked out over-"

"Over…" Lionpaw narrowed her eyes.

"Over Snowstar losing a life," Wavepaw covered his slip-up quickly, not wanting to share the news of the supposed 'sign' that Sheepbelly received with potential enemies.

"Mm," Leopardheart nodded, but there was a gleam of ambitious interest in her green and gold flecked eyes.

"Wavepaw!" It was Fallowspots, stalking over to him, green eyes blazing. "The Gathering's over! RiverClan is leaving!"

He sounded unreasonably angry, making Wavepaw immediately unsettled.

"What? Um-" Wavepaw tried to ask about his tone, but Fallowspots leaned over and sank his teeth into his son's scruff immediately and dragged him away from the two she-cats.

 _What in the name of StarClan?!_ Wavepaw demanded internally, floored beyond words at the audacity of his father to drag him away like a kit. They were practically the same size.

When his voice finally came back, he managed, "What are you doing?!"

"Hurry up!" Fallowspots snapped when Wavepaw finally wriggled out of his grasp.

The silver apprentice was utterly perplexed by his father's strange behaviour, but the moment they got about ten fox-lengths away from the two she-cats, Fallowspots visibly relaxed.

"Are we ready to go?" Cloudfall appeared suddenly by their side with a bright smile.

"Yes dear," Fallowspots said weakly.

Wavepaw frowned, glancing from one to the other in confusion.

Cloudfall nodded once, glancing back across the island at Lionpaw and Leopardheart, who had fallen back into easy conversation without Wavepaw's awkward attempts.

 _That was a close one,_ Pondfrost sighed.

 **Well well well, done a day early. Look at that, I think I spotted some motivation far off on the horizon! Anyways, since we haven't done one in awhile, QOTC: Why was Fallowspots so eager to rush Wavepaw back to Cloudfall?**

 **See you next week (maybe…)**

 **~Pondfrost, back in business and back in Wavepaw's head.**


	62. Dark: Told Him

**Shapitter 60 is upon us. Lil miss Darkie's time to shine.**

 **And I sorta missed the whole hitting 600 reviews things, and next thing I know we're nearly at 630, so holy cannoli people, bringing the heat. I love you all.**

 **Can I just say that Ripple and Darkpaw's dynamic is quickly becoming one of the most delightful things to write in this entire fanfiction.**

Chapter 60.

The nightmares were back.

After the lashing waters of the battle had calmed, her own anxiety and fears had crept back up to enclose her in their claws. Even after finally coming face to face with Poppyseed, she still couldn't lock away the fears inside, and every time she closed her eyes…

"How could you?!" The giant gray she-cat loomed in front of her, hissing and spitting furiously. "You ruined everything! I hate you! I wish you'd never been born!"

"I'm sorry!" she whispered vainly, her voice inside the dream strangled and quieted. She needed to scream, to let it out, but it stayed locked inside. "I'm sorry!"

And then all five of her siblings, her littermates, staring at her with hatred. "Your fault. We could have lived. You stole it all from us."

"No!" she panted, short of breath. "No!"  
Her dead family loomed around her, when suddenly, a flash of darkness erupted out of Darkpaw, lashing through the ghosts of her past.

And as they were flung back, the darkness formed a cat's shape, slightly larger than Darkpaw but small in stature with lithe, thin limbs and black and ginger mottled fur. Her amber eyes glowed with anger, and when she spoke, Darkpaw could hear her own voice but changed somehow, darker and deeper.

"Get _away from my daughter_."

Darkpaw jerked backwards from who she now realized to be Poppyseed.

"Mother," she whispered, and the tortoise-shell she-cat turned to her.

Her lighter amber eyes glistened with tears but she managed a smile. The moment their eyes met, Darkpaw collapsed and the dream was torn away from her.

But not before she heard her mother's last words to her.

"Embrace the darkness, my love. It will lead you out of this cruel world."

And then the same absolute blackness crashed over her like a windy night's waves and she knew no more.

…

When she woke, the sun hadn't risen yet.

She padded quietly out of the apprentice's den, not disturbing the softly rising and falling flanks of her fellow apprentices, and sat in the middle of the camp, savouring the last moments of the night. Peace washed over her slowly, soaking away the last pieces of the nightmare.

Darkpaw surveyed the camp. This early in the morning, no cat had woken. She could scent Rattail standing guard a little ways outside of camp, posted after Ivystar decided the Clan would fight back if the rogues came after them. The echoes of Maplenose's death had sobered the Clan, and Patchy rarely left his den.

The faint scents of the midnight patrol still hung in the air, but they had come and gone awhile ago. Darkpaw had the camp to herself.

She breathed deeply, feeling the shadowy peace fill her. _Embrace the darkness, my love. It will lead you out of this cruel world._ Her mother's final words to her echoed quietly, resonating with the calm inside her.

For once, she felt as though everything hung correctly, placed perfectly in this landscape of shadow and-

 _Goooooood MORNING!_ Ripple exclaimed, yawning theatrically.

With a heavy sigh, she remembered she didn't _exactly_ have the Clan to herself.

Ripple let out a long-suffering sigh. _Why in the name of He- StarClan did I get the_ ShadowClan _one? This is just cruelty._

 _Huh?_ Confusion muddled her at the peculiar comment.

 _Why would you get up so early without being dragged out by your tail?_ He demanded.

 _Uh, I like the night,_ she answered, perplexed.

He let out the same whistling sigh, and she felt instinctively he would be rolling his eyes if she could see him. _There is no mercy in this world. I can't sleep when you're awake, you know._

 _I didn't know you slept,_ Darkpaw muttered.

 _Well, I certainly don't sleep when you wake up before the crack of dawn to reflect morosely on the state of your life,_ Ripple grunted acerbically.

She sighed back at him.

"Good morning," a voice suddenly greeted her.

Darkpaw turned to see Feathermist, Mudpaw's mentor. She dipped her head grudgingly, a little peeved at losing the solitude of the last moments of the night to company.

"It's not exactly the morning yet," she commented with a little shrug.

"You're right," she said agreeably. "But I think it's a rather nice time to be awake nonetheless. Everything is quiet and calm."

 _Well, everything_ was _calm until you showed up,_ Darkpaw thought to herself.

 _Are you talking about me or her?_ Ripple asked, amused.

 _Both. I don't know,_ she sniped back.

"Mmm," Darkpaw mumbled, turning her gaze back to the silence of ShadowClan territory. The faintest line of sickly yellow had appeared on the horizon; the sun was coming up.

"I'm actually pleased we have a moment to talk, though," Feathermist murmured, not looking directly at Darkpaw, but instead following her gaze into the trees.

"Really?" Interest lit in Darkpaw. _What could she want to talk about with me? I'm just an apprentice._

 _She's barely a warrior,_ Ripple countered. _If you don't count Rattail and Pineleaf, the youngest in the Clan._

"It's about my apprentice," Feathermist confided.

"Oh." Darkpaw rocked back on her paws. She was surprised, and then she wasn't. _Well, I'm Duskpaw's friend and she's Duskpaw's mentor, so it kind of makes sense._

"I'm having trouble…" here she paused, seeming to carefully be phrasing her words. "Connecting. She's… she seems to be very disinterested in practice, and I know she could do better but she just doesn't try! I don't know what to do for her, but I don't want to push her. I'm worried that she's anxious about reopening her wounds, but I know there are things she can practice that won't threaten another relapse. I know you're her friend, and I was wondering if there was anything I could do to motivate her, or if you could talk to her or something..."

Darkpaw absorbed that. It wasn't news to her that Mudpaw wasn't trying, but she felt guilty all the same.

"Well…" she started. "Um… she… she's kind of not doing great after she was attacked, but also her father dying put her in a weird spot… and I'm sure you're doing your best. But I could talk to her, I guess…"

"Thank you, Darkpaw. I just want to see Mudpaw succeed," Feathermist said gratefully, and in a flash, Darkpaw realized what she could do.

"There's one thing you could do," Darkpaw said suddenly. "Her name… well, I don't think it's much of a secret that Quailwing favours Poolpaw over her sister, but _Mudpaw_ is just a reminder for her. She doesn't want to be called that and she picked Duskpaw instead."

Feathermist's eyes widened slightly in confusion, then she shrugged. "If it'll make her more comfortable with me, then I'd be happy to call her Duskpaw instead."

Darkpaw cracked a smile. _Of course, Duskpaw will know it was me who told Feathermist, but all the same…_

"Duskpaw," Feathermist tested out loud, then nodded. "Good. I'm glad. Thank you for your help, Darkpaw."

The apprentice nodded, casting her gaze out to the horizon to watch the sliver of weak light grow into the ball of luminescence and illuminate the land as it travelled up the sky.

Ripple sighed heavily, but instead of sounding drained and exhausted as he had moments before, he seemed more invigorated, more energized.

The camp slowly began to fill as cats crept out of their dens, yawning hellos to each other. Darkpaw felt a quiet sense of loss at the disruption of the absolute silence that had hung over the world as everything slept, but she knew that the night would return soon enough.

 _You won't have your 'absolute silence' for another night though, it's the Gathering tonight,_ Ripple pointed out.

Darkpaw breathed a heavy sigh, the prospect of seeing Lightningpaw, Breezepaw, and Wavepaw again exhausting her already. _Don't be like that,_ Ripple chided. _You'll regret it later._

Ignoring him, she made her way over to Wildwind as he plodded out of the warrior's den, his amber eyes still glazed with sleep.

"Training today?" she asked eagerly.

"I think Ivystar and Ravenwing are pulling another crazy joint training activity," Wildwind said, sighing heavily. "They're making it some kind of tradition for each moon."

"Oh." Darkpaw blinked. "Cool! They're kind of fun."

"Glad you think so," he said grouchily.

 _I wonder if Duskpaw's going to participate,_ she pondered. _Maybe Feathermist can convince her this time. I really hope so, it won't be half as fun without her._

Just as she thought that, she saw Feathermist duck into the medicine den. She squeezed her eyes shut and sent a quick prayer to StarClan that Feathermist would convince her.

"Clanmates!" Ivystar called. "Mentors and apprentices, please gather beneath the Clanrock."

Darkpaw's paws itched with excitement for the training exercise and she hurried to sit beneath Ivystar's vantage point. She spotted Feathermist emerging from the medicine den with a slightly less sullen-looking Mudpaw behind her.

"As you may or may not have been informed, Ravenwing and I have decided that to keep our loyalty strong and our clawtips sharp, we will be establishing a routine of joint training sessions every full moon. The best performing apprentices will be rewarded with Gathering attendance to incentivize effort," Ivystar announced. "All apprentices and mentors please gather by the tall-pine."

Darkpaw shifted her paws eagerly and glanced at Wildwind for the okay. He gave her a sharp nod and Darkpaw hopped to her feet and rushed out of camp, already slightly behind the swarm.

By the time all the mentors and apprentices had gathered at the tall-pine, the sun had already reached the treetops, though it hadn't passed the tip of the enormous pine that served as a training ground for young ShadowClanners.

Ravenwing stood atop the large boulder nearby the colossal pine. The glossy black tom waited until the whole group had amassed underneath it and then called for attention.

"Welcome, every cat, to the newest tradition in ShadowClan to attune and refine our skills and raise a generation of strong, proud warriors!" Ravenwing called out, inciting cheers from the crowd. "Today, to determine the attendees of the Gathering, we will be doing an exercise in border patrols."

Mudpaw ambled over to Darkpaw, Feathermist shuffling closer as well.

"Here's how it'll work," Ivystar said, hopping up beside him. "We will have two Clans, MentorClan and ApprenticeClan to keep things simple. MentorClan will be the patrol that comes to ShadowClan's border, and ApprenticeClan will confront them. Ravenwing and I will give MentorClan an assignment and it will be ApprenticeClan's duty to find out what it is and how to approach the situation."

Darkpaw narrowed her eyes in interest.

 _StarClan, these young cats with their fancy plans and complicated training exercises,_ Ripple sniffed derisively.

 _So you're older than Ivystar,_ Darkpaw observed sharply, feeling smugly pleased at unraveling more of the Ripple puzzle.

 _In some ways. Some of me is older than others,_ he said mysteriously, his own smugness crashing against hers until there was barely room for both of their egos.

 _Oh be quiet, I can't hear Ravenwing,_ she said irritably.

"ApprenticeClan, your border will be the ring of trees around the clearing, to keep things simple," Ivystar announced. "Mentors, please head over to the elderflower bush to hear your mission."

Feathermist gave Mudpaw a hopeful grin, and Mudpaw cricked her mouth up in a half smile. Looking pleased, Feathermist darted away to follow the mentors. Darkpaw blinked, suddenly realizing awkwardly that Feathermist really wasn't all that removed from herself.

Though the she-cat was a warrior, she had similar mannerisms and reactions and Darkpaw felt she could understand the silver she-cat rather well. She side-eyed Mudpaw and found the brown she-cat eyeing her, looking amused.

"You told her?" The cryptic wording was enough for Darkpaw's smirk to finally fight past her defenses and appear in full glory on her face.

"Yeah, I figured she should know if she's going to spend that much time with you."

The teasing grin faded and Mudpaw's green eyes were filled with more emotion than Darkpaw was ready to deal with. "I'm glad. Thank you."

"No problem, deputy," she joked, bumping the other apprentice's shoulder, uncomfortably aware at her own inability to hang onto serious emotions without needing to immediately break any hint of tension.

Mudpaw shook her head, looking amused but still deeply grateful.

Feeling a little lighter on her paws, Darkpaw turned her attention back to the rock were Ivystar stood, alone now that Ravenwing had left with the mentors.

"ApprenticeClan, your patrol will be lead by…" Ivystar's gaze wandered over Mudpaw, Poolpaw, Primrosepaw, Olivepaw, Robinpaw, Darkpaw, and Lionpaw, finally landing on the latter golden and black she-cat. "Lionpaw."

 _Of course,_ Darkpaw grumbled internally.

 _You're really surprised about that?_ Ripple asked. _Don't you remember what I told you about Ivystar never having a mate and Lionpaw being the daughter she never had?  
It's still stupid; she shouldn't get special treatment,_ Darkpaw mumbled petulantly.

 _Well_ some _cat has to lead the patrol._

 _I know_ that _,_ Darkpaw snipped. _I just don't see why it shouldn't be me._

 _Of course,_ he snorted. _Ambitious as always. Of course, I can't exactly fault you on that, mouse calling shrew, yadda yadda._

 _Sorry,_ what _?!_ Darkpaw couldn't restrain a snort of amused confusion at his straight-faced nonsense.

"Alright apprentices," Ravenwing announced, strolling back into the clearing. "MentorClan is ready, are you?"

Lionpaw stepped forwards proudly. "Yes, we are."

 _She doesn't speak for all of us,_ Darkpaw grunted.

 _But you're ready…_ Ripple pointed out.

 _Irrelevant,_ she snorted.

Ripple had another long-suffering sigh as 'ApprenticeClan' gathered by the 'border'.

Lionpaw stood right on it with the rest of them crowded up behind her, and they all waited as the 'MentorClan' finally arrived at the border.

"Stop!" Lionpaw said dramatically, Darkpaw cringing in the background. "What is your business here?"

 _Not even remotely likely to be how you'd greet an actual enemy patrol,_ Darkpaw hissed inwardly, but tried to focus on Lionpaw's leadership and figure out the best way to insert herself in and impress Ivystar.

"We need to speak to the leader of your Clan," Wildwind said gruffly, looking rather embarrassed to be the centre of the attention.

"For what reason?" Primrosepaw demanded, stepping up to stand next to Lionpaw.

"We have an offer," Foxwhisker said.

"Of what nature?" Darkpaw queried, leaping into the action.

"As you know, it's been a hard season," Voleheart, Robinpaw's new mentor after Mousepelt died, said. "And our Clan would like to open the possibility of an allegiance."

"What kind of allegiance?" Darkpaw grilled, Primrosepaw shooting her a look that she completely missed.

"To form against the other Clans, LeaderClan and MedicineCatClan," Feathermist giggled, then quickly schooled her features into a more responsible look. "Well, that is, against all the challenges the world throws at us."

Darkpaw frowned slightly. _Now I don't have much experience with the other Clans outside of Gatherings, but… um… that doesn't really sound true._

 _Maybe that's the challenge,_ Ripple suggested flippantly. _You have to realize it's a sham and they're going to lure you into their eeeeevil clutches!_

Darkpaw did her very best to project the sentiment behind eye-rolling _at_ Ripple cosmically.

"Why all of a sudden?" Mudpaw demanded suspiciously.

 _Yeah, exactly,_ Darkpaw thought in agreement.

"Well, we'd need something in return of course," Foxwhisker said slyly, her straight face much better than Wildwind's. "As Voleheart said, it's been a hard season. And the Clans' largest supply of catmint is on your territory. In exchange for enough to heal our Clan, we'll join in an alliance with your Clan."

Something about this exchange rang hollow in Darkpaw's mind, but Lionpaw was already nodding cheerfully.

"Sounds like a great trade! We help you, you help us!"

It wasn't just her sister's optimism that felt out of place to her in that moment. _But… this exchange…_ she frowned slightly, concentrating. _We give them our catnip, they give us their loyalty. Is it that I don't trust them? No… that's not it… it's more basic than that. OH!_ It hit her like lightning.

"Good job, Lionpaw, and the rest of you," Ravenwing announced. "That was just a starter excer-"

"Why?!" Darkpaw burst out.

Ravenwing's head swivelled around to stare at her. "Excuse me? Darkpaw?"

"Um… sorry, I just- I think I figured it out," she explained quickly.

"Figure it out? What do you mean? The exercise is over."

"No, I see the trick!" she said, excited to have cracked it. "There's no reason we'd need an allegiance. We're not getting anything out of it if we don't have a reason to need help. And they get the catmint, but we just get a vague promise, so-" her explanation was cut off as Ravenwing frowned.

"That wasn't a _trick_ Darkpaw, that was just supposed to be assumed. Getting them as an ally is a good thing, and so-"

For the second time that day, Darkpaw interrupted the deputy. "But it's not good if we have to give something up just to get something we don't even need."

"It was _assumed_ that you needed their alliance," Ravenwing said, exasperated.

"Well, wait a moment," Wildwind intervened, stepping forwards. "I think it was very smart to realize that. And assuming things isn't always the best path to take, Ravenwing, you know that. Darkpaw did well."

Though confusion still swirled in her from the revelation that _her_ revelation wasn't something Ravenwing had cleverly hid intentionally, she was pleased at Wildwind defending her.

However, it looked as though Ravenwing was on the verge of pulling rank and telling Wildwind to be quiet. At the last moment, Ivystar stepped in.

"Congratulations, every cat, that went well," she said firmly. "Lionpaw, you led exceptionally well, showing great leadership and decision making. Mudpaw and Primrosepaw, you did well as well. Darkpaw, although you were wrong about Ravenwing's intentions and the exercise as a whole, it was… perceptive of you to notice that discrepancy."

Wildwind pursed his lips but said nothing. Darkpaw felt a stab of irritation at Ivystar's glowing praise of Lionpaw despite her sister's limited role in finding out what was going on. _This was the dumbest exercise ever! It wasn't even hard; I thought there was going to be a trick or something, but it was just_ talking _for like two heartbeats!_ Darkpaw thought, irritated.

"You four will all be going to the Gathering tonight. The rest of you, the medicine den and the queens need fresh moss. Pineleaf's kits will be coming soon, and things need to be clean and fresh," Ivystar ordered, her eyes unflinching as she spoke of the kits.

 _Are you sure about that Lionpaw thing?_ Darkpaw demanded to Ripple. _She doesn't exactly seem like the sentimental sort._

 _I'm shrugging,_ he informed her after a beat of silence. _I'm not_ certain _, I'm just fairly sure. What's up there doesn't_ exactly _fall in line with the usual 'longing for motherhood' thing, but there's that sort of mix of pity and wishing, hopeful determination. I've seen it before. It's that, or something about maybe seeing herself in Lionpaw._

 _That could be it, with her giving Lionpaw all the leadership stuff and all,_ Darkpaw grumbled sourly.

 _A mix of both, if I had to guess,_ Ripple determined.

"Let's head back to camp," Mudpaw said, nudging Darkpaw's shoulder.

"Right, right," she agreed, snapping back to the real world. "Let's go then."

"Good job on getting to go to the Gathering," Mudpaw offered in way of conversation. "I didn't think Ravenwing would let you go after you exposed his bad set-up like that."

Darkpaw's fur heated up. _I was just being dumb, seeing things that weren't really there._ "Uh… well, I guess. It's a good thing Ivystar has final say on who goes to the Gathering."

"Yeah." They lapsed back into silence the rest of the way to camp.

As they reached the entrance, Mudpaw split off to go help Robinpaw with the moss. With a knowing smirk, Darkpaw assured her friend that she didn't need to be included. Mudpaw seemed all too eager to rush off and spend some time with Robinpaw, so Darkpaw simply hooked a frog out of the pile of prey and retreated to her den to gnaw on it.

Though it was cold and a little slimier than she preferred, it wasn't long before she'd finished it off and dozed off.

…

 _Tell him._

 _Tell him._

 _Tell him._

 _It was a tom's voice, rich and low, and unquestionably an order. Darkpaw, in the moment, wasn't certain whom he was addressing, but something in her gut told her instinctively that it was her. The meaning was similarly murky, yet the same tugging primal guess was leaning her towards confessing her feelings to Breezepaw._

 _Tell him._

 _It resonated deeply within her, past the simple, trivial botherings of flesh and her mortal body, straight to what she could only describe as her soul. The purified, simplest form of what was nothing more and nothing less than_ her _._

 _Tell him._

 _Perhaps she should heed this voice. Yes, that sounded like a good idea. This voice sounded incredibly trustworthy and charismatic, and it wouldn't lead her astray, would it? Besides, telling him the truth about the depth of her emotions could only lead to improvement in their relationship. Surely._

 _Wake now and go onwards, he commanded_

 _The thought of disobeying never crossed her mind._

…

The first thing she heard after blinking open her eyes was Ripple's incredibly theatrical yawning.

 _Thank_ StarClan _you decided to have a nap, or I may have collapsed!_ he announced.

The dream still ringing in her mind, she ignored his usual silliness and cut straight to the chase. _Ripple, do you think I should tell Breezepaw?_

 _Tell him what?_ he asked innocently, but something that sounded vaguely like a hiccup caught him mid-question. _Ooh, ooh ooh ooh,_ he clucked, sounding like a queen reprimanding her kits, but there was an undercurrent of something so peculiar she almost didn't recognize it. But it was unmistakable; terror. Terror old, and deeply buried at that, but all the same.

 _What?_ she demanded.

 _You haven't been having peculiar dreams, have you?_ he asked, making less of an attempt to veil his fear.

She frowned slightly, trying to recall her dream. The words, the _voice_ was as clear as an undisturbed stream, but what had she seen? It was so hazy, so foreign. The only thing she could pinpoint, the only thing she knew she had seen, certainly…

Two glowing stars, bright and piercing, like eyes. And the ghostly outline of a powerful tom.

 _Like what?_ she asked, the strange situation doing nothing to detract her pleasure at finally having something to hang over Ripple.

 _I will shoot straight with you,_ he said darkly. _If you ever have a dream about a tom that is more brightly coloured than any flower you've ever seen, that radiates a power and force of personality that instinctively makes you want to bend to his will, and no eyes, only stars,_ do not trust him. _I cannot even begin to describe to you how dangerous that tom is. You_ cannot _give him any leeway into your mind, or it will never be your own again._

The force of his tone shook Darkpaw, but something rose defensively inside her. She could make her own decisions about who was and wasn't trustworthy. _Well, who's to say that you're not the one that's tricking me?_

 _I- one day you'll understand, but that day isn't today. It can't be,_ he said, sounding a little hopeless. _But you_ have _to believe me._

 _I don't have to do anything,_ she snapped back.

 _Darkpaw. Listen to me, because I don't know how long I have,_ he said desperately. _Do_ not _make the choice I made, because no choice you ever make again will be yours. You will second guess everything, wondering if it's your own choice or if he has planned it out to suit him._

 _Who's_ he _?!_ Darkpaw demanded.

 _Don't tell Breezepaw how you-_ and he was cut off. She heard a noise like retching or choking, then silence.

 _Ripple?! Ripple?!_ she called out in her mind, but whatever presence she had ever been able to sense was gone. Then suddenly,

 _Nevermind._ He was back, and Darkpaw breathed a sigh of relief. _Look, sorry, sometimes I get a little bit paranoid. I have a weird problem, since I was a kit, but you don't have to worry about it. I'm totally fine, and you should tell him._

His last two words resonated, not only in Darkpaw's memory of the dream, but even further. They carried the same weight as the mysterious dream-tom's. _I should tell him._

 _It will work,_ he promised.

 _It will,_ she agreed.

"Clanmates! Gather to hear my words," Ivystar called. "The cats going to Gathering tonight will be as follows."

As she began to rattle off the list, Darkpaw tuned out. _I wonder if I'll ever be the one up there listing the names for the Gathering._

 _If you do it right,_ Ripple promised, sounding amused and vaguely wistful.

…

The moon was still low in the sky when the ShadowClan Gathering patrol set out.

Darkpaw felt the familiar energy buzzing beneath her skin, but it was from more than just the night. The fruits of what the night could bring had her equally antsy. _What will he say? What will he do? Am I doing the right thing?_

 _Yes,_ Ripple assured her. _The code was made to be broken._

 _Are you sure?_ Just the mention of all the rules she was breaking sent a buzz down her spine. _What if I get exiled._

 _Psh, no one's been exiled for hundreds of moons,_ Ripple told her. _Firestar the great's best friend took a mate from another Clan, and he's nearly as famous as the Fire of ThunderClan himself._

 _That's true,_ Darkpaw acknowledged, but she was still unconvinced. _I'm just…_

 _Come on. It's the right thing to do,_ he assured her.

 _If you say so._

 _You should talk to Lightningpaw,_ he suggested. _Remind yourself what you're fighting for._

Darkpaw hummed in agreement, searching ShadowClan's section of the island for a good place to position herself that she might be able to easily squeeze into the ThunderClan ranks.

She innocently looked up to the tree, not wanting any cat to notice her acting strangely. _Huh, that's weird,_ Darkpaw observed to herself, seeing a certain lack of a fluffy snow-white RiverClan leader. _I wonder if he died._

As the leaders began their announcement, Darkpaw gaped as she realized that a familiar dark brown and white she-cat was making her way towards her. Not one to miss a golden opportunity, she slipped forwards and cut Lightningpaw off mid-sashay into ShadowClan's region of the Gathering.

"Hey, Lightningpaw," she greeted smoothly

"Darkpaw," Lightningpaw replied cordially, a glint of distrust in her glowing golden eyes. "Evening."

 _Wow, guess she isn't exactly interested in being buddies, huh? Small-talk… I'm not good at this_. "Nice- day- huh?"

Lightningpaw raised one eyebrow, but shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose. What do you think happened to Snowstar?"

"Looks like we're about to find out," Darkpaw replied, nodding towards the RiverClan deputy (or possibly leader?) as she stepped forwards.

"As I'm sure you've noticed, Snowstar is not present tonight," she began. "Unfortunately, his wounds from the battle of last moon became infected and he has lost a life. He is currently recovering under the care of Sheepbelly. It is expected that he will make a full recovery in the next half-moon."

"I guess that answers that then," Lightningpaw said banally. "But why would he need to recover? I thought StarClan heals your wounds when you lose a life."

"Well, since he lost it to infection, I assume they just cured his infection," Darkpaw suggested. "I don't know if they have the power to fix him up entirely."

"What if he lost a life to bloodloss or something? Would they give him more blood, only for him to bleed out again?" Lightningpaw shook her head in confusion.

"They'd make it so he could stay alive," Darkpaw replied. "That's kind of the point." _StarClan, this she-cat is thick as a dead log and about as interesting._

Silence reigned. _Maybe she can read my thoughts. Hey Lightningpaw, you're boring. I don't like you._ It was strangely amusing to think of Lightningpaw itching in her pelt, unable to reveal the secret of her mind-reading abilities and simultaneously furious at Darkpaw.

 _I guess I should try to make her like me, huh?_ Darkpaw asked rhetorically.

 _Yes,_ Ripple confirmed. _It can only help._

 _I wasn't asking, but thank you,_ she snorted.

"I know things have been weird between us, but now that the Clans are at peace, I hope we can give friendship another try," she offered.

Lightningpaw's eyes widened a little, but after a moment, she did the fakest smile Darkpaw had ever seen. "Yeah. Me too. I don't want to fight anymore."

Darkpaw nodded, worried that she would be unable to contain her immense distaste in her words.

 _Your self-control is legendary,_ Ripple said dryly, then sounded like he was swallowing abruptly. _Oooooh, is she? Huh._

 _What?_ Darkpaw questioned. _Who? Lightningpaw?_

 _Nevermind,_ he muttered, but he sounded like he was concentrating.

"ThunderClan will speak next," Redstar announced, stepping forwards.

"Darkpaw." Wavepaw's voice suddenly drew her attention away from Ripple's peculiar musings.

 _What's with him?! The_ moment _I start to make any sort of connection with Lightningpaw, he's immediately stepping on my tail. How annoying. No wonder I can't play nice with her when every second he's oozing into our conversation._

"Hello Wavepaw," she said coolly, giving him a faintly reproachful look.

"Hi Wavepaw," Lightningpaw mewed cheerfully.

"Can we talk in private?" Wavepaw asked, his gaze flickering over to the ShadowClan apprentice for a heartbeat.

"Oh! Uh, sure, I guess," Lightningpaw stammered, letting herself be led away by the silver tom.

 _How annoying. Well, it gives me an excuse to stop talking to her, I guess,_ Darkpaw thought.

 _Go find Breezepaw,_ Ripple commanded, unusually authoritative. The tone suited him, though.

 _I'm going,_ she grumbled, peeling herself away from the dwindling edges of her Clan to search the clearing for his familiar gold and black pelt.

A jolt of anger twitched through her when she spotted him talking to a pale brown, plain and wiry she-cat that smelled like the moor. The apprentice she-cat's eyes were filled with far too much adoration than Darkpaw was comfortable with. _Can't be having this, can we..._

"Breezepaw?" she interrupted.

He blinked, looking surprised, but there was a strange glaze over his eyes, like he'd just woken up, and a goofy grin. It cleared as he blinked, and the grin turned into a bright smile.

"Hey, Darkpaw!" Breezepaw said enthusiastically. "What've you been up to this month?"  
"Er… not much," she said evasively, her gaze darting over to the wiry brown she-cat. "Hey, can I talk to you privately?"

"Sure thing. What about?" he asked, ignoring the other she-cat's yelp of protest at his casual dismissal, making something dark inside of Darkpaw purr..

"Um… well, I've been thinking, and I've decided that it's time I told you…" she began uncertainly, adrenaline boiling inside her.

 _Breezepaw… I…._

"Tell me what? Not you too?" He purred nervously.

 _No cat could ever feel the same way!_

"Me too?" She tried to beat back the anger at the suggestion, but couldn't help her claws sliding out.

 _No cat could ever feel this way about you._

"Um, go ahead," he said quickly. "What was it you wanted to say?"

 _I wanted to tell you I love you._

She swallowed hard, staring at him earnestly. "Just let me get it all out before you say anything, please."

He blinked, looking like he was remembering something, but it cleared quickly. "Okay sure," he agreed, but a slightly worried look cross his face.

 _I love you._

"Breezepaw, I think I might like you. Like _really_ like you," she burst out.

 _I know it. I love you. I can feel it, can't you?_

"I like you too?" he offered, but the worried look had turned into full on fright.

"No, like I- I-" her mouth moved, but she couldn't do it.

 _I love you. Love you. Love you._

 _Love you._

Her heart beat, keeping the rhythm.

 _Love you._

 _Love you, love you, loveyouloveyouloveyouloveyouloveyou..._

"I think I'm in love with you."

 _There it is. Nothing will ever be the same._

Her feelings swelled and she felt that she was on the verge of exploding.

Breezepaw's jaw dropped open. Utter shock dropped over his features.

"Are you sure?" The question was cold, emotionless. Just an evaluation of facts.

With that, her floodgates burst open, and everything that she had stored inside herself since the moment they'd met exploded out of her, piercing him with the weight of all that she felt.

 _I don't understand it! I can't- I only- It's just that- You- Me- forever- and I can't lose you, I can't, I've never felt like this… please. I can't let you go! I can't! Never! We'll be forever- and ever-_

"No! I'm not sure! But I am sure that being away from you hurts and I don't want you to leave me," she barely paused for a heaving breath before her panicked spiel continued. "What do you mean, _am I sure,_ I have no idea! You're from another mouse-brained Clan and you're a mouse-brained enemy, and I'm a fluff-head!"

Breezepaw was speechless. "I'm- I don't know what to say…"

 _He doesn't love you he doesn't love you he doesn't feel the same way he doesn't know what to say._ Like a twisted song, it rang through her head. A splitting headache built just behind her forehead.

"Well maybe you could have told me if you feel the same way, but you _obviously_ don't, because you're a mouse-brained _tom_ and-" Darkpaw growled, the pain swelling, consuming.

"Hold on, I-" Breezepaw began, but it was too late and they both knew it.

"We're from different Clans, and we're just apprentices," he finally choked out. "You're probably just confused."

"Confused. Uhuh. That's it," she spat. "I'm confused. Thanks for nothing."

 _This is all wrong! It's all wrong! How did it happen like this?! How?! I knew he…. he was supposed to…_

And the frenzied storm that had consumed her thoughts finally slowed, softened, leaving behind just one icy truth.

 _He doesn't love you._

"This is too much," he muttered. "I have to go."

 _He doesn't love you._

And he rushed away, not meeting her eyes for a single other heartbeat before he was gone.

 _You are alone._

 **At-frickin'-last I'm done this set. I swear I nearly wore my fingers to the bone typing-and-retyping this shit. Please leave me a review before I drop dead. Peace.**

 **QOTC: This one's actually a little important. Would you rather I properly changed Mudpaw's name to Duskpaw in all of the descriptions and stuff or keep it as Mudpaw unless/until it's actually changed?**

 **I hope all my Canadian readers enjoyed their march break, and to all my American readers, I have no idea how your vacations work, and googling it sounds really tough. I need a nap.**

 **~Pondfrost is going to have a nap**


	63. Lightning: Hail

**Lightningpaw's turn! This whole set will finally do something that I'm sure you've all been waiting for ;).**

 **Thanks everybody for your input on Mudpaw/Duskpaw; I think I'm just going to keep it as it is until future notice.**

 **RRs**

 **Somerandomperson: Hmm, a good theory. It certainly would explain Ripple's supposed 180 in his directions to Darkpaw.**

 **Stormbreeze: Thanks for clearing that up ;). Enjoy whatever holidays you have coming up.**

 **Happy almost-Easter, folks.**

Chapter 61.

It had been a half-moon since the Gathering, and Lightningpaw was at her wit's ends.

Rainwater would not leave her alone; despite her trying to gently discourage him, he couldn't seem to take the hint. She was wary of being too harsh, for it was necessary that he would still talk to her during the Gathering, but Lightningpaw was aware of how near she was to snapping.

Vixenpaw, to her credit, had been running interference and fending off Rainwater's advances whenever possible. Lightningpaw just hoped their plan was working.

Despite not having spoken to Breezepaw in moons, she could still feel the same invisible, tugging link between them. Her heart ached when she thought of him, both hopeful and bittersweet.

She had just polished off the mouse that Blackpool had allowed her after a successful hunting patrol when she heard Redstar's call.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, please gather for a Clan meeting!" The long-furred red she-cat was poised at the top of the High-ledge, framed by the weak sunlight glowing golden around her.

 _What could this be about?_ A jolt of excitement made her stomach twist as she briefly wondered if she was going to be made a warrior, but her more pragmatic part dismissed the idea on the grounds that she hadn't had an assessment recently.

"Would Stormkit and Birchkit please join me on the High-ledge," Redstar called out proudly. The two kits were gleaming in the sunlight, well-groomed and lit with bright smiles. Stormkit looked regal with her dark gray fur smoothed and her yellow eyes bright, but her shifting paws betrayed her nervous energy. Birchkit's white and brown patches were clean and glossy, and his green eyes glowed with excitement.

They both rushed up to the High-ledge and Stormkit hung back, waiting for her brother to climb up first. Lightningpaw felt a little stab of pride when, seeing her brother struggling, Stormkit nudged him and he got his footing once more.

Suddenly a shock like icy water rushed over her. _I'm not a warrior yet! So… Stormkit's going to be apprenticed to some cat else…_ She couldn't brush off the crushing disappointment. Lightningpaw had been nurturing the hope to train the fiery young she-cat, but it seemed that wasn't to be.

She glanced sideways at Rainwater, who - unsurprisingly - had stationed himself right next to her, near the High-ledge. He had a little knowing smirk that Lightningpaw could only wonder at the meaning of.

"Birchkit, you've reached six moons of age and it's time that you were apprenticed," Redstar began, a wide smile on her face. "From this day forwards, until you earn your warrior name, you shall be called Birchpaw. Your mentor will be…" her eyes wandered through the crowd of warriors, finally landing on a certain cream and ginger she-cat, "Rosefire. Rosefire, ThunderClan has profited from your unwavering loyalty and fierce skill in battle. I hope you can pass these qualities and more on to Birchpaw."

 _Rosefire, huh? I don't know if that was such a good choice,_ Lightningpaw thought, sulking. _She's too aggressive; Birchpaw's more thoughtful._

 _That's probably why. He needs a mentor that will push him to find bravery within himself instead of deliberating over everything,_ Whiteshadow suggested.

 _Well, if that's the case, then Stormkit's probably going to get… hmm… Mallowdrop, maybe? That would make sense, since he's Rosefire's sister. Or maybe Oakpelt, that would make sense too._ Lightningpaw thought.

"Stormkit, you've reached six moons of age and it's time you too were apprenticed," Redstar began, and Lightningpaw's paws buzzed with nervous energy. A foreboding feeling began in stomach, but she couldn't quite place why. "From this day forwards, 'til you earn your warrior name, you will be Stormpaw. Rainwater."

 _No…_

She felt blood rushing in her ears.

 _Are you serious?! Him?!_

"You are brave and thoughtful, and I trust you will pass these qualities on to Stormpaw," Redstar said, completely oblivious to the turmoil Lightningpaw was being flung into in that moment.

The greetings of the newest apprentices sounded far away to Lightningpaw.

 _This is so unfair!_

 _How?_ Whiteshadow asked, irritation building in her voice. _He's been nothing but loyal to ThunderClan, and despite having a very twisted view of she-cats, he hasn't been chasing the tail of WindClan cat since the moment he attended a Gathering. Don't play the victim. He succeeded in the warrior test fair and square, he's been a strong addition to ThunderClan, and you have no right to pretend otherwise._

Anger and hurt twisted in Lightningpaw, but Whiteshadow was right. _I'm just… disappointed. I really wanted to train Stormpaw._

 _I know._ The she-cat's voice softened. _But you must have patience. I know what you think of Rainwater, and it isn't unfounded, but it's not against the warrior code to be a mouse-brain. You'll have to put up with him. I just don't think that encouraging him-_

 _I know what you think!_ Lightningpaw snapped. _But I've already decided! It's the only way to make sure Breezepaw feels the same way, and I'm not going to throw away all the progress I've made._

 _Look on the bright side,_ Whiteshadow sighed. _If you insist on torturing yourself with Rainwater's company, perhaps he would let you help with Stormpaw's training._

 _Yeah right,_ she snorted. _That selfish toad? He barely thinks I can hunt for myself. Besides, apprentices don't train apprentices._

Whiteshadow sighed again. _Have it your way._

"Lightningpaw! I'm _finally_ an apprentice!" Stormpaw's bright smile was suddenly in front of her. "You're friends with Rainwater, right? He's a good warrior, right? Mum told us how he won the warrior test even though no apprentice's has ever done it!"

Lightningpaw blinked. "Um… yeah. He's- he's a great warrior." She plastered a smile onto her face, hoping it would be enough for Stormpaw.

The gray she-cat lit up. "Great! I can't wait to start training!"

Lightningpaw felt the smile slipping, and was thankful when Stormpaw bounced away to headbutt her brother. _Oh, Whiteshadow, how am I going to do this?_

There was no reply.

"For your first task, you can clear out Tanglescar and Rowanwind's bedding," Rainwater's voice ordered.

"Okay!" For an apprentice that had just been told to clean the elder's nests, Stormpaw sounded remarkably cheerful.

Lightningpaw squeezed her eyes just and took a deep breath. When she reopened them, the gray tom himself was standing in front of her.

"Rainwater," she greeted him through gritted teeth, trying to rein in her temper. "Con...gratulations."

"Thank you," he said graciously, dipping his head. "I'm going to be pretty busy now that I have an apprentice and all, so I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go hunting with me."

He seemed strangely shy and Lightningpaw narrowed her eyes. _Is this why he sent Stormpaw to clean the elder's nests? So he could go for a walk with me? But… if this is the last opportunity to keep him around me, then I had better go._

Though frustration still churned in her stomach at his new mentorship of the one apprentice that Lightningpaw had hoped to be assigned, she forced a smile.

"Sure, let's go for a walk."

Rainwater lit up with a bright smile, and for once, Lightningpaw didn't feel like clawing his stupid muzzle off. _Maybe this won't be sooo bad._

They left camp as the rest of the Clan continued to celebrate their two newest apprentices. The border and hunting patrols had only recently come back and Lightningpaw knew Blackpool wouldn't send out the midday patrol for awhile. The territory was almost entirely deserted.

Leaf-bare had crept up on the Clans, the first snow having only been a half-moon again. The ground was still fairly clear of snow, but the ground was hard and cold and frost glittered on every plant. The trees had shed their leaves, and the occasional cold wind blew through the territory and washed straight through Lightningpaw's pelt.

She shivered, flattening her ears. "I don't like leaf-bare," she commented, grasping for some thread of conversation to stop their hunt from being awkwardly silent.

"Not sure any cat does," he replied, frowning slightly in concentration as he scented the air.

She abandoned the conversation and scented the air as well, trying to pick up on any faint trace of prey that hadn't already burrowed away.

"That way," she breathed, flicking her tail towards the base of a large maple. "Shrew, I think."

He nodded once, creeping forwards on feather-light paws. She admired momentarily the skillful silence of his steps despite all the crunchy leaves that could potentially alert the prey.

Lightningpaw silently moved around the tree to station herself on the other side, ready to stop the shrew in its tracks if Rainwater failed the catch.

It was a needless precaution, for the dark gray tom deftly shot forwards and slammed one paw down on the tiny woodland creature, fast as lightning.

"Nice," she complimented.

"Do you remember when we were paired up for hunting as apprentices?" he recalled with a purr. "I was so petty, I scared off your mouse just because I didn't catch anything."

She rolled her eyes. "I remember that. I was so angry at you, especially after our first training session."

He shook his head. "StarClan, I was mouse-brained. I was sure that Hollybird was going to gut me after I provoked you like that."

"I'm surprised she didn't!" Lightningpaw exclaimed. "She doesn't exactly seem like one for warm fuzzies. Why did you even do that anyways? I hated you for the longest time. You were always messing up the training."

"I remember it rather differently," he countered. "I think it was _you_ who was messing it up."

"Uh, _no,_ you were the one who couldn't shut up when the mentors were explaining new fight moves," she reminded him. "Have you ever let a cat finish their sentence without trying to finish it for them?"

He snorted. "You make me sound like I couldn't shut up."

"Yeah, can't imagine why it would sound like that," she purred. "But seriously, what was your problem? Was it the thorn thing? Because I swear, that was Vixenpaw's idea."

"I had forgotten that!" He exclaimed, rolling his eyes. "You two were evil, straight out of the Place of No Stars. But no, it wasn't because of that. I… I dunno, I guess I just wanted to get your attention."

She frowned. _Why would he want that? Ew, is it that crush thing again? Because… I would_ never _be his mate._

"Huh," she said, brushing past the uncomfortable moment. "Did Redstar tell you in advance that she was going to give you Stormpaw as an apprentice?"

"Weeeelll, sort of," he hedged. "I actually requested Birchkit. But… you know, she figured I would be a better match for Stormpaw."

"Huh," she said again, and they lapsed back into silence.

 _A better match, my tail. Stormpaw and I would be a good match._ The same frustrated disappointed began to ball up in her throat, hot and tight and angry. She swallowed it back, repeatedly reminding herself that it wasn't Rainwater's fault and it didn't make sense to lash out at him.

He flicked his tail to silence her, widened his eyes and tilted his head towards a rustling clump of bushes.

She scented the air, but the wind was blowing the wrong way and she couldn't pinpoint it. She crept closer, trying to figure out what sort of prey it was, when suddenly it felt as though her stomach melted into her paws.

 _Hsssssss._

"Snake!" she shrieked, not caring if she startled every mouse from there to StarClan.

Lightningpaw hurled herself backwards a heartbeat too late as a thin brown shape shot out of bushes. Sudden, a gray blur shot in front of her and knocked the snake away mid-strike.

She blinked in shock as Rainwater's jaws closed around the snake a heartbeat before it sank its fangs into Lightningpaw. A crunch signalled the end of that particular serpent.

Rainwater dropped it to the forest floor where it crumpled in a lifeless heap and swung his head towards Lightningpaw.

"Are you okay? Did it bite you?" he demanded.

"I'm fine…" she muttered, her heart still pounding. "Did it bite _you_?"  
"No. I'm alright," he said, glancing down at the dead snake. "Huh. I don't think I've ever caught a snake before."

A relieved and giddy purr finally burst out of Lightningpaw. "StarClan above, I certainly didn't think _this_ was going to happen when I agreed to go hunting."

Rainwater twitched his whiskers in agreement. "I'm glad you're not hurt."

"Thanks," she said. "For that and for catching the snake. We should bring it back to camp, show it off. The shrew's getting cold as well."

Rainwater nodded, shaking his head as he picked up the dangling corpse of the snake. "StarClan. A _snake_. Jeez."

Lightningpaw fluffed out her fur against the wind as they walked back to camp.

"Lightningpaw! Where were you?" Blackpool came up to her as soon as she entered the camp. "I wanted you on the midday patrol."

"Sorry, I went hunting with Rainwater. I guess we were out longer than I realized," she explained. Irritation shot through her when Blackpool nodded, giving her a knowing look. "But look what Rainwater caught!"

"Is that… great StarClan, a snake?" Blackpool's jaw hung open. "I'm not sure any cat's going to be _too_ eager to eat that, but wow! Those are quick, good job."

"It went after Lightningpaw," he said, licking his chest embarrassedly. "I just acted without thinking."

Blackpool's smugly knowing look only grew.

Lightningpaw felt her claws slide out. _I'm not some helpless kit, I was just startled by the snake. Rainwater was just being a good hunting partner._

 _By saving your life instinctively? That's not a normal Clanmate thing to do,_ Whiteshadow told her.

 _Yes it is! That's what loyalty is!_ she snapped. _Why is every cat so determined to make me and Rainwater into some kind of lovey-dovey pair?!_

 _Maybe because he ditched his new apprentice to go hunting with you and then saved your life,_ Whiteshadow suggested helpfully.

 _Well none of that was_ my _fault! Just because he's a nice cat to me, doesn't mean that we're suddenly mates,_ Lightningpaw snapped at Whiteshadow.

 _Tell that to Rainwater,_ she said.

Lightningpaw breathed out irritably, fed up with every cat.

Her eyes landed on Slatepaw, who was inspecting the fresh-kill pile. Ignoring Rainwater and Blackpool, who were now chatting, she hurried over to her sister, hoping the level-headed she-cat could impart some wisdom.

"Good afternoon," her sister greeted her, not looking up from her musings over the fresh-kill pile.

"Slatepaw, can we go for a walk?" she asked hopefully.

"Hmm, I suppose so," her sister agreed. "I don't think Blackpool needs me on any patrols, and Daisytail is busy helping Heatherclaw. Where did you want to go?"

"Oh, well, nowhere in particular," Lightningpaw shrugged. "We could walk down to the lake or something."

"Very well," Slatepaw agreed.

They set off, bypassing Blackpool and Rainwater who were still chatting by the entrance to the camp, and headed down to the lake.

"So… um… I just wanted to ask you about, uh, Rainwater," Lightningpaw began awkwardly.

Slatepaw nodded knowingly.

"For StarClan's sake!" Lightningpaw finally snapped. "I'm not in love with him! What is it with you all right now?!"  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to vex you, but you and he have been growing rather close, and since Vixenpaw and Mallowdrop are likely to announce themselves mates as soon as she is made a warrior, as is the case with Oakpelt and I, I suppose we figured…" Slatepaw trailed off meaningfully. "Well, Rainwater has always-"

"No! I don't want to hear it," Lightningpaw snapped, then relaxed her aggressive stance a little. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted at you. It's not just you, it's just that a lot of cats have been dropping little hints, and it's getting really annoying, because I don't want to be his mate, but it feels like every cat is pushing us together. It's my life, I should decide who my mate is."

Slatepaw chewed on that for a moment.

"Well, what's wrong with him?" she asked perceptively.

"What do you mean?" Lightningpaw frowned.

"Why don't you want to be his mate?" she probed. "He's an excellent warrior, and I'm not blind. I know he's only ever been acting out to get your attention."

Lightningpaw's scowl deepened. "His _problem_ is that he thinks she-cats are somehow worth less than toms!"

Slatepaw frowned at little. _At last, she gets it!_ Lightningpaw rejoiced, and was thus caught off guard when Slatepaw said,

"Then you might be a good influence on him, because I'm pretty sure you're the strongest she-cat I know."

The compliment flew in one ear and exited the other immediately, only the repeated assertion that Lightningpaw and Rainwater would somehow be a good match ringing in her ears.

"Seriously?!" Lightningpaw demanded.

"Look, I'm sure that's something he'll grow out of when he figures out that he's wrong," Slatepaw said gently, trying to soothe Lightningpaw's rapidly fraying nerves. "But if you put it aside, could you really not imagine a life with him?"

Lightningpaw was about to snap at her sister again, but she stopped. _A life with Rainwater._ It frustrated her that it was all too easy to imagine them together. _Kits, patrols together, elders together, fighting side by side, saving each others' lives…_

But…

 _Breezepaw…_

It was like there was some kind of barrier blocking her from imagining a life with Rainwater. And the barrier had a name. _Why is it like this?! Why can't I just forget about him? I haven't even spoken to him in two moons, how is it possible that he's still stopping me from even_ thinking _about another tom in a romantic way?!_

But it wasn't just that. _Romance and Rainwater? No. I wouldn't fall in love with him. He's nice enough, I guess, when he's not being a mouse-brained fox-heart, but… and I guess he's a_ bit _handsome, but I don't have those kinds of feelings for him._

And yet…

Despite the confusing block between her and any kind of romantic thought about Rainwater, she couldn't deny the appeal of a glimpse of a sunny, _loyal_ future where she had a ThunderClan mate and ThunderClan kits, and the only time she ever looked over the WindClan border was on patrol. But even in that fantasy… her mate was faceless, and all the kits looked like her, giving her no clue as to any kind of hidden crush.

Frustrated with it all, she scratched a paw over the cold ground.

Suddenly, the ground darkened. She blinked, then looked up. Thick clouds were creeping across with sky, covering the sun's weak light.

"We had better get back to camp, it looks like a blizzard might be coming," Slatepaw suggested softly. "I'm sorry for pushing you. You're right; it's your life, and no cat should push you into anything. But I believe that Rainwater is a good tom, and you should at least give him a chance to change."

Lightningpaw sighed heavily, confusion and frustration churning through her stomach.

 _You should calm down,_ Whiteshadow advised.

 _What?! Why?_ It was such a strange suggestion that it made her steps falter for a moment.

 _Just… deep breaths._ And then she was silent, no matter what Lightningpaw demanded.

The wind howled through the treetops as Lightningpaw's frustration grew.

 **I know it's a short chapter, but I didn't really have a lot planned, and I have a super long rehearsal tomorrow, so there won't be any time for me to write then.**

 **QOTD: Opinions on Rainwater? Should Lightningpaw give him a chance? Would you? Have you ever been incessantly shipped with someone who's a genuine jerk when you're in private? Because I sure have :T.**

 **Until next week.**

 **Adios.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	64. Breeze: The Breathless Confession

**Happy Easter! Or for those of you who don't celebrate it… happy four day weekend ;)!**

 **RRs:**

 **Guest: There's plenty of romance here to tide your lonely heart over ;). Of course, it's written by someone with about -100 experience with actual romance, so… no promises.**

 **Stormbreeze: Yeah, Lightningpaw wanting to mentor Stormpaw was just her wishful thinking. Have fun in Maine! That sounds great!**

 **Alrighty! Breezepaw's up! Some important advancement is about to happen, and even more so in the next couple chapters ;).**

 **This chapter might not be super duper long, and I apologize for that, but this set needs to move quickly because some** _ **very**_ **important events are coming up.**

 **Let's play, spot the Doki Doki Literature Club reference!**

Chapter 62.

"Jaypaw, can we talk?" Breezepaw asked, ducking his head into the apprentice den where the gray she-cat and her sister were still dozing.

He had been on moon-high patrol, and the sun hadn't even risen yet. Despite the energy-draining nature of being on patrol so early in the morning, he'd had a lot of time to sort through his feelings and thoughts. Buzzardclaw and Spottedstar were the only other cats on the patrol, and didn't seem too interested in making conversation.

Though he wasn't ready to confront Scarletpaw just yet, he figured he could at least make a dent in the messes affecting his life by talking with Jaypaw. She had been unusually icy and cordial with him in the past moons, only speaking to him when necessary, and avoiding any kind of voluntary conversation.

 _Was it because of the argument regarding my father?_ he wondered, but brushed the idea off quickly. _That was moons ago. Surely that isn't it. Does she feel guilty about what happened when we were kits? But that was even longer ago…_ He mentally ran through every argument or disagreement they'd ever had, but came up empty-pawed for a reason why she'd shut him out like this.

"Breezepaw?" she murmured blearily, her lake-blue eyes blinking open and narrowing at him. "Wazzat? Talk?"

He licked his lips nervously. "Um, yes. Just… here, wake up and we can eat breakfast early. I just wanted to…"

Breezepaw trailed off as she dragged herself out of her nest, eyeing him suspiciously. She stretched with a loud groan, and he heard something in her back snap.

"Ahhh, that's better," she sighed. "Ugh, I'm so sore. I had an assessment yesterday, and Honeythorn was making me work super hard…"

He made what he hoped was a sympathetic face and ducked back out of the apprentice den. Jaypaw followed a moment after, yawning theatrically.

"So what exactly did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, looking more alert than before and giving him a sharp once-over.

"I… um," he began awkwardly. "I just… I feel like we aren't really friends anymore."

She frowned a little, tilting her head. "What do you mean?"

"Like…" he sighed. "You act weird around me. Like you're tiptoeing, or you're afraid to say something."

She sighed heavily, tracing a claw through the dirt. "Ah. So you noticed that."

 _What? Is she doing it on purpose? I don't get it…_

"Well, what is it then? Why are you acting… like… like you hate me or something?" he asked, unable to restrain the hurt in his voice.

She drew back, a shocked look running across her face, before it softened into regret. "You don't understand. I don't _hate_ you… I… it's just that…"

"It's just that…" he repeated, trailing off with a head shake. "I _know_ I don't understand, but I want to!"

"My sister," Jaypaw finally said, huffing out a sigh of defeat. "She… you know, she _likes_ you."

 _No duh, we're friends,_ he thought. "But I like you as well!" he told her, frustrated.

Jaypaw's eyes widened in shock, but then she huffed out a sigh of bitter amusement and rolled her eyes. "Oblivious as always, huh? No… she _like-_ likes you."

Breezepaw gritted his teeth. _Is this a secret language or something? I don't understand!_ But there was a feeling creeping up his of exactly what she meant. _Wait… she doesn't mean that Palepaw…_

"Things will change soon," Jaypaw promised. "But until then, she just… she's a little protective of you. And she doesn't really want me to… you know…"

He scowled again. _Stop saying 'you know'! I don't know! I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't know why you can't be friends with me just because your sister 'like-likes' me._

"I don't know," he said through gritted teeth. "What doesn't she want you to do?"

"Talk to you," Jaypaw mumbled.

"Sorry?" he leaned closer, certain he'd misheard.

"Palepaw doesn't want me to talk to you," she snapped. "Okay? She wants me to steer clear of you until you're both warriors."

Breezepaw drew in a breath sharply. _What?! She wants Jaypaw to stop talking to me just because she… she's jealous or something? But that would mean…_

"Well, now you know. Now, if you'll excuse me," Jaypaw muttered, glaring at him.

"Don't get angry at me!" he protested. "None of this is _my_ fault!"

"It'll be resolved soon," she sighed. "These problems would go away if you'd just spend more time with Palepaw."

He looked away, frustrated. _If Palepaw is so protective of me that she'd tell her own sister not to spend any time with me… then does that mean…_

His mind shied away from the possibility, but he forced himself to confront it. _Is she in love with me?_

The mere idea almost sent him into a tail-spin. _So let's get this straight. Scarletpaw's a murderer and a spy, Lightningpaw's not talking to me for no reason even after it felt like we made some kind of actual connection, Darkpaw told me that she's in love with me even though I'm from another Clan and we've barely even spoken, and now my best friend won't speak to me because her overprotective sister is jealous of us?_

He wanted to bury his face in his paws and scream, but he narrowly avoided giving into the urge.

Taking a deep breath, Breezepaw raised his head and stared out across the moor, trying to calm the storm inside his head. _It's going to be alright._ But despite trying, it only worsened.

His chest felt like it was tightening. The wind began to howl in the distance, and the long grass of the moor rippled like water in the breeze. It felt like the water was rising, drowning him, so far above his head, and he was sinking, and he couldn't make it out…

His breath came in panicked pants, but he squeezed his eyes shut and willed it away. _You're fine. You're standing in the camp, it's all okay. It's going to be okay._

His head pounded with the force of his distress, and the wind picked up, buffeting his fur, but he managed to regulate his breathing and everything slowed. When he opened his eyes again, the breeze had subsided.

The camp was beginning to awaken, and Honeythorn was preparing the morning's patrols.

Breezepaw felt like he was going to be sick. _How am I supposed to deal with any cat right now? What do I do?_

At that moment, he wished desperately that he had a father. Some cat he could talk to in confidence and trust to understand how he felt. But there was no cat.

"Clanmates!" Spottedstar called, leaping onto the Tallrock. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather to hear my words."

 _What's going on? It's not an apprentice ceremony, Dustpetal's kits were_ just _born, and Icestorm's are still too young,_ he thought, puzzled. _She already welcomed Crowkit, Ravenkit, Magpiekit, and Spiderkit, so what could this be about? A training exercise, maybe?_

"Jaypaw, Palepaw, and Scarletpaw, please join me on the Tallrock," Spottedstar announced proudly.

 _StarClan above, it's their warrior ceremony!_ Breezepaw realized. _Jaypaw mentioned they'd had an assessment yesterday, didn't she? So that must mean…_

"Nightpool, has Palepaw met the requirements to become a full warrior of WindClan?" Spottedstar asked the black, long-furred she-cat.

"She has," Palepaw's mentor replied proudly.

"I, Spottedstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." Spottedstar looked down to Palepaw, whose pale green eyes were filled with shock and happiness. "Palepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend WindClan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Palepaw breathed, tears filling her eyes. "I do!"

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name," Spottedstar said, smiling benevolently down at the young she-cat. "Palepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Paledawn. StarClan honors your kindness and unwavering dependability. We welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan!"

Despite the shocking revelation from Jaypaw of the depth of Paledawn's feelings for him, Breezepaw couldn't resist a cheer of joy for his kithood friend finally becoming a warrior. _It's really happening! They're really becoming warriors!_

"Thank you!" Paledawn exclaimed, the tears finally spilling out of her eyes, and she sniffed then giggled and hopped down from the Tallrock to touch noses with her ex-mentor and press her muzzle into her sister's shoulder, happiness and gratitude filling her eyes.

"Congratulations," Jaypaw murmured, a smile tugging at the sides of her mouth.

"Honeythorn, my loyal deputy," Spottedstar began again, turning to the fluffy golden she-cat that had trained Jaypaw for the last six moons or so. "Has Jaypaw learned all that she will need to serve WindClan as a warrior?"

"Everything and more," Honeythorn replied, a smile that was almost maternal in nature spreading across her face. "She will make WindClan proud."

"Excellent. Then I, Spottedstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the way of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." Spottedstar turned her gaze to Jaypaw. "Jaypaw. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"Always," Jaypaw replied immediately, her blue eyes blazing with the intensity of her vow. "And forever."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Jaypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Jayflight. StarClan honors your valor and sharp wit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."

Breezepaw felt his nose stinging. _Seriously? Am I about to cry at someone else's warrior ceremony? Sheesh._ But his delighted grin was no match for Jayflight's thrilled expression.

The dark gray warrior hopped down from the rock and met her sister with a touch of her muzzle and a tiny, restrained squeal. They exchanged a few words in low voices, and then turned their gazes back up to where Scarletpaw had arrived beside Spottedstar with an expression with such deep gratitude that Breezepaw had to turn his gaze away.

 _She doesn't deserve to be a warrior. She's a spy. She's a murderer._ But some more forgiving part of him wondered, _But she changed, didn't she? She's a new cat, and she deserves a second chance at life in WindClan, no matter what her original reasons for coming here were._

He watched mutely as Spottedstar looked to Copperspots for the perfunctory confirmation of what she surely already knew.

"Copperspots. Though Scarletpaw came here as a rogue, has proven her worth as a member of WindClan?"

"She has," Copperspots replied, unusually solemn.

"I, Spottedstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Scarletpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend WindClan, even at the cost of your own life?"  
Breezepaw didn't miss the way Spottedstar had said _protect and defend WindClan_ instead of _protect and defend your Clan_. He wondered if it was on purpose. _No matter how many times she proves herself, she's still the rogue that joined WindClan and never explained her past. And no matter how many times she earns forgiveness, it will never change what she did._

"I…" Scarletpaw almost seemed to hesitate for a moment, before she took a deep breath and said, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Scarletpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Scarletfire. StarClan honors your… tenacity and skill in battle, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."

 _She hesitated. She hesitated,_ he thought, _Would she really die for WindClan?_

"Paledawn! Jayflight! Scarletfire!" The Clan began to greet the three warriors, and after a moment, Breezepaw joined in too.

Despite the awkward knowledge that he would sleeping alone in the apprentice den until Rabbitpaw fully recovered or Icestorm's kits were apprentice, and knowing how complicated things were between him, Jayflight, and Paledawn, not to mention Scarletfire, he couldn't resist a whoop of joy.

"Left behind again," Jayflight teased. "All alone in the apprentice's den."

She seemed much more laid-back than she had been that morning. Perhaps the delirious joy accompanying finally becoming a warrior had swept her worries away.

"Congratulations, both of you," he said warmly, trying to ignore Scarletfire. "Great names. Spottedstar had a stroke of brilliance there."

Jayflight flapped her front paws in an imitation of a bird taking off.

"I was actually directing that at Paledawn," he snorted, rolling his eyes at her.

"Right," she said, almost deflating a little.

"I'm sorry that Spottedstar didn't make you a warrior at the same time," Paledawn said sympathetically, touching her nose to his ear.

"Nah, I'll be fine. I'm glad," he lied. "I need more training anyways. Besides, you three were apprenticed before me."

"I wasn't," Scarletfire interjected.

"I was actually talking about Rabbitpaw," he said icily. "It's too bad that he's still recovering or he'd have his warrior name too."

"I don't think we need a ceremony to know that Spottedstar's going to name him Rabbittail," Paledawn snorted, a glimmer of satisfaction at Breezepaw's casual dismissal of Scarletfire in her eyes.

"Yeah, it's practically a running joke at this point," Jayflight added. "Just a matter of time."

"Well, look at it this way, you won't be having your vigil alone," Paledawn pointed out. "You have my scintillating brother to keep you company."

"Hey, it's my job to make fun of Rabbitpaw," Jayflight retorted, twitching her whiskers.

"I mean… we can't talk anyways, though, so it doesn't really matter if he tries to speak to me in badger," Breezepaw joked.

"I should probably visit him," Jayflight murmured, avoiding Breezepaw's eyes. "I'll catch him up on our flashy new names, you and Breezepaw should probably go talk."

Scarletfire's amber eyes burned with something unreadable at being passed over so easily, but both Paledawn and Jayflight ignored her.

"Um, yeah, I think we should," Breezepaw muttered, glancing invitingly towards Paledawn, who smiled sweetly and nodded.

They drifted away from Jayflight and Scarletfire, who was still burning a stare into his pelt.

"So… uh, you want to go for a walk or something?" he invited. "I can tell Honeythorn that we're going hunting."

"Sure, sounds good," she said brightly, glancing up. "It look pretty clear. You go tell her, I'll wait here."

He nodded, heading over to the golden deputy.

"Honeythorn?" he said, catching her attention. Her vivid green gaze snapped over to him.

"Yes? You were on moonhigh patrol, I don't need you on anything else."

"No, I was just wondering if Palepaw- um, Paledawn and I could go hunting," he asked, shuffling his paws in embarrassment when understanding flitted across the deputy's face.

"Ah, I see." A knowing smile curved her lips. "Of course. Enjoy it, because may be the last clear day we have before leaf-bare hits."

"Thank you!" he said, hurrying away quickly.

"So?" Paledawn asked hopefully.

"Yeah, we can go."

They set out across the moor, not heading anywhere in particular, just letting their paws guide them.

After a few moments of walking, Paledawn broke the silence. "So Jayflight told me you two talked."

He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye, half expecting her face to be twisted in fury. That instinct proved wrong when he saw her peaceful expression. "Yeah," he muttered.

"So?" she said expectantly.

"So what?" he asked.

"Well, let's straighten this out so we're on the same page," she offered. "All she told me about your conversation was that you wanted to know why she was avoiding you, and she explained what I had asked her a couple of moons ago."

"What did you ask her to do, exactly?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. _I want to hear it straight from her mouth. Did she really ask her sister to break off our friendship just because she was jealous? Wasn't me being friends with her too enough for her?_

"I…" Paledawn sighed heavily. "I'm not exactly proud of what I asked her. It's just… alright, look. When we were kits, Jayflight always picked on you, and I tried to be a kind of bridge between you, because I really liked you but I also didn't want to upset my sister. So it was frustrating when she suddenly turned around completely and then suddenly you two were best friends."

Breezepaw nodded, realizing that there was another side to his relationship with Jayflight changing so drastically.

"I was just a bit protective of you, since we had always been friends and… and even though I know that it was probably just my imagination, it felt like I was getting left behind while you and my sister went off into your happily ever after," Paledawn muttered, bitterness that had been sealed away for moons finally coming to the surface. "And then… when things started to… _change_ , that protective part of me kind of went haywire and I got pretty jealous of how close you were with Jayflight."

Breezepaw nodded again, holding his breath for the next part.

"So I told her how I felt about you two, and I asked her… I asked her not to talk to you so much," Paledawn said quickly, like she hoped that if she got it past him fast enough he wouldn't judge her for her actions. "Look, I'm not proud of it, okay? I did the wrong thing. I shouldn't have gotten so jealous, and I shouldn't have let my imagination run away like that, but… you should understand, at no point did I tell her explicitly to stop being friends with you. I was just worried about us."

"Us?" he repeated, sudden unease creeping into his stomach. _Is this what Jayflight meant when she was talking about how Paledawn feels about me? Does she actually…_

"Yes." She swallowed and looked down. "So… I was going to wait until we were both warriors to do this, because I wanted you to be ready, and I wanted everything to be perfect… but real life isn't an elder's tale, and it's messy, but I still want you to be ready. So I'm going to tell you this now."

His heart beat faster, and he gulped, wordlessly awaiting her next words.

"I love you," Paledawn blurted.

 _Oh StarClan, why?_ Terror crashed into him.

A million thoughts and feelings, again, just like when Darkpaw had confessed to him, but this time it was so much realer… because they were Clanmates, and she was a warrior, and this was a real and true possibility.

"You don't have to say anything," she murmured. "I know you didn't know. I know it's a surprise, you oblivious log."

He smiled weakly at the teasing, but it was hard to focus on anything. It was all whirling around him, too much to think about…

"I just want you to know that when you get your warrior ceremony, which I'm sure will be soon… I intend to ask you to be my mate," she whispered, her green eyes brimming with feeling. "I love you, and I know we'll be happy together."

 _Happy._

"Because, I don't want you to be blindsided. I know you think things through, sometimes more than you should, I know, and I wanted to give you a chance," she told him.

 _StarClan StarClan StarClan StarClan why is this happening what do I do help help help!_

"Don't freak out," she told him, twitching her whiskers in amusement. "I know how quickly you panic sometimes. But this is why I'm giving you a chance to think about it. I want you to be ready."

Breezepaw swallowed hard, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to calm his thoughts. Focusing on just the sound of wind rustling through the fur of his ears, he settled his mind.

 _I could be with her. I could have a happy life, with kits and stories to tell them. I wouldn't be lonely. Jayflight could be my best friend again, Scarletfire wouldn't talk to me much hopefully, and I know that Paledawn would always be there for me._

The hope that it brought almost swept him away. He opened his eyes and met Paledawn's gaze.

To his delayed surprise, he realized how calm she was. An island of peace in the raging seas of his life. His nose stung at the possibility and it occurred to him that he was actually crying happy tears for the second time that day.

"You don't have to say anything yet," she whispered. "But after your assessment, please tell me if you would turn me down, because I couldn't bear to embarrass both of us in front of the whole Clan. Just remember… WindClan is where you belong, and I know that you belong with me too."

She leaned forwards and touched her nose to his softly, and then with a final smile, padded away and back in the direction of the camp.

 _StarClan above, what do I do now?_

 **Yum. Spiccy end to the chapter. So, how's everyone doing?**

 **Finally, Jaypaw and Palepaw my bebes have got their warrior names! And Scarletpaw too. I'm going to have to break my habit of typing out their apprentice names, and I'm probably going to trip up a lot, so I apologies in advance :P.**

 **What do you think of their names? QOTD: Do you think that Breezepaw will accept Paledawn's proposal?**

 **Anyways, enjoy the unreasonable amounts of chocolate that I can see you eating (yes, I can see you. I spy on you 24/7, did you know that?).**

 **See y'all next week for a** _ **very**_ **special event!**

 **~Pondfrost is proud of her bebes**


	65. Wave: Against the Shore

**Back to school/work :T. Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays while they lasted.**

 **RRs:**

 **Silvermist: Yeah, I read Percy Jackson awhile back. Cinnamonheart's thing isn't actually** _ **based**_ **on charmspeak, but now that you bring it up, it is pretty similar.**

 **Somerandomperson: I READ ALL OF IT HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME. And we shall see in a couple chapters what Breezepaw plans to do about Paledawn.**

 **Silver: Thank you!**

 **Today, at long last, we finish something I'm sure you're all waiting for with eager eyeballs, so WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, GET SCROLLING!**

Chapter 63.

Wavepaw took a deep breath of relief as Mistcloud shouted " _Stop!"_

There was a significant scaley pile beside him of catches and he knew it would be enough for even the shrewdest of mentors. Which, of course, he had.

"Hmm," Fallowspots hemmed and hawed over Wavepaw's fish, narrowing his eyes at them and poking at the pile like there might be more to it than first appeared. "Hmmm…"

"Well done!" Mistcloud exclaimed, passing them to check on Ripplepaw's fishing abilities.

Wavepaw sighed. _He's just taking forever. I know I've passed this part._ Unconsciously, his gaze slid over to where Briarpaw was hunched beside her fish. _I hope she's okay. I know Pikepaw said he got her to eat… but there must be something more we can do! Something more I can do._

"Fine," Fallowspots grunted dismissively. "It's fine. You passed."

 _Nice!_ Even though he was self-assured and knew he would do fine on the hunting part, it was still great to have it confirmed.

"Check!" Flameleaf called.

Wavepaw let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. _So Briarpaw did pass. I hope she makes it through the rest as well._ What should have been the most exciting day of his life was being twisted by the sharp worry he felt for his sister.

"Alright apprentices, let's move into the battling portion," Mistcloud announced.

Wavepaw's gaze kept flicking back to Briarpaw, who was pointedly avoiding looking at Ripplepaw.

"We'll do a mentor-rotation to keep things fresh; Flameleaf will be against Ripplepaw, Fallowspots with Briarpaw, and I'll fight Wavepaw," the deputy explained.

 _Oh, great, fighting against the second strongest cat in the Clan, joy,_ he thought sarcastically.

 _She likes you, I'm sure you'll do fine,_ Pondfrost snorted. _Stop complaining. Would you rather fight Fallowspots?_

 _Well… no._

 _Yeah, exactly._ Pondfrost snorted again.

"Alright Wavepaw, show me what you can do," Mistcloud said cheerfully.

He took a deep breath and nodded with a weak smile.

Bunching his backlegs under him, he leapt forwards and straight at the deputy, not bothering to try anything sneaky. He had much broader shoulders than her, and he was hoping to carry her off her paws and fling her away, but she slipped to one side in a silver flash.

 _You don't think she's fought toms before?_ Pondfrost snorted. _She knows all the tricks. You have to try something she won't expect if you want to beat her._

 _Hmm…_ There was truth to Pondfrost's words, but Wavepaw just didn't know how best to employ the advice. _I've got it! I have to impress her, right? Not necessarily beat her?_

 _Yeeees…_ Pondfrost replied warily.

He recovered from the leap easily and rolled to one side, anticipating her counterattack. Her paws slammed down on the ground where he had been a heartbeat before, and he twisted further away and dropped into the wide stream that they had previously been fishing beside.

 _Splash!_

He barely managed a quick breath in before he was under the water. It was _much_ colder than he was anticipating.

 _Fish-brain, it's almost leaf-bare. What_ did _you expect?_ Pondfrost chided.

He heard a muffled splash as Mistcloud plunged in beside him, unfazed by his sudden change of tactic.

 _Okay, here we go…_ he thought, his lungs already beginning to burn, only pure willpower keeping him under the surface.

The lurking fear of drowning was still present, as always, but he knew he could conquer it. He had in the past, and he would in the future. Now all that mattered was proving it to Mistcloud.

Not bothering to come up again for air as Mistcloud immediately did, he hooked his paws around her backlegs, his movements slowed by the water but no less fierce, and yanked hard.

As expected, she fell over backwards into the water once more, midbreath hopefully if he had timed it right. _The panic associated with the loss of control… if I can make her feel it, then I know I can win._

Mistcloud thrashed immediately, like a beached fish, writhing around and kicking up a storm of bubbles around them. The silt on the bottom of the stream was swirling up to join the bubbles, and keeping his eyes open was pointless.

Wavepaw shut his eyes firmly, and on instinct, reached out with his tail to find Mistcloud in the water. Upon ascertaining her position, he kicked out with his backleg to deliver harsh impact to the centre of her spine.

A muffled noise of shock rang through the water, and Mistcloud shot back to the surface. He came up behind her, fully prepared to try to dunk her under again, but she coughed and then said enthusiastically, "Well done!"

 _She sounds rather happy for a beaten cat,_ Wavepaw observed.

 _Don't be a brat,_ Pondfrost hissed. _Be thankful you impressed the deputy._

"Interesting tactic!" Mistcloud exclaimed. "Trying to pull me back under while I was getting a breath was a great idea, and it's even more impressive considering you're the apprentice that started as a dry-paw."

 _She remembered._ A smile broke across his face, pleased that his hope of proving himself had been fulfilled.

"Flameleaf? Fallowspots?" Mistcloud turned her attention to the two other mentors.

"Pass," Fallowspots muttered. Briarpaw looked like she was breathing hard.

"She did great!" Flameleaf exclaimed, and Ripplepaw glowed with the praise.

"Wonderful," Mistcloud cheered. "Then let's head back to camp. I believe Snowstar has a few ceremonies to hold."

 _Finally._ Wavepaw's heart began to pump faster, nervous adrenaline humming through his body. _I'm finally going to be a warrior._

…

"All cats old enough to swim gather to hear my words," Snowstar called, looking weary and battered, but glowing with pride.

Wavepaw's silky silver fur lay flat, him having taken the time to groom it properly. Ripplepaw looked the same, though Briarpaw's brown pelt was rather ragged.

 _My warrior ceremony._ The words kept running through his head, filling him with more delight and terror with every passing moment. But he knew, deep inside, that he was ready. _I've been training for so long, and I'll finally be one of the warriors._ Just the idea of being an equal to Seednose, Cinnamonheart, Flowerpelt, and the rest of them was dizzying.

"Mistcloud," Snowstar began. "Has Ripplepaw learned all she will need to be a full member of RiverClan?"

"She has," Mistcloud replied, her eyes bright despite her serious tone.

"I, Snowstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Ripplepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Ripplepaw said softly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Ripplepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Ripplestripe. StarClan honors your dedication and strategy, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."

Wavepaw could only manage a weak smile at his sister, the memory of the vicious words exchanged between Ripplestripe and Briarpaw all too fresh.

"Fallowspots," Snowstar started again.

 _It's my turn._ His breath caught in his throat. _Is my pelt okay? What should I say? Go with the classic 'I do', or mix it up a little?  
Don't overthink it,_ Pondfrost snorted. _Just speak from your heart._

"He has," Fallowspots replied.

 _I missed it!_ Wavepaw thought, _My own warrior ceremony, and I'm already missing some of it._

 _Just shut up and listen!_ Pondfrost chided.

"I, Snowstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice." Snowstar's voice was as strong as it had been, but Wavepaw felt a chill run down his spine. A shadow flitted through Snowstar's blue eyes. "He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn."

Wavepaw took a deep breath, preparing to answer the perfunctory question of vow.

"Wavepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The words were out of him before he even considered them, a rushing wave of loyalty flinging them out of him.

"Until my last breath," he vowed breathlessly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan," Snowstar said heavily, his eyes darkening, "I give you your warrior name."

 _Here it is,_ Wavepaw thought, his breath hitching in his throat.

"Wavepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as…" Snowstar swallowed heavily, his gaze troubled, but Wavepaw was hooked on his words. "Wavecrash. StarClan honors your resilience and independence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."

 _Wavecrash._ He tested it out, mouthing his new name. Nothing had ever felt so right.

"And finally. Flameleaf," Snowstar said, his gaze clearing imperceptibly. "Has Briarpaw taken in all the knowledge of a full warrior of RiverClan?"

"She has," the ginger tom said proudly.

"I, Snowstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." Snowstar turned his gaze to Briarpaw, who was still breathing hard. Her green eyes were unfocused in a worryingly familiar way. "Briarpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life."

"Yeah," she mumbled, her eyes sliding closed like she was barely able to keep them open.

Snowstar faltered for a moment at her informal acceptance of the oath. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Briarpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Briarhoney. StarClan honors your sp-"

Snowstar abruptly halted as the newly named Briarhoney's eyes fluttered shut and she keeled over sideways, falling to a crumpled heap at the bottom of the meeting stone.

"Oh StarClan, no," Wavecrash breathed, before rushing forwards. "Get her to the medicine den! We need to get her to the medicine den."

 _Please please please please,_ his thoughts were begging all of StarClan just to keep his sister alive, and he couldn't manage much more than helping Pikepaw to move Briarhoney out of the clearing.

The camp was quickly erupting from worried whispers to outright cries.

"Come on, come on, come on," he murmured to himself and Briarhoney, pushing past his Clanmates. "You can do it. You can make it."

"Sheepbelly!" Snowstar called, his voice steady, but his eyes filled with fear. "Sheepbelly!"

The elderly medicine cat popped out of his den. "Bring her in here! I've got a nest ready."

 _The panic associated with the loss of control…_

He felt like he was underwater all over again.

"Please help her," he choked out. "Please."

"We have her," Sheepbelly reassured him, already bustling around and setting up herbs. "You'll have to let her heal. We'll keep an eye on her for the next couple moons and put her back on the track to recovery."

He tried to slow his breathing and his panicked thoughts long enough to nod to Sheepbelly and duck back out of the den.

The weak sunlight only brought a new flurry of worry. _It's almost leaf-bare. If prey runs short and she doesn't have the opportunity to put on enough weight to keep herself safe, then she'll be an easy target for green-cough. StarClan, help her…_

"Wavecrash," Cinnamonheart greeted him as he dodged back out of the medicine den. "Calm down."

 _I don't want to go all dazed!_ the hysterical part of his mind shrieked, but the rest of him was almost praying for it.

"I won't," she whispered, anticipating his next words. She gently led him away from the entrance to the medicine den, him still breathing hard. "Just take deep breaths. Do you trust Pikepaw and Sheepbelly?"

 _Pikepaw cares for her the same way I do,_ he thought involuntarily. _I know she's safe with him._

"Yes," he mumbled hoarsely.

"Then she will be okay. They can fix it," she promised. "They _will_ fix it. Briarhoney will be alright."

 _Briarhoney._ _We're warriors now. So much has changed, and still, some things stay the same._

"Congratulations on becoming a warrior at last," she said, the subject change quick and something of a relief to Wavecrash. "Fancy name, huh?"

"Yeah, I would say so," he agreed absentmindedly. "Um, did anything seem weird about Snowstar during my warrior ceremony?"

"Overthinking things again, I see," she teased gently. "I don't think so, no, why?"

"He seemed weirdly… worried. Like, concerned," he tried to explain. "Almost scared."

Cinnamonheart chewed on that for a moment. "Do you think so?"

"Well, obviously," he said, the residual panic from Briarhoney's collapse transferring into a shortened temper. "I wouldn't bring it up otherwise."

She sighed and rocked back on her paws. "Well… he seemed a little on edge."

He nodded. "Like he was thinking about something else, right?"

"I don't know what, though." She closed her golden eyes, then peeked at him. "Maybe he's worried that you're next in line for leadership?"

"What?" He narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't even make sense. Why would he be _worried_ about that? Besides which, unless he thinks I'm about to make a coup and try to take over the Clan, that wouldn't even be a concern."

Cinnamonheart shrugged. "Just thinking."

But Wavecrash had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly what it was that Snowstar was so worried about. Despite Pondfrost's disagreement, he was still convinced that the whole 'rotten from the inside' thing was about him. _Maybe he really thinks that I'm going to destroy RiverClan._

"You're going to have to sit vigil tonight, huh?" The russet she-cat changed the subject once more. "If you hadn't pulled it together, you'd be sitting vigil in the middle of a snowbank."

He stuck his tongue out at her. "Pulled it together, pfft. I've been ready to be a warrior since _your_ ceremony."

"Yeah right," Cinnamonheart snorted. " _That_ would be the downfall of RiverClan indeed. You, reckless nut, as a warrior before you were _absolutely_ ready? No wonder Snowstar looked worried."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Stuff it."

"You love me anyways," she teased.

 _Oh StarClan, prepare for the awkward to hit,_ he gulped.

There wasn't even a beat of silence. It seemed that Cinnamonheart had a gift for breaking awkward silences. "Enjoy freezing your whiskers off during your vigil."

"I won't!" he defended, then raised one eyebrow. "I will warm myself with my own sunny disposition."

An unpoised snort broke out of Cinnamonheart, seemingly the first noise that she had ever made without carefully planning it in advance. She looked almost shocked at the way she had let her own guard down, but recovered quickly and side-eyed him.

"Sunny disposition, hmm?" Her tone took on a snarky note. "First I've heard of it. Do I ever get to see this 'sunny disposition'?"  
"Shut up, I'm always delightful," he retorted.

"Uhuh…" she snorted. "Definitely."

"Clanmates!" Snowstar called.

"What now?" Wavecrash grumbled.

"I'm sure you're all worried for Briarhoney, but she just a little too nervous and is now recovering under the care of Pikepaw and Sheepbelly. She will be back to normal soon," Snowstar promised. "And in other news, Flowerpelt has an announcement she would like to make."

Cinnamonheart's previous mentor shyly padded to stand before the Clan. The announcement was needless, as one look at the swelling curve of her belly could easily give away what she was going to say.

"Timberheart and I are expecting kits," she exclaimed happily.

The Clan cheered, clustering around the couple to offer congratulations, advice, and kind words.

"Congratulations," Wavecrash exclaimed to Timberheart, a wide smile spreading across his face to mirror the other tom's. "I can't wait to meet your kits."

"Maybe you'll mentor one of them," the tom exclaimed, winking at him before turning away to accept more felicitation.

 _Maybe,_ he thought. _Now that I'm a warrior… maybe I'll mentor an apprentice…_

He turned to squeeze his way back out of the crowd and saw Cinnamonheart hovering on the edges again.

"Are you okay?" he asked, seeing the gleam of discomfort in her golden eyes. "Is it the kit thing again?"

"No and yes," she mumbled, with a huff of bitter amusement.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked uncertainly.

"Not really," she muttered.

Despite himself, he felt a little relief. _Is that a bad thing? But I don't really know anything about how she feels, and I don't know if I could help her or if I'd just make it worse…_

"Do you want me to go away?" he offered.

"Not really," she repeated, softly, finally meeting his eyes. They were almost glistening.

 _No tears. Strange, she always seems so emotive,_ he thought.

 _She's incredibly manipulative,_ Pondfrost snorted cynically. _I would bet you that she's never honestly cried. That she-cat is just layers and layers of lies. This might be the first time she's ever let her guard down._

Despite Pondfrost's harsh and thinly veiled warning, he couldn't help feeling a spark of humility that Cinnamonheart trusted him enough to show him this side of her.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" he asked softly, knowing that staying in the camp and hanging around the kit-crazed Clan might not be the best thing for her at the moment.

"I'd like that," she whispered.

 **Aaaayund done. Woof, that chapter took a lot of feels out of me.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed. Oh boy, I'm getting a little too attached to Cinnamonheart…**

 **BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY. Wavey's finally a warrior! Hurrah! I bet y'all saw that coming, but it was nice to finally get that done.**

 **What do you think of his name? Fun Fact: I was originally planning to name him Wavesmash and changed my mind, instead giving that to Snowstar.**

 **And what do you think of Briarhoney? 'Cuz I wasn't too sure on that one. My other frontrunners were Briarleaf and Briarthorn, but -thorn didn't fit and -leaf was a little plain.**

 **Anyways, enough of that. Sorry this chapter is only hedging around 3000 words, but there wasn't a lot to go through and I would say that one of my babies finally getting his ceremony is eventful enough.**

 **~Pondfrost the proud mama**


	66. Dark: Rising Moon

**WHOOOOOO'S EXCITED FOR DARKIE'S WARRIOR NAME?**

 **Me. ANd you. YEAH. YOU BETTER BE EXCITED.**

 **RRs:**

 **Cherryblossom: Thanks so much! High praise indeed. Interesting name… ;).**

 **This chapter is dedicated to the warriors wiki for giving me the warrior ceremony words. Mwah.**

Chapter 64.

"Hurry up!" Robinpaw exclaimed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Darkpaw snapped, but she couldn't hold a bite in her voice with the excitement thrumming through her paws.

 _Surely, surely, surely,_ her mind slipped back into the well-worn pattern of thoughts. _Surely, surely, surely. You don't just send five apprentices on patrol alone unless you intend to make them warriors._

Ripple huffed in amusement.

 _What's so funny?_ she demanded.

 _Stop stressing, it makes your mind uncomfortable,_ he told her.

 _Oh I'm_ so _sorry,_ she snorted. _I'll try to keep my mind as comfortable as possible in the future for you, your grand royal highness._

 _See that you do._

"Darkpaw!" Robinpaw shouted again, a purr coming through his strict tone. "Seriously? That's _so_ you, late to your own ceremony."

"Well we don't know if it's our ceremony yet," she reminded him, stamping down every shred of hope as it popped up. "Don't get your hopes up."

He shrugged. "I've survived disappointment before. Besides, it's only a matter of time."

She nodded, increasing her speed and lengthening her strides as they ran back to the camp. Lionpaw, Primrosepaw, and Olivepaw had already beat them, having ditched them the moment the patrol was over.

They skidded into camp just in time to see Ivystar hop to the top of the hazel branch that served as the vantage point for Clan meetings.

"Clanmates! All cats old enough to stay up through the night, gather beneath me for a Clan meeting," she called. "Today, one of my favourite duties as leader has come upon us once more. As you know, Primrosepaw, Olivepaw, Robinpaw, Lionpaw, and Darkpaw have all been training hard in the past six moons, and it is time they were made warriors!"

Cheers erupted from the Clan, and Darkpaw felt dizzy.

 _I guess I still expected it not to happen,_ she realized, swallowing down the dryness that had suddenly settled in her mouth. _But now… I'm actually going to be a warrior. Great_ StarClan _, I'm going to be warrior!_

Darkpaw suddenly registered that her pelt was rumpled and her fur wild and rapidly began grooming, sending Ivystar a pleadingly alarmed look. The leader gave her a tiny, regal nod, and then began.

"Silverpuddle." The leader turned her intense gaze to the silver she-cat, who Darkpaw realized with a shock like ice-water, was considerably pregnant. _When did that happen?!_ "Has Primrosepaw learned all she will need to be a full warrior of ShadowClan?"

"She has," the gruff she-cat grunted, her one good eye turning proudly to gaze on her soon-to-be-previous apprentice.

"Wonderful," Ivystar said, smiling warmly, moreso than Darkpaw had ever seen. "I, Ivystar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Primrosepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Primrosepaw replied steadily, her green eyes blazing.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Primrosepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Primrosethorn. StarClan honors your courage and skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." Ivystar rested her muzzle on Primrosethorn's bowed head, then pulled back and gave her a nod, the warmth gone once more.

Darkpaw kept licking her pelt flat. _Come on, come on, I can't look like I just duelled a thorn bush at my warrior ceremony!_

"Foxwhisker," Ivystar began once more, when suddenly an ear-splitting shriek brought the ceremony to a halt.

 _What in StarClan's name was that?!_ Darkpaw demanded, shocked.

 _Oh stars,_ Ripple snorted, hooting with laughter. _What a time to kit._

" _Ashhhmaaaask!_ " a scream echoed through the camp.

The black and gray medicine cat jolted, then bounded away from the gathered cats, shooting a panicked look at Ivystar and ducked into the nursery. A moment later, he popped back out with a relieved expression.

"Pineleaf's kits are coming, nothing to worry about, carry on," he explained quickly, before another scream shook the leaves of the nursery and he ducked back in.

 _Carry on? With the way Pineleaf's carrying on? I think not,_ Darkpaw thought to herself, disappointed. _Surely Ivystar isn't going to…_

"Foxwhisker," the black and white she-cat began again, ignoring the shrieks of Pineleaf. "Has- has Olivepaw learned all he will need as a full warrior of ShadowClan?"

"Um… yes," the ginger tabby said, her gaze darting towards the nursery where Pineleaf could still be heard, howling like her limbs were being pulled off.

"I, Ivystar… leader of ShadowClan," Ivystar soldiered on, unflinching in the face of Pineleaf's yowls and yelps. "Call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She- he has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Olivepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I- I do?" His voice squeaked up like it was a question. _Pfft,_ Darkpaw thought, darkly amused. _She called him a she-cat._

"Good, good…" Ivystar said, distracted as Pineleaf growled and then screeched again. "Uh- By the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Olivepaw from this moment on you'll be known by- um, as Olivewolf. StarClan honors you- I mean, honors your loyalty and dedication. Welcome, as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

 _Oh geez, that was a mess. I hope she can at least get the words right for_ my _ceremony,_ she thought.

"Voleheart," Ivystar began anew, this time determination and a hint of embarrassment in her eyes. "Has Robinpaw learned all that he needs as a full warrior of ShadowClan?"

"He has," Voleheart muttered, looking anxiously at the nursery. _Ah yes, they're his kits,_ she remembered.

"You may go," Ivystar muttered to him.

With a grateful look, the silver and black tom hurried away. Robinpaw flushed with embarrassment. _Yeah, I guess it doesn't look_ great _that his mentor abandoned him in the middle of his own ceremony…_

"I, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this young tom. He's trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior-"

"I _AM_ BREATHING _!"_ a scream erupted out of the nursery.

"-in his turn," Ivystar continued, wincing slightly. "Robinpaw. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I promise," Robinpaw vowed, his gaze flitting to where Mudpaw stood in the crowd.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Robinpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Robinwood. StarClan honors your spirit and humour, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

The newly named Robinwood dipped his head, and little smile spreading across his face. His different coloured eyes shut as Ivystar rested her muzzle on his head before drawing back nodding to him as well.

Robinwood hopped down from the branch and went immediately to Mudpaw, who met him with a broad grin and touched her nose to his, twining their tails. Darkpaw felt a little tug of jealousy, but stamped it down. _I'm happy for them. Just because my future isn't perfectly set up and I_ actually _have to work for what - or who - I want, doesn't mean I should be bitter about my friends getting everything they want handed to them._

 _Keep telling yourself that,_ Ripple snorted.

 _Lionpaw's turn, I think,_ she thought with a thrum of nervous adrenaline. _She'll leave me for last._

"I, Ivystar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice," Ivystar began, skipping the formal question to Lionpaw's mentor. "She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Lionpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Darkpaw's golden sister gasped, tears springing to her golden eyes as though it was somehow a surprise that she was becoming a warrior. _Sheesh, what a drama queen,_ she scoffed.

"I- I will!" Lionpaw gasped, eyes shining. "Forever!"

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name." Ivystar's eyes glimmered with what almost seemed to be tears. _Huh, maybe you_ were _onto something with the whole 'motherhood' thing,_ Darkpaw thought to Ripple. "Lionpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Lionsun. StarClan honors your initiative, determination, and intelligence. May you serve ShadowClan for many moons to come."

 _Wow, favouritism much?_ Darkpaw thought bitterly.

"Olivewolf," Lionsun suddenly declared, still standing on the hazel branch. "Now that we're warriors, I can ask you something I've been thinking about for a while."

The Clan gasped and Darkpaw sank her claws into the ground. _Of course. Trust her to make a scene and interrupt_ my _warrior ceremony. So sorry, of course anything you have to say is more important than literally the biggest moment of my life._

"Will you be my mate?" she asked tremulously.

"Of course I will!" Olivewolf exclaimed, making some of the warriors chuckle.

The golden she-cat hopped down from the branch and they rushed to greet each other happily. The Clan cheered and fury boiled in Darkpaw's heart.

Her claws sank further into the ground, calling up anger and hurt, and she pulled, hard, hard…

 _Crrraack._

She hopped backwards, terror suddenly blinding her as she realized she'd opened a rift in the centre of camp. Thankfully, every cat was still too busy cooing over the new couple to pay _any_ attention to Darkpaw.

The same dark rage burned through her veins, but she held it back. _I can't do anything about it. She's ruined it and it's too late. I just have to grin and bear it._

"Wildwind, has Darkpaw learned everything?" Ivystar asked.

"She has, everything and more," he replied proudly, giving her a bright smile.

 _At least he still cares,_ she grumbled, clawing her way up the branch.

"I, Ivystar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Darkpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"Yes," she murmured. _Unless I claw all their throats out first._ But then her gaze returned to where Robinwood and Mudpaw had stopped staring into each other's eyes and murmuring and were now looking up at her, their grins bursting with joy.

She managed a smile of her own and turned back to Ivystar. _Please don't give me an awful name. If it's Darkface, I swear, I will murder all of you lizard-brains._

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Darkpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Darkmoon," Ivystar declared. "StarClan honors your skill and thoughtfulness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

 _Darkmoon. Now_ that's _a name that will strike fear into the hearts of my enemies,_ she thought, a dark smile curling across her face.

"Primrosethorn! Olivewolf! Robinwood! Lionsun! Darkmoon!" The Clan cheered.

She hopped down, feeling a little self-conscious about all the attention, but quickly adapting and puffed her chest out proudly.

"Darkmoon," Robinwood greeted her with a grin.

"Robinwood," she replied, mirroring his expression.

"You guys have great names!" Mudpaw exclaimed.

"You'll have a good one in a couple moons too, short stuff," Darkmoon teased, sticking out her tongue at her best friend.

"Oi! I'm not that short!" she protested. "You're teeny! I'll outgrow you yet, just you wait."

Darkmoon rolled her eyes and couldn't help glancing at where Olivewolf and Lionsun had cuddled up together. _Jeez._

"Tch," Robinwood tutted, and gave Darkmoon a conspiratory side-eye when she glanced back at him. "They waste no time, hm?"  
She sucked in air through her teeth. "I'm surprised Ivystar didn't just appoint Lionsun deputy and get it over with," she said bitterly.

Robinwood gave her a thoughtful look. "Yeah, I think we can tell which of us she prefers. Lion _sun_? Sheesh."

 _And Darkmoon,_ she realized with a jolt. _Wow. So Ivystar named her after what warms us and keeps us alive and makes things grow and flourish, and she named me after the cold, far moon. Nice. Real nice._

"Hear that?" Mudpaw cut in.

"No?" Robinwood said questioningly.

"Exactly!" she said brightly. Robinwood and Darkmoon exchanged uncertain glances. "Pineleaf's not screeching anymore! Let's go meet her kits!"

"Oh right," Darkmoon said, relieved that Mudpaw hadn't gone insane.

"Right," Robinwood agreed. "After all, considering the ages, we could end up mentoring these kits."

She blinked. _Right… I'm a warrior! That means… leading patrols, mentoring an apprentice, and dreaming about being deputy._ It was as though reality had just slammed a paw across her face. _It's not kit games anymore._

"Come on, you senile badgers," Robinwood exclaimed, tearing across the camp towards the nursery.

"StarClan, Robinwood," Darkmoon began, faking exasperation, "you're a _warrior_ now, that means you have to _act_ like it."

"My _sincerest_ apologies," he gasped, sweeping into an exaggerated bow. "I didn't realize there was a specific way of walking only for warriors."

Snorting, Darkmoon lifted her muzzle until it was pointing straight up, stuck her tail straight out behind her, and walked like her legs were made of moss, crumpling with each step and flailing about. She crashed into Mudpaw within a few steps, unable to see because of the ridiculous angle her muzzle was pointed at.

Robinwood doubled over in laughter, and promptly attempted to copy her, careening into Mudpaw as well.

"Get off, you great lumps!" the brown tabby squealed, wriggling around underneath them.

"It's too late for her! She's been slain," Darkmoon said, dramatically flinging a paw across her still-tilted face, and then collapsed with laughter again. "We'll have to bury her underneath the beautiful beech tree her mother tended to."

"What?!" Robinwood asked, still chortling.

She rolled her eyes, indicating the ridiculousness of her own claim, and Mudpaw played dead for a moment, before springing to her paws.

"Well what are we waiting for?" she demanded. "Unless you two feel like goofing off again, let's go meet some kits!"

Darkmoon nodded, sticking her tongue out at Robinwood over Mudpaw's head.

He snorted again, pointedly avoiding her gaze.

"Ashmask? Pineleaf?" Darkmoon called cautiously.

"You're here to meet them as well?" Pineleaf demanded, apparently unfazed by the birth that, by her screams, was ostensibly the most painful in the history of the world. "Well, come on then."

Exchanging nervous glances and puffs of amusement, the trio ducked into the nursery to find Pineleaf lying on her side with three she-kits of varying shades of gray, from dark to almost white, suckling.

"Wow," Mudpaw breathed.

"Softie," Darkmoon joked, giving her a friendly shoulder bump.

"They're so cute!" Robinwood exclaimed, tucking his paws under his chest.

"Don't get comfortable, you and every other cat in the Clan wants to meet them," Pineleaf grumbled, but her eyes were soft as she regarded her kits.

 _Wow,_ Darkmoon thought, then immediately felt annoyed at herself because of the tears pooling just at the sight of some kittens.

"Have you named them yet?" Mudpaw asked.

"This one is going to be Ivykit," Pineleaf told the young she-cat, flicking the lightest gray one, who had white paws. "This one will be Gladekit." She touched her nose to the middle kit, who had darker gray fur than Ivykit but lighter than her other sister, and a darker muzzle and ears. "And this is Lilykit." The last kit was dark gray with paler gray mottling, like the pattern of sunlight falling through clear water.

"They're perfect," Darkmoon mumbled.

"Pardon?" Ashmask leaned over the nursing queen's side.

"Uh, nothing," she said gruffly, herding her two friends out of the nursery. "We should let her be. I'm sure there are-"

Darkmoon barely made it out of the nursery before she was shouldered aside by Foxwhisker and Sootfire hurrying in to meet the new kits.

"-other cats that want to meet them," she finished, rolling her eyes.

 _Proud and cold ShadowClan, my tail,_ she thought, seeing that practically the entire Clan was ignoring Ravenwing's attempts to corral them into a patrol while they waited their turn to meet the newest members of ShadowClan.

 **Sheeshus, even shorter than the last one. But it's done, and the next set will be starting next week. I'll be posting the updated RiverClan and ShadowClan allegiances in their respective chapters, and then ThunderClan and WindClan the chapter after Lightning and Breezy become warriors.**

 **So. Darkmoon. Yeah. SUPES proud of that one. And Robinwood is Robin Hood, yes, I'm very funny. Don't tell me Olivewolf is a dumb name because I like it so shush.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	67. Lightning: Prophecies and Prejudice

**Welcome back, Lightningpaw's turn on the chopping block.**

 **I'm a little surprised to see so many of you still rooting for Rainwater. Hm. I snuck another teeny DDLC ref in, cookies for anyone who spots it.**

 **RR:**

 **Moonfeather (Ch 58): Oh, really? I haven't noticed myself doing it, and I reread the chapter you reviewed on to check if I could see what you meant. Authenticity's important to me, so I appreciate you pointing it out, but I couldn't really find anything. If you mean things like Darkpaw telling Wavepaw to piss off, or Briarpaw calling Ripplepaw a slut, then that's just because there's no cat equivalent with the same weight. But I'll try to be a little more aware of it in the future :). If anybody else could point to concrete examples of me overusing human insults in the place of 'cat' ones, that'd be great as well!**

Chapter 65.

 _What is it this time?_ she wondered, yawning as she padded out of the apprentice's den. Irritation still sparked through her from the last time Redstar had called a Clan meeting and her chances of mentoring Stormpaw had disappeared.

"Clanmates!" The long-furred red leader called again. "I have a very important announcement."

Grumbling to herself, Lightningpaw shuffled forwards until she was just within earshot of Redstar.

The rest of Clan was leaking out dens, blinking blearily in the weak leaf-bare sun. The sun had barely come up and was almost invisible behind the thick gray clouds.

Lightningpaw's pelt itched with irritation as Rainwater deposited himself next to her again. She sighed heavily, but he apparently didn't notice.

"For the time being, I will be stepping down as leader of ThunderClan," Redstar announced proudly. Lightningpaw sucked in a shocked breath. Gasps rose from the Clan. "Blackpool and I are expecting kits, and so he'll lead in my stead. Once the kits are born and weaned, he'll stay in the nursery to take care of them and I'll continue as leader."

There was silence, then some cheers and congratulations were thrown out. Rainwater looked oddly satisfied.

 _Probably just happy he doesn't have to take orders from a she-cat anymore,_ she thought, curling her lip. _Since according to him, she-cats belong in the nursery._

Blackpool hopped up on the rock alongside his mate, his dark blue eyes shining with pride and delight. _But I'm happy for him. Besides, this means I'm technically getting mentored by the leader of our Clan,_ she told herself.

"Congratulations!" she called half-heartedly, trying to smile.

"For the time being, I'll need a cat to step in as deputy," Blackpool said, his gaze roving over the crowd until it stopped by Lightningpaw. "This is an excellent opportunity to give one of the younger cats of our Clan a chance to get a feel for leadership, and that's why I ask that Rainwater, you will be stepping in as deputy until Redstar has returned from the nursery."

Lightningpaw bit down so hard on her tongue she tasted blood to avoid screaming. The sky darkened abruptly as Rainwater stepped forwards, his mouth agape.

"I- I'm honored," he gasped. "Thank you! I'll do my best!"

Hollybird wore the smuggest smile the four Clans had ever seen, and the rest of the Clan crowded around him, calling out congratulations.

 _Seriously?! Seriously?!_ It felt like she was being continually winded, like a badger had kicked her in the stomach over and over again. _How is this fair? StarClan, is this some kind of cruel joke?_

Whiteshadow let out a windy sigh in the corner of her mind.

 _No! No! I'm not playing victim anymore, this is just plain ridiculous. He's barely a warrior, he_ just _got an apprentice, there's no reason he should be the deputy._ A million reasons piled up in her mind, but it didn't matter. _I can't change anything. I'm just an apprentice. And if his lack of experience is put aside… it makes sense. But there are so many other choices! Why not Daisytail? Or Oakpelt, Mallowdrop, or Rosefire? Hollybird, even._

She felt her breath speeding up.

Suddenly, a heavy raindrop plopped onto her nose. She looked up and saw that heavy dark storm clouds had covered the sky and a storm was beginning.

"Looks like a storm's coming," Redstar declared. "Every cat had better get into a den. We don't want any cat to catch a cold."

Lightningpaw took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but her thoughts only whirled quicker and quicker until her chest was heaving as she fought back coughs. _What's wrong with me?_

 _You're okay, you're okay, relax,_ Whiteshadow ordered, but her tone wavered and she sounded genuinely worried.

 _I can't calm down!_ Her lungs felt like they were collapsing in on themselves. Lightning flashed across the sky, then barely a moment later, thunder cracked. _I can't! Am I going to die?_

Panic was overwhelming her. Lightning split the sky again.

 _Get into one of the dens,_ Whiteshadow told her. _You need to be out of the storm._

Still panting, she ducked into the nearest den she could find in the dark, which ended up being the elder's den.

"Oh! Lightningpaw," Rowanwind greeted her, lifting her head out of her nest. "Sheltering from the storm? All this humidity's making me creaky."

"You're always cranky," Tanglescar muttered.

She cuffed him over the ear. "I said creaky, you clout."

"Both," he grumbled, rasping his tongue over his paw and grooming his attacked ear. "You oaf."

"Say that again, crowfood," she growled.

"...keep an eye…" Lightningpaw heard a soft spoken voice coming from further into the elder's den. _Weird, since we're the only ones here…_ she thought, her breath finally slowing. Creeping further back to investigate the voice, the fur on her spine slowly rose as she realized that there was no other cats in the den, and yet she could still hear the voices.

"We just can't be sure until we see the proper evidence." Lightningpaw breathed a sigh of relief as the pieces clicked together. _I must be right next to the medicine den, and Redstar, Blackpool, and Dawnsplash are talking. About Rainwater? Maybe they actually had a good reason for that,_ she thought angrily.

There was a flash outside and thunder boomed overhead once more.

"This is why this is the best course of action," Redstar said, sounding like she was explaining something to some cat. "We need to keep the three of them close. It could be any of them. I personally believe _Lightningpaw_ may be the one. Thunder doesn't 'strike' so it would stand to reason that our ancestors are hinting at another aspect of a storm. But you said Thornstar…?"

The leader trailed off questioningly, and Lightningpaw felt an icy chill down her back. _The one what? They're talking about me? But about what?_ Tanglescar and Rowanwind's squabbling was almost drowning out the words, and she strained to hear the next part of the conversation.

"He… that it was… Rainwater…" Dawnplash said softly, and Lightningpaw momentarily cursed the dulcet tones of the medicine cat, but strained to hear the next words, spoken by her mentor.

"That's why it's best for me to keep him close at the moment," he said. "As my apprentice, I can watch over Lightningpaw carefully, and if Rainwater trains Stormpaw and we keep Rainwater close, then we'll have a close eye on Stormpaw as well."

"But what if the thunder isn't to do with us at all?" Dawnsplash asked nervously, her voice raising slightly.

"Dawnsplash, I have confidence in your reading," Redstar said gently. "Your earlier instincts must be correct. Thunder and ThunderClan, it only makes sense. Even if the other three are mentioned more vaguely, ours seems clear enough. Besides, didn't you say…?"

"It... vision… night… as she… yes," Danwsplash murmured.

 _What is she saying?_ Lightningpaw thought angrily, but her voice was too soft for her to make it out.

"Then that only furthers the theory that it's her," Redstar said. "You know as well as I do, when it comes to prophecies, there are few coincidences."

"But… should… do… her?" Danwsplash asked.

Lightningpaw sank her claws into the sodden bark of the fallen tree that served as the elder's den. _A prophecy? About_ me _?! No way… did I fall asleep in the elder's den? Is this some kind of weird dream?_

"No. We can't do anything until we know more; we can't be _certain_ it's her," Blackpool said firmly, sounding slightly worried.

 _Why is he so sure it's not me? Because I'm not the sort of cat that would be in a prophecy?_ she thought, irritated at Blackpool's unwillingness to believe she was the one in this so-called prophecy.

"Besides which, what would even do if it _was_ her?" Redstar asked sharply. "It's vague enough as it is."

"...say… tear… Clans… specific… know… bad," Dawnplash mumbled.

There was silence for a moment. Lightningpaw felt a sinking feeling. She didn't have to hear all of what Dawnsplash had said to know that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"I suppose there's nothing more to be done then," Blackpool said heavily. "Just keep an eye on the three of them and wait."

"We don't even know what we're waiting for though!" Redstar said, frustrated.

"I… StarClan… time is right," Dawnsplash said.

Lightningpaw drew away from the tear in the bark of the elder's den a moment later when it became apparent they weren't going to say anything else.

 _… great StarClan._

 _You said it,_ Whiteshadow commented dryly.

 _This… this is unbelievable. A_ prophecy _?! About me?_ It was unfathomable. The mere idea made her head spin.

 _Well, don't get ahead of yourself, apparently they aren't sure it's you,_ Whiteshadow cautioned. _And it's not a prophecy that sounds too good._

 _But still,_ she thought. _What about me could be so important that there would be a message from StarClan themselves about it?!_

Whiteshadow sighed heavily. _Only time will tell._

She turned back to Rowanwind and Tanglescar, who had apparently worn themselves out and were now napping. She could still hear the sound of the downpour, but there hadn't been any flashes of lightning recently. _I wish I knew the_ whole _prophecy,_ she thought, frustrated. _It might be easier for me to understand what it means if I'm really the one mentioned in it._

 _I think cats are starting to return to their regular duties,_ Whiteshadow told her.

She peeked out of the den, and sure enough, warriors were milling about and clustering into patrols organized by… _Rainwater._

Suddenly remembering why she'd been so upset in the first place before being distracted by the idea that she might in a _prophecy_ , she sank her claws into some of the old bedding scattered on the ground of the elder's den.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Lightningpaw stepped out of the den to face the new deputy.

The sky had begun to clear, only wisps of dark gray clouds covering the sky that was slowly fading into mellow shades of yellow and pink. She might have stopped to appreciate the beautiful view if she wasn't so determined to get her mind off the things that were twisting it into madness.

"Rainwater," she greeted him through clenched teeth. "Any patrols I can go on?"

"Oh, well, not really, I've already sent out them all," he said nonchalantly, flicking his tail in the direction of where Owlclaw, Halfear, and Oakpelt led separate patrols out of the camp.

 _What a surprise, no she-cats leading,_ she thought bitterly, scowling at Rainwater.

"Are you sure? Leaf-bare's starting, I'd think an extra hunting patrol might-" she tried to suggest, but he cut her off.

"No, I can't send out another, all the toms are already on patrol," he said with a 'well-what-can-you-do' smile.

Her claws slid into the ground involuntarily. _Breathe breathe breathe. It's against the warrior code to tear him limb from limb,_ she reminded herself. _So I guess my instincts were right. He isn't sending she-cats out as leaders on patrol. But he's not even correct, because_ he's _not on any patrols yet, and Blackpool- wait, are we supposed to call him Blackstar? -hasn't gone out either._

She opened her mouth to explain his faulty assumption, then halted. _Well, I don't really want him to be ordering me around on patrol anyways._

"I think I'm just going to go out on my own then," she said as calmly as she could without tearing his ears off.

"No, you shouldn't," he contradicted. "Apprentices shouldn't go out on their own. Remember when I had to save you from that snake? Especially not-"

"She-cats," she finished for him, biting back a purr of incredulous, bitter laughter. "Wow. Wow."

Lightningpaw could hardly do more than just stare at him, willing herself not to scream or… murder him.

 _It's bad enough that he actually thinks that, but now that Blackpool was mouse-brained enough to appoint him_ deputy _for StarClan's sake, he's actually not going to let me leave the camp?! I'm not a_ kit _!_

With that last defiant thought, she bit back another furious purr and shook her head at him. "Alright. As you say."

And before he could say anything else, she whipped around and stomped back to the apprentice den. _If he thinks he can confine me to camp like a kit, he's got another think coming,_ she thought angrily, clawing the dirt. _I don't care if I have to sneak out; even if he catches me, Blackpool would be the one to punish me and if he knew what's going on he'd be on my side anyways._

She waited until Rainwater was finally looking in another direction, and slipped out of camp in the secret exit that she was pretty sure no leader had blocked up just because of nostalgia.

 _Thinks he can trap me, thinks he can control me,_ her mind kept going. _I don't_ think _so._

As Lightningpaw finally scrambled out of the ThunderClan camp, she slipped into the cover of the bushes with ease. _Well, this weather is just perfect,_ she grumbled to herself, sinking her claws into the freezing soil to avoid sliding.

 _Perfect for hunting,_ Whiteshadow pointed out. _For you at least. Your pelt blends in._

She blinked, looking down, and realized the she-cat was right. The bushes had lost most or all of their leaves, and those that clung onto the straggly brown branches were brown as well. Between the shrubs, there were flashes of white snow that hadn't melted yet. _Brown and white, like I am,_ she recognized. _Huh. Well, too bad this doesn't last long._

 _Might as well profit,_ Whiteshadow remarked, and Lightningpaw agreed, finally able to forget Rainwater, the deputy position, and the whole prophecy business.

And profit she did.

Letting the faint scents of prey lead her, she was nearly at the WindClan border and she'd caught a fat squirrel, a vole, and a couple mice. _This'll feed Leaffur and her_ many _kits,_ she thought, a sting in her heart at the reminder of the kits.

Suddenly, she paused at the scent of WindClan. _Oh! I almost fell into the border. Wow, that was a close one,_ she thought guiltily, glancing down at the stream that lay only a couple fox-lengths away. Ice was beginning to squeeze around the stream, heralding the approach of many hungry nights.

Sighing, she glanced up and caught a pair of green eyes. Very familiar green eyes.

 _Oh StarClan, just what I needed,_ she thought sarcastically. _Because if my life couldn't get complicated enough…_

But she was getting the same melty feeling in her stomach, and knew that if she didn't get out of there, he was going to see her.

She backpedalled into a thorn bush, because of _course_ she did.

 _StarClan forsaken thrice-cursed thorns!_ She thought angrily, wriggling around and only getting more caught. It was like they were intentionally wrapping around her.

"Rrgh!" she made a noise of frustration, then realized her mistake. _Can't I keep my jaws shut?!_ she thought despairingly.

"Um, hello?" Breezepaw called. "Is some cat there?"

His voice was rough, like he'd been shouting or screaming. _StarClan, no, he's going to see me,_ she thought, thrashing even more vigorously. But there was a tiny part that hoped, just a little bit, that maybe she wouldn't get free in time, and maybe he would spot her, and maybe they would _accidentally_ have a wonderful conversation and everything would be perfect for at least a few moments in the the mess of her life.

"Wait- uh, Lightningpaw?" he sounded so startled that she couldn't help a little wave of her free paw that stuck out from the top of the thorn bush. A moment later, he burst into laughter. "What- what are you doing there? And what did that poor thorn bush do to you?"

"I think I've offended it," she managed, attempting to stand up and retain some pretense of dignity, but the bush dragged her back into its thorny clutches.

He kept purring, managing between bouts of laughter, "How- did- that even- happen?"

She frowned at him, but it was hardly serious. "Stop laughing!"

Breezepaw stared at her. "Great StarClan, you're… _really_ stuck."

"I realize," she snapped, embarrassed to be caught in such an awkward position in front of him.

"I would offer help, but I shouldn't cross the border," he said, shrugging.

Lightningpaw grimaced. Just another reminder of how impossible this conversation really was. _I shouldn't even be talking to him if I'm ever going to stop thinking about him so much. Especially since the Rainwater thing was such an enormous failure… I don't think-_

Her train of thought screeched to a halt and she felt like it couldn't go any farther. _But I don't want to stop. I don't want him to be gone, I want him to stay…_

"Can you see what my tail's caught on?" she asked, softening her tone a little.

He squinted. "Uh, there's one wrapped around it from the left… just…" He waved his paw vaguely.

She gingerly unwound it, wincing as the thorns scraped the tender skin of her tail. After it was free, she carefully bit through one of the branches ensnaring her forepaws. "Almost… there…" she grunted, grinding her teeth against the plant.

"I think you've got it!" he called encouragingly.

It broke free with a snap and she tumbled out of the bush, face-first. _Great. Awesome. Super duper. I am the picture of swan-like grace._

Peeling her burning face off the hard dirt, she shook it vigorously and sneezed. "Mouse-brained bush."

She glanced up at Breezepaw, and then scowled when she saw how puffed up his cheeks were with suppressed laughter. "This is no laughing matter! It tried to eat me!"

With that, his resolve crumbled away and he dissolved into giggles.

Despite herself, a purr bubbled up inside of her. She pressed it down, tight-lipped and still glaring at Breezepaw. _This is going_ so _terribly. First I had to run into him, then next thing I know I'm making a hare-brain out of myself. Do_ not _laugh._

"Breezepaw?" A she-cat's voice rang over the border. "We should return to camp."

A chill like plunging into the lake washed over her and Lightningpaw finally snapped back to the real world. _I can't be seen with him like this. I have to go!_

"I'll see you at next Gathering," she said abruptly and hurried away from the border, this time making sure she watched where she was going. _Was that Spottedstar's voice?_ _Whoever it was, she can't catch me like this!_

And by the time the WindClan leader arrived at the border, Lightningpaw was barely a brown blur in the trees.

 **Theee end. Sorry it's a bit short and a week late, but the last couple weeks have been** _ **hEcTiC**_ **for me, so I'm glad I could at least get one out today!**

 **I'll see y'all next week.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	68. Breeze: Prisoner of Thorns

**Alrighty, Breeze's chapter!**

 **I know last time on the Breezepaw show, a little sumtin sumtin had you all reeling (a.k.a. Pushydawn's proposal) and I can promise you that for the sake of continuity, I will probably totally forget to put any kind of mention of it inside the chapter!**

 **Also, we're almost at 700 reviews! YEET!**

 **LESGO!**

Chapter 66.

He was walking back into camp.

It was very strange, this situation, for he didn't remember where he'd been, or what he'd been doing. Though it didn't feel like something particularly important to think about.

"Scarletfire's giving birth!" a cat told him, remarkable calm about it, and unidentifiable in the strange haze over his senses.

Panic writhed inside him at the statement, and he rushed to the nursery, or tried. It felt like he was wading through mud, which only made his anxiety worsen.

"Scarletfire!" he shouted. "Scarletfire!"

But he didn't hear anything from inside the nursery. By the time he made it in, he was in a proper fit and of terror and his chest felt like it was closing in on itself.

"Scarletfire?" he breathed, his voice suddenly cut off.

He peered into the den, inexplicably dark. A russet heap lay in the middle of the den, convulsing and twitching silently. _Scarletfire!_ he thought, terrified, but his voice was properly gone.

She just kept tensing and relaxing, her paws flung in different directions every time, until she suddenly rolled onto her back and her stomach split down the middle.

"Great StarClan," he tried to say, but it was just a choked whisper.

The terrible rip, opening her from throat to tail, was being pushed wider as something from inside her began to move. He watched, horrified, as Scarletfire's body was shed like a husk and out stepped…

Something the likes of which Breezepaw had never seen before. It was a cat, undeniably feline in form, and female as well, but smelled of overpowering myriads of scents, undistinguishable from each other.

He felt light headed just trying to pick them out.

But the most remarkable thing about the cat that had ostensibly been inside of Scarletfire the whole time was her pelt. It wasn't anything normal, white or black, tabby or ginger, it was too many colours to count, too bright to look upon without being blinded.

Squinting, he suddenly realized that she was staring at him intently.

But not just staring at him, for her eyes were nothing like he'd ever seen before. She was piercing his soul.

Her eyes were stars.

And then he collapsed.

But before the dream fully wisped away from him, he heard the she-cat speak, with a rich, full, but cold voice.

"A thorn, no matter how many rose petals disguise it, no matter what name it uses, no matter what scent it holds, is always just as sharp."

And he snapped awake.

…

"Breezepaw?" His name was being called.

He raised his head, blinking the bleary sleep out of his eyes. _I overslept!_

He shot to his paws, swaying sideways as he realized that he didn't have enough blood flow in that moment to stay on his paws.

"Breezepaw, we need to go train, why are you still asleep?" It was Spottedstar.

Heat flushed through him as he realized he'd just made the leader of WindClan go wake him up. He wished he might have had more time to figure out what the strange dream meant, but in the meantime, he needed to make sure Spottedstar didn't claw his ears off.

"I- I'm sorry, I-" Halfway through he realized he didn't have an excuse. "Um- I'll be right out!"

Spottedstar withdrew from the den with a huff and he quickly ran his tongue over his rumpled golden fur, trying to look at least moderately presentable.

When he finally made it out of the den without looking like he'd just wrestled a badger, Spottedstar was flicking her tail impatiently.

"Alright, let's go. I want to get some running done before the snow starts again," she said briskly.

Breezepaw felt a chill down his back. Running hadn't exactly been his favourite activity in the past moons, but he couldn't exactly argue with the leader, could he?

"Okay," he mumbled, and Spottedstar led them out of the camp at a quick walk.

 _This is manageable, this is fine- oh, great StarClan._ The moment they were out of the camp, Spottedstar was just a flecked streak in the distance as she pelted across the moor, probably already halfway to the border.

A whine tried to rise in his throat, but he shoved it back down and tried to charge after his new mentor. He felt ungainly and awkward and the distance between them only widened.

Eventually, Spottedstar halted and waited for what felt like hundreds of moons while Breezepaw caught up to her, panting.

"Did Icestorm not have you practice running?" she asked, bemused.

"Well…" he began, embarrassed for himself and his previous mentor. "It's just-"

"Ah." Suddenly she blinked, something almost like recognition flitting through her eyes. "Your father?"

"What?!" he demanded, the anger buried in him surging upwards at the mention of his absentee father. "What does he have to do with any of this?!"

But he had a sinking feeling that he might know. _No! I'm just terrible at running! It's not because-_

"Your father wasn't WindClan, was he." It had no inflection. It was a statement, not a question. Breezepaw deflated.

"Probably not," he admitted softly. It wasn't something he thought about often, especially not after Oatpad had died, since all reminders of his parentage had all but disappeared.

"Since Sunnyfur and Swiftclaw-" Spottedstar began again.

"Yes, I know," he said through gritted teeth.

Spottedstar squinted thoughtfully. "Unless it was Sagebreeze, but he and Oatpad weren't exactly friends, and I thought after he recovered from blue-cough he couldn't actually… _have_ kits, but I suppose... You know, I always wondered..."

 _Why are we even having this conversation?_ he thought irritably. _It's in the past and I see no point in discussing it. Who's Sagebreeze, though? Is it possible… that my father actually was WindClan?_

"Given your name, and the timing would line up," Spottedstar continued. "He disappeared less than half a moon before you were born, along with the fact that there was speculation that he ran away to become a kittypet…"

Breezepaw sank his claws into the peaty soil. _I don't care! It doesn't matter!_ "Well, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Spottedstar contemplated for a moment.

"Breezepaw, you're loyal to WindClan," she stated, again phrasing it like a question but without any tone to indicate an answer was necessary.

Unwilling to leave any sort of possibility open, he replied quickly, "Of course. Always."

"And you would be too young to remember…" The leader sighed heavily. "But there was a time when the Clans considered uniting. After the blow was struck, and the possibility of more Clans being destroyed… we had no choice but to become closer than ever. And the result was a lot of inter-Clan relationships."

Breezepaw's eyes widened. _She isn't suggesting…_

"And because of it, I've always wondered-" she said, slightly dreamily, but Breezepaw cut her off harshly.

"No. I'm WindClan, and nothing else," he said stubbornly. "At most, I'm partly loner or rogue or something. I'm not part any other Clan than WindClan."

"Oh no, I wasn't talking about you," she said, her eyes suddenly focusing. "I was talking about me."

 _What?!_ His mind was thrown into chaos by the suggestion.

"I- I don't understand," he stammered.

"I think I'm half-Clan," she repeated more specifically. "Ah. This surprises you. Well, not many cats would consider me anything other than pure WindClan, considering…" she trailed off, glancing across the moor.

"But-" he choked. _Spottedstar? The most WindClan cat in the four Clans is half-Clan?!_

"I couldn't be certain, of course, but I grew up much like you," she reminisced. "My mother was WindClan, and no cat ever spoke of my father. I was told I had no siblings, and no cat ever questioned it."

 _She shouldn't be telling me this,_ was his first thought, and then his second, _but what Clan could she possibly be_ also _from?_

"I've had suspicions for a long time," she murmured, tracing her tail across the grass. "Strange looks exchanged by my mother and a tom at Gatherings, misplaced feelings of kinship with…"

She glanced up at him appraisingly, narrowing her eyes. "Have you noticed? Do you care to guess?"

Amusement glittered in the pale depths of her eyes, and he swallowed.

"Um…" But there was a creeping suspicion inside him. "Is- is it-"

She shrugged. "Well, it doesn't really matter either way. We're unlikely to every clash in battle, given how things are, and the past is buried too deep for it to ever matter."

Breezepaw absorbed this silently.

"I suppose you must be wondering what reason I have for telling you this," she said with a sigh, glancing up into the gray sky. "Have you ever felt inadequate while training with Jayflight or Paledawn?"

 _Every time._

"I guess."

 _Is this why?_ Hope bloomed inside him. _Maybe I'm not actually a failure, maybe I just was always at a disadvantage because I wasn't full WindClan._

"You should try harder," she said, not coldly or cruelly, just straight and not particularly feeling. "You cannot blame your ancestors for your own mistakes, only theirs."

Confusion and defensiveness rose inside him.

"But I thought-"

"That I would excuse your failures with the reassurance that it wasn't your fault?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "I'm half-Clan and look at me now! There's no reason why anything about your heritage should hold you back."

He was silenced for a moment.

"And if Sagebreeze really was your father, then there's even less of an excuse," she said reprimandly. "I'm telling you right now, you need to toughen up and try harder if you want to make any kind of difference in this world."

He swallowed heavily, his spirits shot down by the harsh reality. _But that's not fair! I can't run as fast as Jayflight and Paledawn because I'm not pure WindClan, not because I'm not trying hard enough!_

"Starting now, you're going to train harder than before and you're going to push yourself," she ordered. "And you're not going to be inadequate any longer."

He bit back a hiss at the implication.

"Run to the lake and come back four times, each time dip a paw into the water," she told him. "I'll know if you cheat. If you come back with dry paws or more than one soaked paw, I'll make you do it twenty more times."

His temper flared, but he thrust it back down and with a baleful look at a gorse bush, he set off a run towards the lake. _Four times? I'll have to_ walk _just to conserve my energy!_

He was already running out of breath, just running at the brisk gait he had chosen.

"I said _run_ to the lake, not meander!" Spottedstar snapped. "Hurry up! I need to be back at camp by sun-high!"  
The cold air was making his breath ragged, like shards of ice were poking through his windpipe. Silently fuming, he obeyed Spottedstar and tried to quicken his pace. His chest felt tight and his paws were already getting sore.

 _I really,_ really _hate running_ , was all he could think, over and over again.

By the time he made it to the lake, his head was pounding and his throat was dried up and painful. _That's one good thing about running to the lake, I guess,_ he thought to himself, leaning down and lapping up a few mouthfuls of the water.

He winced as the icy water gripped his teeth and only further damaged his throat. _Well, I guess that didn't really help._

Breezepaw gingerly dipped one of his forepaws into the lake and clenched his teeth together as the frozen water darkened his black paw.

He looked up, scanning the moorland for Spottedstar, and realized that the starting point had been across one of the hills and he couldn't see his mentor anymore. _Hmm, wait a minute… maybe I don't have to go all the way to the lake every time..._

But what she said about not being able to cheat was true, for unless he found another source of water closer to the starting point - of course! The ThunderClan border!

Breezepaw, feeling renewed with his foolproof plan to cheat, hopped to his paws and charged across the moorland again.

"That's one," Spottedstar said drearily, scoring a mark in the dirt after she squinted at his paws to make sure one had been soaked in the lake.

He ran back off the way he had come, but the moment the WindClan leader's flecked form disappeared from his vision, he swerved and took a sharp course towards the border. He felt the wind at his back and praised StarClan for keeping him upwind so that Spottedstar wouldn't smell the ThunderClan scent clinging to his fur.

Finding the stream with ease, he dipped his second forepaw into it, wincing again. Taking a less ideal course, he managed to keep Spottedstar behind the hill and get back to her in the same way that he would as if he had just gone to the lake.

"Done," he gasped, still out of breath from the running, but pleased that he found a solution.

"That's two," Spottedstar said, yawning and scored another mark next to the first one.

Breezepaw whipped around and took the same route again, his headache still pounding and his eyes stinging from the harshly cold air.

He made it to the border and with a heavy sigh, flopped down for a moment, figuring he could rest.

Suddenly, Breezepaw heard a crunch and a flutter like leaves being disturbed. He pricked his ears, scenting the air to try to catch a hint of what the disturbance was caused by, but the wind was blowing the wrong way.

The crunching got louder, the branches of a thorn bush across the border rattling together. _Is some cat stuck in the bush?_ He squinted, trying to make out the details of the cat's shadowed form.

"Rrgh!" The prisoner of thorns snarled, rattling the branches all the harder.

 _Are they stuck?_ he wondered.

"Um, hello?" Breezepaw called. "Is some cat there?"

The cat was just thrashing harder than ever, their brown and white fur visible between… wait, he knew that pelt.

"Wait- uh, Lightningpaw?" he demanded incredulously. She stopped thrashing around in the bush and waved a forepaw at him. He burst into purrs of laughter. "What- what are you doing there? And what did that poor thorn bush do to you?"

"I think I've offended it," she managed with a scrap of dignity, attempting to draw herself up but only succeeding in wrapping more spindly branches around her.

He snorted, the image of her so hopelessly ensnared making him break down into laughter. Attempting to suppress it with tight-lipped seriousness, he managed a sentence. "How- did- that even- happen?"

She frowned, one branch protruding from her head like an antler off a deer. "Stop laughing!"

Breezepaw suddenly realized that she was practically in the centre of the bush, each and every twig properly poked into her pelt. "Great StarClan, you're… _really_ stuck."

"I realize," she snapped, giving him a dirty look.

Suppressing another snort, he shrugged helplessly."I would offer help, but I shouldn't cross the border."

She regarded him for a moment appraisingly, looking like she was trying to decide, then her scowl softed and she nodded to the thorns.

"Can you see what my tail's caught on?" she asked.

Breezepaw squinted, barely even able to see her tail. "Uh, there's one wrapped around it from the left… just…" He waved his paw vaguely. _Good, I'm being_ so _helpful._

She carefully waved her tail in a circle, unwinding the thorn's grip, then raised her foreleg carefully and took a vine between her teeth. "Almost… there…" she grunted, grinding her teeth against the plant.

"I think you've got it!" he called encouragingly. _I guess I just cheer her on since I can't help if I can't cross the border,_ he thought guiltily, only a reminder of how he really shouldn't even be talking to her at all.

There was a loud _snap!_ and the ThunderClan apprentice broke free and tumbled to the ground.

She hauled herself to her paws and glared at a spot of dirt her muzzle. She shook it vigorously and sneezed. "Mouse-brained bush."

She scowled at Breezepaw when she caught sight of his rapidly failing attempts to suppress the laughter. "This is no laughing matter! It tried to eat me!"

The straight-faced proclamation of the bush's attempt to consume a cat set him off and giggles erupted.

She glared at him, but he knew she was suppressing a laugh too.

"Breezepaw?" Spottedstar's voice rang over the border. "We should return to camp."

Lightningpaw's eyes snapped open and she turned tail.

"I'll see you at next Gathering," she said abruptly and hurried away from the border.

He sighed, and turned back to Spottedstar to face her wrath.

"I believe we may need to have another talk about your conduct during training," she said icily, and his heart sank.

The walk back to camp was the longest he had ever had, and he could say with a fair amount of certainty that it wasn't because he was out of breath, exhausted, feeling like his throat had just been dragged across a thunderpath, and oddly light-headed.

 **Geeeeh another short chapter. My deeeepest apologies, but it'll probably be the same until this set is over.**

 **Let's get us to 700 reviews! EEEE! QOTC: Think Spottedstar's a fair mentor or nah? QOTC #2: Can you figure out which Clan Spottedstar is half from, and for an extra special bonus point, who she's related to inside that Clan? It probably won't have much effect on the future events, but it's kind of a cool footnote.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	69. Wave: Beauty in Ice

**Heya! Welcome back! Sorry I'm late again ;).**

 **RR:**

 **Maplestar: Uh, welp, I'm afraid you won't be a fan of my fiction (; if you don't like the LightningWave ship or the LightningBreeze ship. Or um… gay cats?**

 **Anyways, for the rest of y'alls, welcome to Wavecrash's first entire chapter as a warrior! Containing many screw-ups of me accidentally calling him Wavepaw.**

Chapter 67.

"How are you?" Wavecrash asked softly.

"Better," Briarhoney grunted, staring into the moss of her makeshift nest in the medicine den like it held the answers to the universe.

"Pikesplash's been looking after you?" he pressed.

"Yes, everything's fine," she repeated. "I'm okay. You should just get back to duties."

He sighed, relenting. "I'm just worried about you, y'know?"

Briarhoney was silent.

Wavecrash restrained another sigh and flicked her with his tail. "I'll bring you something to eat later. Or some cool feathers if I can find them. I saw a mallard the other day around the practice pond, I hope he left some of those turquoisey-green feathers behind."

She nodded.

"Okay, see you around," he muttered, ducking out of the medicine den into the weak leaf-bare sunlight.

"Wavecrash, just who I wanted to see!" Mistcloud said, greeting him the moment he popped his head out. "I'd like you to lead a patrol with Cherryfish over to the ShadowClan border."

 _Lead a patrol?_ He gulped. _I'm a warrior now… right, I guess this is something. I don't really have to do anything special though, right? Just like… walk ahead of everybody?_

"Wavecrash! Over here!" Cherryfish called, signalling him with her tail.

He darted over, self-conscious now that he was supposed in charge. It was comprised of Seednose, Cinnamonheart, and Ripplestripe. _Good, I won't be ordering warriors older than me around,_ he thought gratefully, but then thought with a sinking feeling, _Too bad these are the cats I_ least _want to deal with right now. At least it's not-_

"Are we going to go or what?" Fallowspots growled.

"We were just waiting for you to show up," Cherryfish told him patiently.

 _Oh fantastic,_ Wavecrash thought sarcastically. _I'm sure he's going to be just delighted about having to take orders from me on this patrol. Then again, he's not really allowed to argue… so this might finally give me the chance to get a bit even with him._

"Did you want to choose a route or shall I?" he asked Cherryfish in a low voice, still a little self-conscious.

"You go ahead," she told him, smiling warmly despite the cold wind buffeting their fur. "It'll be good practice anyways."

 _It's always practice,_ he thought with a sigh, _even when you're a warrior. Life's just one long practice. But at least this gives me the chance…_

"Okay!" He tried to sound more enthusiastic than he felt. "We'll head this way to the ShadowClan border." He flicked his tail.

Seednose, Ripplestripe, and Cinnamonheart all nodded, but as he had predicted, Fallowspots's face screwed up with irritation.

"Why would we do that?" he demanded. "It would be much quicker to go along the main stream."

"I- I thought I scented some rogues by the outer border," Wavecrash covered quickly. "So I wanted to check and make sure that they hadn't crossed the scent line."

It wasn't exactly a lie. The rogue scents around the twolegs-place had been becoming stronger as of late, and Snowstar, without comment on it, had increased the number of patrols on that border.

"But then why-" Fallowspots began again, but this time it was Cherryfish who cut him off with a sharp look. When even that failed to silence him, she drew him aside and whispered harshly something along the lines of,

"Fallowspots, this… son… leading, so you… quiet… challenge… lead."

Fallowspots's irritation finally subsided and he pursed his lips. "Very well."

 _Very well indeed!_ Victory lit inside Wavecrash. _That'll show him. I can make the decisions now that_ I'm _a warrior too._

"Come on then," Wavecrash said, attempting brightness and only just falling short. It was hard to be bright when the weather was so abominable.

The thick of leaf-bare apparently had no intention of going any easier on them then it ever had before, and Wavecrash was unprepared. He had been born in leaf-bare, it was true, but he was too young to have properly adjusted and this was his first real encounter with the harsh season.

Striking forth bravely, he tried not to shiver in his thick coat as his paws plunged through the first light coating of ice on top of a thick layer of fluffy snow. The whole territory was choking in leaf-bare's grasp, and now that he had surrendered the solace of the camp, it seemed he would be no different.

"Wavecrash," Cinnamonheart singsonged, sidling up beside him.

"Hello Cinnamonheart," he grunted, sneaking a sideways glance at her before fixing his gaze on the obstructed horizon.

"Leading your own patrol and everything, you're really a warrior now," she commented.

"I was 'really' a warrior last moon," he stated, trying to keep his tone level which wasn't easy around her.

"Of course," she said dismissively. "I just mean… well… anyways. Got your eye on one of Poolfur's kits?"

"Got my eye…?" he trailed off. "Like, for an apprentice?"

Cinnamonheart nodded.

"Er, not really," he admitted. "I don't know. I haven't visited them much at all, just to bring the kits prey and stuff. They're only two moons old, it's kind of early to tell right?"

She shrugged. "I suppose. I've got my eye on that Islandkit. She's tiny, but she still has a lot of energy. Seems like fun."

"Fun?" He quirked an eyebrow. "It's an apprentice, not a pet mouse."

"No, I just mean like… she wouldn't be moody," she said, with a pointed look.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I don't know, I feel like an apprentice with too much energy would just get annoying after awhile."

"Well, you wouldn't like Trilliumkit then," Cinnamonheart said, shrugging. "She's about as annoying as they come. Two months old and already running the nursery like her own private Clan. Bossiest creature I've ever met, and I've met you."

"Hey!" he protested.

"But if you like quiet ones, Splashkit would probably be a good match for you," Cinnamonheart said thoughtfully. "She's ambitious, I can already tell, but she's not quite as loud about it as Trilliumkit. She helps out her littermates too, she seems pretty generous for a kit."

"Huh," Wavecrash said noncommitally, but inwardly wondered if he was supposed to be paying more attention to these kits if there was a chance Snowstar might choose him to mentor one. Cinnamonheart already seemed to have a wealth of knowledge about them, and he barely knew more than their names and pelts. "Isn't there one more? Quickkit or something?"

"Quailkit," Cinnamonheart corrected, and Wavecrash mentally smacked himself. _Guess I don't even know their names._ "Yeah, she's… uh… well… she's not much a talker."

 _Sounds much better than literally every other kit I've ever met,_ Wavecrash thought, snorting too himself. _They're such chatterboxes and it just gets tiring._

"I dunno, she's smart I guess," Cinnamonheart said shrugging, but Wavecrash's attention was suddenly ripped away by another realization.

"You hate kits, how come you know all this stuff about them?" he demanded.

"Well, you know why I don't like kits," she mumbled. "And _those_ kits were only a moon old at the time. When other kits pass that, I don't know… they just feel safer. You know?"

"I guess," he agreed, not sure he followed her logic. _Aren't all kits just… kits? Until they're six moon old?_

"Anyways," she said, sweeping onwards without a pause, "any reason in particular you wanted to go near the border with the twolegsplace?"

"I told you, because I scented rogues the other day," he repeated the half-truth.

"Really." Cinnamonheart gave him a skeptical look. "That's the reason. Absolutely no ulterior motive at all."

 _Well,_ maybe _I happened to want to make Fallowspots trek all the way around half the territory without being allowed to complain,_ he thought guiltily.

"Um-" thinking fast, he thought up an excuse. "Also, there's a place where a lot of ducks cluster and I wanted to find some feathers for Briarhoney."

Cinnamonheart's face broke into a rare, genuine smile. It was crooked, unlike her perfectly done up charming smile she used on every cat in the Clan. "That's sweet of you."

He flushed with heat and shuffled his paws. "Well, you know…"

She looked away, a little smile still tracing the edges of her mouth. "You're a good brother."

Wavecrash was at a loss for words. Guilt swamped him, but he pressed it back, telling himself that he was _also_ on the lookout for some feathers to bring back to his sister. _Besides which, Fallowspots deserves it, Cinnamonheart just wouldn't understand._

"Thanks, I guess," he finally mumbled, staring straight ahead. They were quickly coming up on the border, and he swerved suddenly, casting his voice to the back of the patrol. "Well, doesn't seem like there are fresh scents so let's just go straight to the ShadowClan border then!"

Seednose and Ripplestripe nodded in agreement, and Cherryfish took the lead this time, leaving Cinnamonheart and Wavecrash to drop back. Fallowspots, he noted with a twinge of satisfaction, was shivering in his thinner pelt.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" the russet she-cat said after a beat of silence, surveying the territory.

"What- the snow?" Wavecrash asked, perplexed.

"Well… not just that, all of it," Cinnamonheart replied cryptically, blinking slowly at the landscape of RiverClan's territory. "You know, all the bushes with their troublesome leaves stripped away, just perfect, uniform whiteness atop each and every one? And the streams, not gurgling or splashing, just gilded silver and still."

He blinked, absorbing this confusing evaluation of the world.

"I- I suppose," he agreed after a moment, scanning his surroundings with renewed interest, wondering if there was something in this icy world that he had missed, that had brought out such wonder in Cinnamonheart. She certainly wasn't the type to frolic like a kit in the snowflakes just because she had never seen them before. She must know full well how harsh leaf-bare was for the Clans. And to still find beauty in it? Surely there was something he wasn't seeing.

"I just find the other seasons rather… chaotic," she observed, shrugging. "So leaf-bare, as you call it, is… refreshing, I suppose."

He nodded slowly, following her logic as best he could. "Well, I suppose with the rogues you didn't need to find your own food, and so-"

Cinnamonheart's golden eyes suddenly blazed with irritation. "Don't make assumptions, _Wavecrash_ , it was just as difficult to scavenge as it is to catch fish. It simply wasn't dependent on the season."

He bit his tongue, chastised by her harsh words, and nodded soundlessly. _I suppose I just thought that if she was so important in that… group, or whatever… perhaps some cat found her food for her. But I guess that wasn't the case._

There was silence between them for a moment before Cinnamonheart broke it again.

"I'm sorry, I was too quick to anger," she said sincerely, every shred of rage apparently mysteriously drained away leaving only repentance. "I just feel like every other cat didn't understand what my life was like… before… and to have you make the same kind of assumption despite knowing better just felt like betrayal."

 _Betrayal? That's… a strong word,_ he thought.

"I'm sorry," he attempted. "I was wrong. You're right. I _don't_ understand. I'm doing my best, and you were right to be frustrated with me."

She blinked suddenly, pulling away from him momentarily.

"What? What is it?" Wavecrash asked nervously, hoping he hadn't somehow made things worse.

"I- forget it," she mumbled, looking away.

He furrowed his brow and changed the direction of his pawsteps to fall closer in step with hers. "Wait. Please tell me. I didn't make things worse, did I?"

"No, it's not that," she said quickly, then sighed. "I- Cats don't usually apologize to me, is all. So, thanks I guess."

"Oh." Whatever it was he had expected her to say, it wasn't that. "Okay… um, you're welcome?" _That's kind of sad, actually. No cat's ever apologized to her?_

They walked in silence to the ShadowClan border and marked it, the yellow scent marks stark against the white snow. Wavecrash sighed heavily, feeling the cold aching in his ears and jaw. _Even if Cinnamonheart thinks it's beautiful, I still wish it was always green-leaf._

Feeling the silence pressing on him uncomfortably, he searched for any strands of conversation in safe topics that he could voice. "Um, you said 'leaf-bare, as we call it'. Did the rogues have a different name for it?"

"Of course," she said dismissively, "we had a different word for everything. Leaf-bare was 'The Cold', new-leaf was 'The Return', green-leaf was 'The Warmth', and leaf-fall was 'The Fall'. One of the older members had a different name for them, but he had a different name for a lot of things. Most of us just assumed he was crazy. I thought that maybe he knew what he was talking about once, but those days were pretty far behind him…"

"Huh."

The silence returned. _Anything! Anything at all! Just maybe not about the rogues, because she really doesn't seem too eager to talk about them. Um… let's see…_

"Who-" Wavecrash began, but suddenly another member of the patrol came up beside them and cut him off.

"Wavecrash, can we talk privately for a moment?" Ripplestripe asked, her gray-blue eyes big and pleading.

Gritting his teeth, he waved off a concerned look from Cinnamonheart that had lit in her eyes the moment his sister spoke.

"Make it short," he ordered.

There was a spark of resentful irritation in her eyes at the command, but she dipped her head slightly in submission. _She wants something from me, I know she does._ Irritation wriggled under his skin. _Does she think she can play me for a fool? We've known each other our whole lives._

"Look… I know we haven't exactly been the greatest family," she began, swallowing.

 _So this is hard for her._ His thorny defenses lowered slightly, but he was still on guard. _Ripplestripe never did anything without some personal benefit, and I doubt she's about to change that._

"And… we've all sort of dealt with it in our own ways," she continued, darting a glance to one side. "You know, Cloudfall closed off more after we were apprenticed, Fallowspots… well, he's never exactly been warm and fuzzy, and _certainly_ not to you…"

"Get on with your point," Wavecrash snapped, biting back irritation at the Fallowspots comment.

"I… guess I…" She looked down at her paws, her blue-gray eyes filling with guilt. "I- I blamed Briarhoney. In part. Because I thought- well… I don't know. It just… it went on too long, and it got to be too much, and so…"

He scowled. _So this_ is _for her personal gain. She's trying to get me to forgive her for what happened to Briarhoney._ But forgiveness was a loaded promise, and not one he was sure he was ready to make to Ripplestripe just yet.

"And she kept making _comments_ , about who I talked to and what I did, and…" Icy fire blazed in her eyes for a moment, before subsiding, and she huffed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be trying to defend myself while… apologizing."

It was only a confirmation of what he had suspected, but it incensed his temper like nothing else she'd said.

"It doesn't matter what comments she made!" he spat. "You drove her to what she did! Maybe wait until she's out of the _medicine_ den before you come crawling to _me_ for forgiveness! Too mouse-hearted to talk to her yourself?!"

"That's not it!" Ripplestripe protested, wincing. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. This didn't work out how I wanted."

"The part where you try to apologize or the part where you put my _sister_ in the medicine den?!" he demanded, his temper flaring despite his best attempts to keep it closed off.

"Apologizing," she mumbled. "Please, Wavecrash, just hear me out! I never meant for things to-"

"I think I've heard plenty," he said coldly, turning away from her. "Once Briarhoney's forgiven you, you can try this again."

 _But she won't forgive you. Not for at least another hundred moons,_ he thought, unfeeling. _Because you tore apart her life, I_ know _you did, and you did damage that'll take more than a half-moon and a half-hearted apology to fix._

"Wavecrash, we should go hunting," Cinnamonheart suggested smoothly, as though she had somehow managed to miss the harsh words in raised voices exchanged between the littermates.

"I think that's a good idea," he whispered. "Can we go to the practice pond? That's where I saw the ducks."

"Catch something nice for Flowerpelt before she has her kits," Seednose added.

"Oh, you'd like to come along?" Cinnamonheart asked, her face schooled into a mask of complacency, but Wavecrash had learned enough to see the gleam of something unreadable in her golden eyes.

 _What was that?_ he wondered, squinting at her like he could make the flash of emotion reappear.

 _It looked like… disappointment?_

 **QOTC: Y'alls think Wavey shoulda forgiven Ripplestripe?**

 **ANyways, leave a review, I'm going to go beat my brother with a stick for chewing SO FRICKIN LOUDLY. Ahem. See you this weekend! (Maybe, heheh)**

 **~Pondfrost**


	70. Dark: The Silver Memories

**Salutations, friendzoids, apologies for the late chapter.**

 **Gah, I was going to update the allegiances, but I didn't do that last chapter, so we're gonna wait until Lightning and Breeziboi become warriors too. Therapy session/self-help seminar with Ripple coming up!**

 **LET US BEGIN THE DARKIE CHAPTER.**

Chapter 68.

It had been nearly a moon, but she was still screwing up.

From spending an entire night in the apprentice's den by accident after a long sundown patrol that had left her weary and apparently frog-brained, to asking Wildwind what they would be doing that day, she had been even more scatterbrained that usual.

It was difficult to be one of _five_ new warriors, especially when they were all better at fighting, in Olivewolf's case, strategizing, in Primrosethorn's case, intelligence, in Lionsun's case, and confusing and ridiculous insults, in Robinwood's case. It seemed that patrols were already full by the time she stumbled bleary-eyed out of the den.

That was how she found herself shivering in her thin tortoiseshell pelt in the middle of the snowy ShadowClan territory. _Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ she berated herself. _Why would you go alone hunting on a day like this?_

The icy wind whistled in the thin pines, chilling her to the bone.

She exhaled shakily, watching her breath turn to smoke and float up to join the clouds. _I should have just stayed in the camp._

Wincing as her tender pad scraped against a shard of ice, she shivered and scanned the surrounding area for a place to wait out the impending blizzard. Her gaze landing on a particularly large pine whose thick roots had carved out a little space where she could curl up.

Breathing a frosty sigh of relief, she hurried over and curled up, feeling the chill slowly seep out of her numb limbs. The rustling of the trees forming a soothing refrain, she closed her eyes, hoping to catch her breath and maybe fight off the strange numbness that was creeping through her body.

…

"Darkmoon, wake up!" a tom's voice called to her.

She blinked her eyes open slowly and lifted her muzzle to come nose to nose with Ripple.

"Gah!" she exclaimed, startled by his sudden proximity, then licked her chest, embarrassed. "What are you doing here? Am I dreaming?"

"Sort of," he said evasively. "Look, I wanted to talk to you."

She blinked. "Um, you can. The whole voice-in-my-head thing?"

Ripple rolled his green eyes. "A proper, uninterrupted conversation."

Darkmoon glanced around, observing the starlit field and stormy gray sky. Her surroundings were strange and pale, like the colour had been leached out of them. It was deserted except for the two of them.

"Well, we're uninterrupted now," she commented. "What did you want to talk about?"

"You've been acting strange lately," he accused, narrowing his eyes.

Darkmoon huffed a sigh. "You live in my head; surely you don't need to ask me directly to figure out what's going on with me?" _Can you still read my mind?_ she asked silently.

"It's more complicated than you'd think," he said impatiently. "I can only look at what you're thinking at the moment, not flip through your memories and trace every little action back to its source. And yes."

 _Great,_ she thought sarcastically, then replied verbally. "Okay, but what do you mean by strange?"

"You…" He flicked his feathery tail in irritation, appearing to search for the correct words. "You're… unmotivated. You aren't trying."

"How?" She frowned at the accusation. "There isn't anything to _try_."

"Exactly!" he said, then squeezed his eyes shut in irritation. "Okay. Look. You're not even trying to go on patrol. This little solo hunting mission is almost the first time you've been out of camp since you were made a warrior."

"I just… don't care," she said, shrugging. _But it's more than that… it's uninteresting. It feels pointless._

"It's not pointless," he snapped. "It's a service to your Clan. You'll have to do more than that if you want to be leader."

"Leader? I don't care about that anymore, that was just a dumb kithood dream," she snorted.

Ripple's eyes narrowed to fiery green slits. "That's not true, you know it's not. You just don't remember why you care."

The words lit a fuse in Darkmoon. _I haven't 'lost my way', I don't need your help!_

"I learned that there's more to life that trying to be important," she hissed. "I learned that every little kit wants to be leader, and it's an unrealistic and stupid dream."

"Really?" Ripple challenged. "Ivystar's not getting any younger, and Ravenwing will need a deputy. Who's it going to be? Olivewolf, the tom dumb as a log? Primrosethorn, the she-cat that would spontaneously combust if she got along with any cat for more than a heartbeat? Robinwood, the tom that would disintegrate if another cat raised their voice against him? _Lionsun_? That excuse for a ShadowClan she-cat?"

"What?" Darkmoon scowled. "What are you going on about?"

" _There is no other path_ , Darkmoon," Ripple growled. "You are the future of ShadowClan, so it's time to quit your whining and get on with it. You are ShadowClan. As you rise, they rise with you. As you fall, they fall alongside."

She caught her breath, then shook her head. "You're just saying that. Any other cat would be a better deputy than me. I'm too… self-centred."

"There! Right there!" Ripple crowed. "You can identify your flaws! That in itself is more than any other contender for the position is doing!"

"But how am I supposed to change that?" she protested. "Suddenly become the paragon of virtue and selflessness? I _know_ I'm self-centred, but that's part of who I am."

To her surprise, Ripple snorted, rolling his eyes at her.

"You're going to pull the 'that's just who I am' excuse? Really?" His tone with claw-tip sharp, burning with sarcasm. "Oh, of course, my mistake, at the ripe old age of twelve moons you're fully formed and there's no point in attempting self-improvement."

She scowled, but he just went on.

"How do you solve a problem?" he challenged, the question seeming to come out of nowhere.

"Uh- I don't know," she stalled, blinking in confusion. "Try to figure out the best solution and then how to do it?"

"First, what do you have to do?" he admonished.

She furrowed her brow. "I don't know."

"Identify the problem!" he burst out. "That's the first step to fixing something! Figure out what's wrong! Then find a solution. Then do that solution."

"I don't understand, where are you going with this?" Darkmoon asked.

Ripple gave a long-suffering sigh.

"Life is full of barriers on the path to success," he told her, suddenly adopting a serious tone of voice. "And as you come to each of those barriers, you must identify what is holding you back from moving forwards, then figure out a solution to that problem, then implement it."

"Get to the point," she snapped, irritability rising in her.

"And so, your barrier," he said, flourishing his tail dramatically. "You can't become deputy."

Suddenly, Darkmoon's attention was caught by something to her left. _Has that pool always been there?_ she briefly wondered, before peering into it and catching her breath.

It was her reflection, head hanging as Ravenwing, looking older, touched noses with Lionsun. "Is that- Lionsun becoming deputy?" she asked confused, glancing back to Ripple.

"Not the important part," he said dismissively. "Look, your barrier is your inability to become deputy. The _problem_ , which you've helpfully identified on your own, is that you're self-centred."

A ripple ran across the pool and the image shifted. It was still her reflection, but this time it was her eating prey, surrounding by her emaciated Clanmates. Revulsion rose in her stomach at the image.

"Now, the last two steps," he said, looking to her meaningfully.

"Find and implement a solution," she repeated.

"How do you intend to become less self-centred?" Ripple challenged.

Her thought process screeched to a halt. She looked back to the pool for an idea, but it was gone, replaced with the strangely still, ghostly grass.

"Um…" she stalled, looking around, praying for an idea to come to her. _I always think of myself before others, so how could I fix that? I- I need to start thinking of them first, so…_

Ripple sighed. "Seems self-improvement might be another weakness."

Giving up on trying to find a solution, she asked the question that had been worming around in her since they began their conversation.

"Why are you doing this?"

Ripple blinked, almost looking caught off guard, before replying smoothly, "I want to see you succeed."

"Why?"

"Because… you remind of myself."

"I don't believe you," she said levelly, not breaking eye contact.

He blinked again.

"You don't need to; it's true," he said, shrugging. "I'll always do my best to be honest with you."

"Who are you?" she asked softly.

There was a beat of silence, like a drop of water falling into the lake of time.

His green eyes were incredibly expressive, she noticed. He was good at hiding them when he wanted to, but now, a hundred unguarded feelings flashed across his face. Memories flitted past his eyes, and he almost didn't seem to be conscious anymore.

"Who am I…" he repeated, then his eyes seemed to glaze over. "I'm Ripple. I've been a thousand different cats, I've lived a thousand different lives, and the last time I breathed air my heart was so shattered that it would never be put back together in another living cat.

"I've felt everything. I've been everyone. And one day, something took hold inside me and never let me go. I fell so far and so deep in love that when the inevitable betrayal happened, I was destroyed. My living relations are at risk and unstable, and I miss her so much that sometimes I think I'd rather have never existed at all than felt this pain. But she's close, I know she is, and we'll be together soon."

With that his eyes fluttered shut and he seemed to cease to breathe at all.

Darkmoon just stared.

It was several moments before she worked up the courage to try to call him back to the present.

"Ripple?"

His fur slowly raised, then lowered, and he blinked his eyes open.

"Oh, no, did that happen again?" he asked, frowning. "I thought I had control this time."

"What…"

"Strange." He shook himself out. "I figured he wouldn't let me tell you that."  
"He?" Darkmoon repeated. "Who?"

Ripple shut his eyes tightly, then opened them again, but his expressive green eyes were gone, leaving only shimmering white behind, so blindingly bright it felt like she was staring into the sun.

His eyes were stars.

"See?" Ripple said weakly, his voice wavering slightly. "Nothing to be afraid of, I'm perfectly fine."

"Ripple, what's happening?" she demanded, sudden and inexplicable terror rushing through her.

Then the world collapsed.

" _Ripple_!" She screamed as she fell into nothingness.

Her scream echoed around, but instead of fading, it was gaining strength, and _changing._

"Ripple! Ripple!" It was a different she-cat's voice, unfamiliar. It was lower, and more precise than Darkmoon's slightly slurred ShadowClan tone. It sounded RiverClan.

" _Ripple_!"

"I'm fine!" he shouted, a disembodied voice. "I have control this time! I promise!"

Darkmoon's jaws stretched open in a silent wail as she tumbled through the nothingness.

But it wasn't just black anymore, things were flashing before her eyes.

Her first steps out of the nursery, the sound of rushing water and the reeds.

Her first steps out of camp, the sound of rushing water and the reeds.

The roaring and screeching as the monster slammed into her.

The incomprehensible pain of being crushed.

The sharp scent of herbs and terror.

 _ **This one will do.**_

The medicine cat's voice, saying he wouldn't survive the night, and the hazy dreamworld where a cat with stars for eyes offered him everything.

The scent of the medicine cat apprentice, as she rushed in and out of the den, tirelessly working to keep his breath going for a few more heartbeats.

The guilt of knowing she had used nearly every herb in the den.

The relief as he finally blinked open his eyes.

She was everything.

"I can control it this time! I promise!" Ripple shouted again. "I can keep him under control!"  
The terrifying, intoxicating feeling of falling in love, past the point of no return, him rising too quickly to prominence, the whispers behind the elder's den, her, teetering on the edge of madness.

The territory, ablaze in scarlet flames, her, gone, him, gone, the world ending, the cat with stars in his eyes,

laughing.

Darkmoon woke up.

…

"She's awake!" Lostbird's impossibly relieved mew broke through her hazy unconsciousness.

"Thank StarClan," Ashmask said, and Darkmoon could practically hear him sagging with relief.

Pawsteps.

Then, Ivystar's sharp voice. "Darkmoon! An explanation, please."

She blinked her eyes, exhaustion making her movements sluggish.

"Give her a moment," Ashmask told Ivystar cautiously.

"Ivystar?" Darkmoon asked weakly, lifting her muzzle to observe the leader standing over her nest… in the medicine cat's den?

"Darkmoon, why did you go out in the middle of a blizzard?" Ivystar asked, her voice struggling to stay level with the amount of restrained rage in it.

"Hunting?" she offered weakly,

A low growl rose in Ivystar's throat, but it was cut off quickly. "Do you know what happened? What do you remember?"

A sinking feeling in her stomach, she recounted going out, trying to hunt, getting caught in the blizzard, then finally curling up underneath the giant pine tree, numb but not cold anymore.

Ivystar breathed out slowly.

"Ashmask, you had better explain things to her," she said through gritted teeth. "I'll be back in a moment."

Ashmask nodded dutifully, and turned his gaze back to Darkmoon as the leader exited.

"You were curled up underneath the pine, like you said," Ashmask told her, sighing heavily. "One of the border patrols found you. You almost froze to death."  
Shock flooded her, the first sharp emotion she'd felt all day.

"I almost… died?"  
Lostbird nodded soberly, and pushed a tough-looking shrew towards her. "You should eat something."

She glanced down at it, but she needed confirmation of something first. "Was I… still?"

Ashmask and Lostbird exchanged glances. "You were muttering things," Lostbird told her eventually. "Things about… frost, ripples, fire, mostly nonsense."

"Mostly?" Darkmoon repeated, feeling a sinking feeling in her stomach again but forcing herself to meet the medicine cat's cold blue gaze.

"You just kept repeating… 'I can control it'," she said finally.

Darkmoon went limp, letting her head fall back into her paws. _What does it mean? What was Ripple talking about?_ But there was no reply, not from him or anyone else.

"Darkmoon, has the ground ever done anything strange around you?" Ashmask asked bluntly.

"The ground?" she repeated, her head still buried in her paws.

"Like… has it ever… split?" Lostbird asked softly, and they waited silently for her reply.

 _They know! How do they know?_ The memories of the stormy nights, and the murderous shadows in the cracks in the ground threatened to drown her. _I can't tell them the truth._

"No, I don't know what you're talking about," she said as convincingly as she could.

"Are you sure?" Ashmask prodded.

"Yes, I'm sure," she snapped. "The ground doesn't just randomly break apart, did you have too many poppy seeds or something?"

They were saved from having to reply to that cutting remark as Ivystar returned. Darkmoon lifted her head, preparing herself for the punishment she was about to receive.

"Darkmoon, you have been behaving recklessly for the past moon," Ivystar told her calmly. "You have not been contributing to this Clan as is expected, and you are intentionally putting yourself in harm's way. Do you have an explanation?"

She sighed heavily and squeezed her eyes shut like if she concentrated hard enough, Ivystar might disappear.

"No…" she said quietly, suddenly feeling very young. "I'm sorry."

Silence hung in the den for a moment.

"Darkmoon." Ivystar said softly. "I will not punish you for something out of your control. But I expect more from you. You have one moon to show more interest and participation in Clan life before I give you any kind of punishment. It is leaf-bare, and we need every strong warrior we have. Going out alone and almost freezing to death is unacceptable."

Some of her words echoed what Ripple had said, and she winced.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry catches no prey, and as you now know, neither does going out alone and nearly dying," Ivystar said sharply. "I wish you swift recovery."

And with that, Ivystar swept out of the den.

 _Ugh, I really screwed it up this time,_ she thought hollowly. _The leader herself coming to tell me to step up my game? I need to pull it together…_

She hooked the tough shrew and pulled it closer to her, chewing a couple of mouthfuls. It was tasteless, but she knew she would need energy if she was going to be able to go outside in the next moon.

Resting for another little while, soon enough, enough feeling had returned to her limbs that she felt like she might be able to stand up with fainting.

Taking a deep breath, she heaved herself to her paws and tottered out of the den weakly.

 _Her first steps out of camp, the sound of rushing water and the reeds._

She felt her legs buckle under her as the memory crashed over her like a wave made of stone.

The rest of the memories that had inexplicably been dumped upon her hummed at the back of her consciousness like bees, a silent threat.

 _The roaring and screeching as the monster slammed into her the incomprehensible pain of being crushed the sharp scent of herbs and terror_ _ **this one will do.**_

Summoning every shred of strength left in her shaking body, she tried to force the memories out, away from her, and for a moment, it worked, and she breathed a shaky sigh of relief. They were returning quickly though, and she rallied her power to banish them completely.

They faded like a mist in sunlight.

But the lingering, coppery taste of fear still rang on her tongue.

 _Ripple, what did you do to me?_ She thought despairingly.

 **Shadaboom.**

 **Are you noticing a pattern yet? Any theories about those memories? Leave them in a review! I'll see you the next time I'm not hunched over my phone, cackling madly as I crank my headphones' volume up further than is safe for human ears.**

 **QOTC: Theories on those memories?**

 **~Pondfrost**


	71. Lightning: Cupid Crushed

**Welcome back!**

 **A wild Lightningpaw was spotted!**

 **Eheheh, the most wonderful chapter is upon us.** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **To all of you wondering when Lightningpaw and Breezepaw are getting their warrior names, it'll be very** _ **very**_ **soon. But not this set.**

 **RR:**

 **Somerandomperson: Hmm, you think the reeds and water thing had to do with Wavecrash? Interesting theory ;).**

 **Alrighty. Gathering time! (I know you all love love love those Gathering chapters :P)**

Chapter 69.

 _You miss_ one _stupid squirrel and suddenly you're clearing the elders' den for the rest of the day,_ Lightningpaw thought bitterly. _Stupid Blackpool. He's probably on a power-trip from suddenly being sort-of-leader._

The reminder of the leadership situation in ThunderClan only served to make her even more bitter.

"Yowch!" Tanglescar hissed, and clouted her over the head.

Without thinking, Lightningpaw swiped him back, and he recoiled with an injured scowl. _Oops,_ she thought guiltily, but held a sturdy glare.

"Be more careful," the elder snapped.

"Relax, Tanglescar, she's doing her best," Rowanwind said mildly. "I've got a tick right by the back of my neck that I can't reach."

"I'll get it," Lightningpaw mumbled, doing her best not to sound _too_ sour.

 _Don't hit the elders,_ Whiteshadow told her, amusement creeping into her voice before being quickly shunted away to stay stern. _You're bigger than them now._

 _Exactly!_ Lightningpaw thought back bitterly. _I'm the size of a warrior! Why hasn't my ceremony happened yet?! The Gathering's tonight! Breezepaw's probably a warrior… he's going to think I'm just a stupid little apprentice. Oh, Whiteshadow, what do I do?_

 _You could start by actually focusing on your task,_ she said reprimandingly.

Lightningpaw reluctantly fixated herself on combing through Rowanwind's fur to pick out the little bloodsuckers.

"Ah, that's better," the tabby elder sighed as Lightningpaw cracked the one on her neck. "I remember being your age, full of hope and ambition."

 _Here we go, another lecture about life and seizing the moment and condescending remarks about youth,_ Lightningpaw thought acidulously. _Great._

"Falling in love…" Rowanwind sighed dreamily.

Surprised made Lightningpaw bite into the tick a little harder than she meant to and she nipped Rowanwind's skin.

"Ouch!" the elder exclaimed, frowning at Lightningpaw. "Be careful!"  
"Sorry," she mumbled insincerely, and continued the search for ticks as Rowanwind started up again.

 _I guess Rowanwind's mate must've died or something. I can't imagine her with Tanglescar, that's for sure,_ Lightningpaw thought.

"With the sickness in the Clan… no cat could really blame me for wandering beyond the borders once in awhile," the elder reminisced.

 _The sickness? What sickness? Was there a greencough outbreak or something? And what does she mean, wandering beyond the borders?_ Lightningpaw wondered.

"Hi Tanglescar! Hi Rowanwind!" Sunkit squeaked, bouncing into the elders' den.

 _Oh, excellent,_ Lightningpaw thought sarcastically. _That's just fantastic. I'm so glad._

 _Sunkit's alright,_ Whiteshadow told her. _He really looks up to you._

 _Sunkit's fine,_ she agreed grudgingly. _But if he's here, then surely…_

"Move _over_ , Cloudykit!" Sweetkit snapped bossily. "You're taking up the whole den, badger-paws!"

"Who's Badgerpaw?" Cloudykit asked, bamboozled.

Lightningpaw sighed and shuffled to the back of the elders' den to put enough space between her and the kits that she wouldn't accidentally brush pelts with any of them.

"Can we have a story?" Rainbowkit asked eagerly.

"Of course," Rowanwind said, smiling indulgently. "Would you like to hear how the seasons came to be?"

"I want to hear one with lots of fights!" Cloudykit interrupted.

"Well-" Rowanwind began, but was cut off.

"Just be quiet and let her tell the story!" Pearlkit snapped at her brother.

"I-" Rowanwind tried again.

"You're the one who's interrupting!" Cloudykit retorted.

"Kits, please-" Rowanwind attempted.

"Would both of you just _shut up_?!" Lightningpaw exploded.

The den was silent, and seven pairs of eyes peered at her.

 _Fox-dung,_ she thought, embarrassed by the scrutiny.

"Lightningpaw, I need to stretch my legs," Tanglescar interrupted. "I'm thirsty, let's walk down to the lake."

While taking one of the oldest cats in the Clan out in the middle of a blizzard was probably far from the top of Lightningpaw's list of favourite things, she was grateful for the way out of the situation.

"Alright," she said quickly, and swerved out of the den, narrowly avoiding trampling Pearlkit.

Once she was out of the stifling den, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It had felt like her chest was closing up, squeezing tight until she couldn't breathe.

"Thank you," she muttered to the scrawny gray elder, seeing no reason to keep up the charade.

"What are you talking about? You owe me after cuffing me for no reason earlier," he snipped sourly, but there was a gleam of understanding in his rheumy green eyes.

She rolled her eyes, but affection for the old codger lit in her. _I guess he's not quite as out of touch as I thought,_ she reflected.

"Are you sure you want to go down to the lake? It's pretty windy out there," Lightningpaw said doubtfully, glancing upwards where rough winds scraped hail across the sky. "Maybe we-"

"I'm thirsty," Tanglescar said defiantly.

"Alright," she said, shrugging.

The moment they made their way out of the camp, Lightningpaw regretted not trying harder to change his mind. Despite the thick vegetation that covered ThunderClan's territory, the icy wind buffeted their fur. She could barely see a tail-length in front of her, the snow was so thick.

"Are you still thirsty?" she called over the howling of the wind.

"Very!" Tanglescar shouted back, his eyes slitted protectively.

 _An afternoon with the cursed litter sounds like StarClan right about now,_ she thought ruefully, trying to pick out a path to the lake in the complete whiteness.

Tanglescar's tail suddenly flicked her. She glanced back, confused, and saw there was a flicker of worry in his eyes. Silently, she laid her striped tail across his shoulders and they padded in tandem through the icy wilderness.

"You know…" he grunted after they had been walking long enough to get them halfway to the lake, at least. "I think we should… I think we should go back."

Now _he gives up his tenacity?_ Lightningpaw thought, shivering in her pelt. _Well, better late than never._

"Alright, just stick close to me," she commanded, uninterested in trying to keep his fragile ego intact.

He nodded fretfully, and they turned around.

They walked together long enough for Lightningpaw to fear that they'd somehow gone the wrong way, but they came to a familiar patch of bushes.

"There it is," Tanglescar sighed in relief, and with a sudden burst of speed, darted into the bushes.

"Wait-" Lightningpaw shouted, terror suddenly lighting through her icy veins.

 _Not that way!_ she realized, eyes splitting wide as Tanglescar slipped through the bushes.

Too late.

"Tanglescar!" she screamed, his gray tail-tip disappearing into the clump of vegetation.

 _Fox-dung fox-dung fox-dung fox-dung,_ ran through her head on repeat.

The winds were loud, but not loud enough to disguise the sickening _crack_.

Wasting no time, she took off sprinting and made a wide circle around the brim of the camp. By the time she skidded into the ThunderClan camp, cats had already come out to investigate and were gathered around a limp gray heap.

 _Fox-dung fox-dung fox-dung fox-dung fox-dung fox-dung fox-dung fox-dung,_ she thought, panicking.

"Tanglescar!" she shouted, charging through the gathered cats to come to a halt next to the heap of gray fur.

"Lightningpaw, what happened?" Redstar demanded, her low-swinging belly not impeding her in the slightest as she came through the crowd.

"We- we went-" she stammered, too shocked to connect words into a proper sentence. "We- went for a walk, to the lake- but- turned around, and it was- he ran through the bushes and fell!"  
"Shh, shh, calm down," Redstar urged her, laying her feathery tail over her shoulders. "Dawnsplash! _Dawnsplash!_ We need some thyme!"  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Lightningpaw said shakily. "I should have stopped him."

"It's not your fault, calm down," Blackpool interjected, but Redstar silenced him.

"It's okay," the leader said calmly. "You did your best, I'm sure. Dawnsplash, if you could?"

The medicine cat nodded and dropped a bundle of long stalks of herbs in front of her. Lightningpaw looked at them, then with an affirming nod from Dawnsplash, licked them up and chewed. They were tangy and stung her tongue, but soon a relaxed cloud settled across her thoughts. Her breathing slowed gradually.

"Lightningpaw, why did Tanglescar want to go out?" Redstar asked gently.

"He was thirsty," she replied softly.

"And so…" the leader asked leadingly.

"He wanted to go the lake," she continued.

Redstar nodded. "Dawnsplash, some poppy seeds?"

Now that the overwhelming panic of Tanglescar's fall had lessened in her mind, something occurred to her. _How does Redstar know so much about herbs?_

 _Focus, Lightningpaw,_ Whiteshadow told her. _That's not important right now. You should really go to your nest once Dawnsplash gives you some poppy seeds._

 _Right,_ she thought agreeably.

Once the small black seeds were dropped in front of her, she lapped them up and quickly felt exhaustion drag her paws down in the black lake of sleep.

Ignoring the whispers of the rest of the Clan behind her, she plodded into the apprentice's den and dropped into her nest. Sleep dragged her down immediately.

…

Despite the tragic events of the day, her sleep was deep and uninterrupted.

When she finally awoke, she felt warm and well-rested. Even the memory of the elder's plunge into the camp wasn't enough to banish thoughts of the Gathering.

She padded out of the den with a wide yawn and stretched in the snowy camp. Rainbowkit, Cloudykit, Sunkit, Pearlkit, and Sweetkit had evidently given up on a story and were chasing each other around.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here for a Clan meeting!" Blackpool called, hopping atop the rock that served as their announcement place.

Lightningpaw hurried eagerly to the base of the rock, her tail flicking excitedly. _Please, please, please, I really want to go…_

"As you know, Tanglescar unfortunately fell from the top of the camp and has passed on to StarClan," Blackpool said somberly, strategically avoiding Lightningpaw's guilty gaze. "All those that wish to stay in camp tonight and hold vigil for him, step forward know."

Lightningpaw ducked her head, and watched, embarrassed, as the older warriors of the Clan stepped forwards solemnly. _Well, it wasn't my fault he fell,_ she defended herself. _Besides, with leaf-bare getting worse every day, he probably would have caught greencough and died anyways._

 _What an awful thing to say!_ Whiteshadow exclaimed.

 _I'm sorry,_ she thought, guilt swamping her again. _But it probably is true!_

Whiteshadow tsk-tsked chidingly.

"Alright, any cats that wish to go to the Gathering will go tonight," Blackpool decided. "Except the kits of course."

A ripple of amusement ran through the Clan as Sweetkit sat down with a huff.

 _Great! I can go!_ she thought eagerly.

 _So can Rainwater,_ Whiteshadow countered. _Are you finally going to be honest with him?_

 _I… yeah, I think I'm done with all this,_ Lightningpaw said with a sigh.

 _Wonderful,_ Whiteshadow praised.

 _I'm going to talk to Breezepaw,_ she said confidently.

 _Ooooh,_ the older she-cat sighed. _Well… okay. Um._

 _What?! Are you going to give me a lecture?_ Lightningpaw snapped. _It's my life!_

Whiteshadow just sighed again.

Fed up, Lightningpaw stormed over to the fresh-kill pile despite knowing she couldn't force Whiteshadow to leave her alone when she was inside her head.

Lightningpaw froze before she reached the fresh-kill pile and stared at it incredulously. _Empty? Not a single piece?_ There wasn't even a tough shrew gracing the empty patch of frozen dirt. _No way…_

"Feeling rumbly too?" Vixenpaw asked, popping up beside her. "Yeah, when leaf-bare hits, it hits hard."

"No kidding," Lightningpaw mumbled, still staring mournfully at the empty dirt.

"Let's go hunting!" her sister suggested. "We've still got a while before sun-down."

"Alright, sure," she agreed. _I guess this is why Blackpool made me take care of the elders when I lost that squirrel. We need everything we can get._

"How are you?" Vixenpaw asked, her eyes trained on the white wilderness in front of them.

"Fine?" Lightningpaw replied, her voice quirking up at the end in confusion. _What does she mean? Like right now? Or about Fawnshade? Or Rainwater?_

"How's… Breezepaw?" she asked, smirking.

 _Well, that answers that question,_ she thought. "He's fine, I'm sure," she mumbled, her fur heating up.

"And Rainwater?" Vixenpaw pushed.

"Also fine, but I'm trying not to talk to him too much," Lightningpaw grunted.

"Huh. You two are pretty cute too, honestly," Vixenpaw mused out loud. "In all the good elders' tales, either the two cats that hate each other or the two cats who would break the warrior code to be together are the best couples."

"What?" Lightningpaw demanded, thrown by the confusing statement. "What are you talking about? Rainwater and me? Have you lost your mind?"  
Vixenpaw frowned at her teasingly. "Of course not. I just think you and Rainwater-"

"Drop it," she snapped.

Vixenpaw raised an eyebrow. "Hit a nerve, I see. Are you mad that he's deputy?"

"He's not _actually_ deputy," she was quick to correct. "Just temporarily. And he definitely won't ever be _actual_ deputy."

"Hmm, okay, I get it," Vixenpaw said, with a smile tugging at her lips. "Whatever you say."

Lightningpaw bit back a hiss at her sister's casual indifference to her protest and concentrated on tracking down the scent of the vole the wind had just blown her.

A moment later, the limp forest creature hung from her jaws.

"Let's head back," Vixenpaw suggested, talking through her careful grip on a her prey, a couple of thrushes.

Lightningpaw nodded, and they turned their pawsteps towards the ThunderClan camp.

Irritation still fumed in her at Vixenpaw's ridiculous suggestion. _I'm not the crazy one here, right? Every cat else can see what a jerk he is? Am I going hare-brained? Why is every cat trying to push us together?_

This time, she walked to the Gathering island alone.

…

When ThunderClan finally reached the Gathering island, Lightningpaw was a ball of nerves. _He's going to think I'm mouse-brained, it won't work, it won't work, he's a warrior and he'll think I'm just a feather-brained kit…_

"Lightningpaw have you been avoiding me?" Rainwater's smarmy voice assaulted her senses as she finished crossing the fallen tree.

Rage coiled inside her, but she pressed it back and replied levelly. "No, you've just been busy with _deputy_ duties."

"Really? Because when I was looking for you earlier you'd gone out with Tanglescar," Rainwater remarked. Lightningpaw opened her jaws to protest that it was because Blackpool had ordered her to take care of the elders, but the gray tom continued. "And when I asked Blackpool where you were afterwards, you'd gone out with Vixenpaw."

"I have a life besides you," she snapped, fed up. "I don't answer to you."

Irritation flashed through his stormy blue eyes and he took a menacing step towards her. "Watch how you talk to me, I outrank you now."

"Barely," she hissed, bristling at the veiled threat. "And your rank won't protect your throat."

"Threatening your own Clanmates now, hm?" Rainwater's eyes slitted and his voice dipped lower. "It doesn't matter if your mentor is the leader-"

"He's not," she interjected irritably.

Rainwater stiffened, and Lightningpaw felt a hole open in her stomach. _What's wrong with him? Why is he so… volatile?_

"Don't interrupt your superiors," he spat, taking another step towards her.

He was nearly nose-to-nose with her now, his slightly-broader shoulders bunched like he was ready to strike.

"Don't come near me," she snapped back, holding her ground.

"What's going on here?" a third voice interrupted their bristling standoff.

 _Wavepaw?_ Lightningpaw thought, surprised, and drew away from Rainwater suddenly.

"None of your business, RiverClan," Rainwater hissed condescendingly, but seemed to falter as the larger silver tom stalked up to him.

 _This isn't good,_ Lightningpaw thought fearfully. _They can't fight, not at the Gathering!_

"Well, it wouldn't be, only I thought I saw you threatening an apprentice of your own Clan," Wavepaw said coldly. "Was I mistaken? In that case, I'd like to catch up with Lightningpaw here about Clan news. Since it's a Gathering."

"She's with me, now scram," Rainwater spat back.

Lightningpaw recoiled in terror at the look that flashed in Wavepaw's eyes.

Rage, so dark and intense it made her heart skip a beat.

 _They can't fight!_ she thought desperately.

"Well, just wait-" she tried to interrupt.

"I'm not done talking to her," Wavepaw told Rainwater icily, his voice so controlled and level that it was almost more intimidating than if he had snapped and clawed Rainwater to shreds.

 _I'm done with this fox-dung,_ Lightningpaw thought furiously. _They can stand around and preen all day, for all I care. I'm done with both of them._

Without waiting for a reply from either of them, she stormed away.

Neither of them called after her.

 _Good riddance,_ she thought angrily. _Mouse-brains, the both of them._

Her pawsteps only slowed when she realized she had unwittingly entered WindClan's section of the island. _Well, good, I wanted to talk to Breezepaw anyways._

"Breezepaw?" she called tentatively.

 _I wonder if he's gotten his warrior name,_ she thought apprehensively.

"Lightningpaw!" his reply came eagerly, before the golden tom himself bounded up to her.

"Been awhile, huh?" she said, a bit of cheer returning to her at his presence.

"Unless you count the unfortunate episode with the thorns," he reminded her.

She snorted. "Can we forget _that_ ever happened? Sheesh. I was finding those suckers in my pelt for a moon, I swear."

"It hasn't even _been_ a moon," he joked.

"Well, awhile," she amended, sticking her tongue out at him. "It's nice to talk again."

"Really?" he cocked his head and narrowed one eye.

"What do you mean?" she giggled - _oh StarClan why am I giggling I sound like an idiot…_ \- "Of course it is!"

His face split into a smile, and he rolled his eyes. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, of course, who _wouldn't_ want to talk to me."

Lightningpaw snorted. "I'll be included on that list if your ego doesn't shrink at least a little," she teased. "Never met a tom as full of himself as you are."

"I've never met any she-cat like you either," he replied intently.

She caught her breath. _That doesn't mean anything, don't overreact!_

But her heart was beating quick despite her attempted self-warning. "Surely there's _some_ she-cat in your Clan you're interested in," she baited, anxious to hear the answer.

He blinked. "Well… no? I don't know. I suppose I'll have to have kits, you know, carry on the lineage and all, but… I guess I've just never really connected that way with another she-cat."

Her hopes fell and she glanced down pitifully. _I guess that confirms it._

"In my Clan," he added.

Her hope immediately sprung back up. _Does that- is he?_

"What about you? I'm always seeing you with that gray tom," he said, the barest note of accusation in his voice.

 _Is he jealous? Did Vixenpaw's harebrained scheme work?_ "Well, that's more of a one-sided thing," she said truthfully, glancing upwards.

"Unrequited crush?" he asked quickly.

"No, more like…" she trailed off.

 _Honesty is good, right?_ "Well… _"_

"I actually thought you two were mates," he admitted. "I was je- worried. I mean, I was- I thought-"

"Really?" A giddy feeling suddenly overwhelmed her. _He_ was _jealous! So it worked!_ "Were you jealous?"

In response to the pointblank question, he froze.

"Yeah?" he mumbled.

"I was actually only leading him on," she confessed, anticipation thrumming in her chest. "You know, flirting with him to see-"

"Wait, what?" Breezepaw's face crumpled in confusion.

"I- I led him on," she repeated, less confidently this time. "Because I thought that making you jealous-"

"So you did it on purpose?" he asked incredulously, his eyes filling with sharp anger. "You _tried_ to make me jealous my flirting with some poor tom?"

 _Oh no! This is all going wrong!_ she thought desperately, her face falling as she realized her mistake.

"Um- well-" she stumbled, her heart thumping like it was trying to escape her chest.

His eyes were wide with anger and shock at her accidental confession. "That's- wow, okay…"

"I-"

"Fox-heart," he lashed, but his voice trembled with hurt.

 _Oh StarClan no!_ she thought, panicked, as the golden tom whipped around and stalked away.

 _I was so close!_

 **Jebaited.**

 **RIP the lightning breeze ship, but not really 'cause you know it ain't going down so easily.**

 **But really, a lesson for y'all kiddos. Playing people's emotions is a dangerous game and nobody ever wins. DarkBreeze shippers, prepare thine faces for next chapter because WOOF is the ship game boutta pop off.**

 **QOTD: After this disaster, who y'all shippin' with Lightningpaw? Nobody? (I don't blame you, she's gonna need some emotional maturity if she wants to hold onto a conversation with anybody.)**

 **aLSO important; June has crept upon us, meaning I'm heckin' busy, exams hurrah. So the updating schedule's gonna be more unpredictable than our current trading policies (ToPiCaL PoLiTiCaL JoKe)**

 **~Pondfrost**


	72. Breeze: Betrayal and Bewilderment

**It's the most woooonderful time of the yeeeeaaar.**

 **My birthday, of course! Somewhere in these couple weeks.**

 **RRs:**

 **Hello Sir: Yeah, for sure!**

 **Somerandomperson: I don't think I've ever watched that show, no, but I agree, haha.**

 **Read and review as a lovely present for your favourite young author :* Mwah**

Chapter 70.

"Good work today, Breezepaw," Spottedstar said warmly.

Breezepaw glanced at the leader, surprised. _She's not usually so… open? Maybe I've just never actually done well._ He snorted at himself.

"Can I get something to eat?" he asked politely, feeling hunger gnaw at the edges of his belly.

"Something, and then I'd like you to help out in the nursery," Spottedstar ordered flatly - _That's more like it,_ Breezepaw thought - and then added, "and you'll be going to the Gathering tonight, so don't tire yourself out."

Breezepaw felt a bubble of excitement and apprehension rise in his stomach. Every Gathering had just been a painful reminder of how Lightningpaw was apparently preoccupied with the _wonderful_ smokey gray tom that had _nothing_ Breezepaw didn't. _Except, of course, the status of ThunderClan,_ his mind reminded him.

But even so… he couldn't resist the tingle of delight and the constant, slow burn of desire to see her, talk to her, be with her…

He shook it off firmly. _I have to go help in the nursery._

It would be good to thank Spottedstar, he reflected as he headed towards the camp. She must have known that he missed his old mentor on occasion, no matter how… interesting… his new training regime was. He supposed the old leader was just gruff on the outside to project a strong image of leadership.

By the time he made it to camp, the fresh-kill pile had been ransacked by what appeared to be all four Clans. All that was left was a scrawny shrew that looked like some small set of jaws had taken a bite out of it.

But it was better than nothing, and he was too hungry to really care. They had been training in belly-deep snow, and he was cold to the bone.

Taking it over to the nursery, he settled down, sighing with relief as he found it to be much warmer with the heavy scent of milk hanging in the air.

He tore into the shrew, finishing it in only three bites much to his chagrin, but it was something in his stomach at least. _Now, to go find the kits…_

"Breezepaw!" It was Rabbitpaw, hopping out of apparently nowhere to greet him. Out of habit, Breezepaw's eyes flicked to his stub of a tail, that was currently plastered with cobwebs but not obviously leaking any kind of fluid. "Yeah, it's doing a lot better."

"I'm glad," he said warmly. "With any luck, we'll be warriors at the same time and we can do our vigils together."

"Hopefully," Rabbitpaw agreed, glancing back at his tail.

"Do you miss it?" he burst out without thinking.

Rabbitpaw burst into purrs of laughter. "Miss my tail? Have you got bees in your brain? Dear StarClan no, that irritating thing?"

Breezepaw stared at him, lost, then realized the tom was teasing. "Alright, alright, a stupid question, I'm sorry."

"Sometimes I guess," Rabbitpaw said with a shrug. "But I didn't really use it for as much as you'd think. Maybe if I needed to climb trees or something, or if I had to go underground… but it's just not a problem."

"Mm," Breezepaw agreed absently, his attention abruptly caught by the bundles of kits racing out of the nursery. "StarClan help me… I'm on kit-duty and they're multiplying, I swear."

Rabbitpaw threw his head back in a purr. Moments later, Breezepaw was swarmed with furballs colliding with his side.

The sheer force of what seemed to be a lake-full of kits nearly knocked him off his paws.

"Whoa whoa, every cat relax," he purred, pushing off the tiny set of claws that had hooked into his pelt. "Hey! No biting!"

After several moments of tussling and delighted shrieking from the kits, he had them all in front of him.

"Great _StarClan_ there are a lot of you!" Breezepaw exclaimed, eyeing them all. "Well, I've met Goldenkit, Warblerkit, Dandelionkit, and Rufflekit, but who are you all?"

"I'm Ravenkit," the tiny black she-kit with a white belly informed him. "I'm going to be the greatest leader of WindClan ever."

 _Wow, high hopes already,_ he thought amused, before swinging his gaze to the right to take in the next black kit.

"I'm Crowkit, and I'd like to be her deputy." This black kit had a white tail-tip and a very serious expression in her blue eyes.

"Uhuh, and you?"

"I wouldn't mind being a medicine cat apprentice," the one with a white muzzle mumbled. "My name's Magpiekit."

Breezepaw glanced over at the last one, the only little black tom whose paws were snowy white. "Well, what are you aiming for?"

"The fresh-kill pile?" he suggested hopefully.

Breezepaw snorted. _Two types of cats, I guess._ "The best hunter in the Clan, you think?"

"I would like to eat a large rabbit," the tom said carefully.

The purr rising in his throat was getting harder to suppress. "Um- okay?"

"Come _on_ Breezepaw, you barely ever visit us! So stop wasting time, let's play hunter and mouses!" Warblerkit commanded.

"Mice?" Breezepaw correctly mildly, but Warblerkit was already hurrying him into the middle of the camp.

"Come _on_ , the rest of you, do you want to play or not?" Dandelionkit added, bounding up to her sister.

Dustpetal's litter shambled over, accompanied by Goldenkit, who nudged Magpiekit to her paws when she tripped.

Rufflekit was still sitting placidly outside the nursery, with a stick clenched between his teeth as he made marks in the thin layer of snow.

"Rufflekit?" Dandelionkit called.

"No," the brown tom said shortly, intensely focused on his task.

"Okay," his black and white sister replied, shrugging. "Yeah, he doesn't like most of our games. Come on, let's just start."

"Who's going to be the hunter?" Warblerkit demanded.

"Breezepaw!" Ravenkit exclaimed, flicking her tail imperiously.

 _Our great leader has spoken,_ he thought, amused.

"Alright, how do you play?" Breezepaw inquired.

Crowkit rolled her eyes. _Wow, less than two moons old and already full of sass,_ he thought, shaking his head. _Incredible._

"It's like this;" Dandelionkit began, "one kit's the hunter and the rest are mice. Every time the hunter pounces on a 'mouse', she - well, he I guess - brings the 'mouse' back to the fresh-kill pile. Then the other mice have to try to rescue the mouse in the fresh-kill pile by touching this rock that we put with the fresh-kill pile. The hunter wins if he catches all the mice."

 _Great StarClan, what happened to mossball?!_ he wondered incredulously. _They should use these kit games as training sessions._

"Okay, I think I got it," he nodded. "So you all run now- oh-"

He faltered as the seven kits dashed off in different directions.

"Don't leave the camp!" he called, but got not reply. _Oh StarClan, pleeeaase let this game just work without any of them going off on adventures into RiverClan territory or something._

Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth to taste the air. The kits were all stationed around the camp in different areas. _Let's see… Goldenkit or Magpiekit might be the easiest to catch… I'll start over here._

He followed the scent of Goldenkit to one of the old badger dens and crouched, ready to pounce on the tiny yellow she-kit, but suddenly he saw a flash of bright fur as she shot out of the den at the speed of a terrified bird.

 _Sheesh! All these kits are so quick!_ he thought, only staring as the kit bolted across the clearing. _I guess I'll try Magpiekit then._

He carefully pricked his ears and immediately pinpointed the black she-kit's position. Carefully easing himself into a crouch, knowing now not to underestimate the kits, he squinted at the patch of shivering heather. _Hmm…_ He could scent both Magpiekit _and_ her sisters. _I'll be able to get at least one of them, surely…_

Thinking fast, he grabbed a small stone between his teeth and with a deft flick of his head, sent it clattering onto the snow by the other entrance to the heather bush.

With an excited squeak, the black trio hurtled out of the bush, straight into Breezepaw, who purred and trapped both Ravenkit and Magpiekit. Crowkit wiggled free and darted off across the camp.

"So you go to the fresh-kill pile?" he checked, the many rules of the game already hazy in his mind.

"Yeah," Magpiekit sighed, frowning at the heather bush.

"I always get caught first," Ravenkit whined. "Every cat always tries to get me first."

Breezepaw snorted and watched the two dismayed kits scurry over to the fresh-kill pile, where he was reminded of another rule to the game at the sight of the large round stone.

 _Crowkit's probably going to try to save them, so maybe I'll catch her at the same time,_ he figured.

"Breezepaw!" It was Icestorm. At the alarm in her tone, he immediately snapped around to the direction of the cry.

But Icestorm was sitting, relaxed, beside a mischievous looking Spiderkit, who winked at something behind Breezepaw. The apprentice spun around in time to see the black flash of Crowkit hurtle into the stone and free her littermates.

"Did- wait a moment," Breezepaw exclaimed, turning back to Icestorm, beside which there was obviously no longer Spiderkit.

"Fair's fair, I'd say they're very smart," his former mentor said, shrugging with a grin.

"That's mouse-dung," he snorted, but couldn't resist a grin at the tactics of two-moon-old kits.

His fresh-kill pile was empty once more, so he returned to the hunt for kits.

…

"All those old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Tallrock for a Clan meeting," Spottedstar called, summoning Breezepaw from outside the nursery, where he was laying in the weak sunshine while the kits napped.

He got to his paws languidly and stretched, yawning.

"Breezepaw! Breezepaw!" some cat hissed, catching his attention.

He turned to face the source and found a wide-eyed Scarletfire. Pursing his lips, he tilted his head, inviting her to speak.

"I have- some news," she said breathlessly. "It's been two moons since the… thing… so Morningpoppy's finally decided that she made a mistake. I'm not, and wasn't, pregnant!"

This actually caught Breezepaw's attention. "That's- that's great! I'm so glad!"

A frown flickered across her face, but she shrugged. "Well, I figured you should know. I never announced it to the camp, although StarClan knows there were probably enough rumours, so I guess we can just let them die now…"

"Yeah," Breezepaw agreed, not eager to continue the conversation now that the base exchange of information had been accomplished.

"The cats going to the Gathering tonight will be as follows," Spottedstar announced, and rattled off a list of most of the Clan, including Breezepaw as promised.

 _Good,_ he thought, a certain tension in his shoulders easing.

Although, thoughts of the Gathering brought thoughts of Lightningpaw, and thoughts of Lightningpaw brought thoughts of confessions, and thoughts of confessions brought thoughts of…

"Have you thought any more about it?" Paledawn asked softly, walking up beside him.

"I- guess, I mean, how could I not?" he muttered, dodging the question as best he could.

"True," she allowed, glancing at him affectionately. "I don't want this to be something to… stress you, or upset you… I just think that we'd be really happy together."

 _Is that true? StarClan, is it?_ He knew he liked Paledawn, but could that really mean _love_ someday? It was such a big, unwieldy idea with altogether too many things attached to it. He didn't know where to begin with it. Was it a rock, something to depend on in the hardest of times? Because Paledawn was usually like that. Usually there for him.

Or was love supposed to sweep him off his paws? His romantic tendencies told him it should be exciting, intoxicating, which would certainly fit with his image of Lightningpaw.

Was it frustrating, but in the good moments, so good it felt like it was worth fighting for anyways? Did he love Scarletfire?

Or just something that he didn't have to worry about, that he didn't have to work for or stay on a claw-sharp edge… Was he in love with Darkpaw?

With all the conflicting ideas, it felt like his mind was about to explode. _But you know some things to be absolutely true,_ his sensible part reminded him. _Lightningpaw and Darkpaw are from other Clans, and that's against the warrior code. Scarletfire is nothing but trouble, and she's proven it over and over again. Paledawn is safe._

 _But cats from other Clans fall in love all the time, and it doesn't always turn out badly!_ he argued with himself. _Just listen to Spottedstar! Some inter-Clan relationships were the best thing that could have happened! The Clans are weak right now, and deepening our bonds with each other will strengthen all of us. And on the point of Scarletfire, most of that wasn't even her fault; she said herself that she wished she'd just been born in the Clan and skipped of the unnecessary heartache that came with being in that vicious rogue group…_

 _Then prove that you believe that and tell Spottedstar,_ his conscience argued. _Prove it! Tell her, right now, that you want to be mates with a cat from another Clan! You don't even_ know _her._

 _Yes I do!_ But he didn't even know who he was talking about anymore, and his head throbbed, and it felt like he would fall over if he kept trying to win this debate against himself. _Besides, I'm not going to take a mate any time soon._

 _Oh really? Because your warrior ceremony is days away if you don't screw something up in an astronomically terrible way,_ he countered himself. _And you_ know _what Paledawn's going to do. So your options are either tell her right now that you don't love her, or let her ask you and say yes. Or embarrass her in front of the whole Clan, but if you have a shred of morality you won't do that._

 _So maybe I'll tell her that I'm not ready!_ he snapped.

 _Because_ that _won't just sound like an excuse._

He just let that hang in the air between him and himself.

By the time he returned to reality, Paledawn was sighing heavily, and padding away.

Breathing out slowly, he returned to his nest in the empty apprentice's den and tried to sleep for a bit before the Gathering patrol left.

…

The other Clans had all arrived by the time the last WindClan cat crossed the tree bridge.

The mingling scents of the other Clans just brought more anxiety to Breezepaw's already addled mind, a strong reminder of how separate the Clans were.

ThunderClan was on the opposite side of the island to WindClan, which didn't help Breezepaw's attempted light and breezy attitude. Every cat was mingling though, so he began the age-old process of trying to work up the nerve to go talk to the she-cat he was padding after.

A sudden streak of courage giving him some sort of boldness, he scanned the ThunderClan area for Lightningpaw and - _of course_ , he gritted his teeth.

She was standing with That Gray Tom as he had become known in Breezepaw's mind. But something looked off; even though Lightningpaw was facing away from him, he could see her whole body was stiff, and her stance was almost aggressive in nature.

Suddenly, a third cat joined the... argument? Conversation? It was Wavepaw. _Oh great, just what I need._ He felt like burying his head in his paws and screaming until his voice was hoarse. Whatever sudden courage he had summoned from the depths of the void was nowhere to be seen.

But it appeared that StarClan had taken pity on him, for suddenly Lightningpaw broke away from the other two and was heading… towards him?

"Breezepaw?" Was he hallucinating, or was she really calling his name?!

Either way, this was his chance to talk to her.

"Lightningpaw!" he called, and bounded up to her.

"Been awhile, huh?" she returned, a smile quirking her lips.

 _Well, other than…_ "Unless you count the unfortunate episode with the thorns," he pointed out.

With a snort, she replied, "Can we forget _that_ ever happened? Sheesh. I was finding those suckers in my pelt for a moon, I swear."

"It hasn't even _been_ a moon," he retorted with a purr.

"Well, awhile," she decided, sticking her tongue out playfully at him. "It is nice to talk again though."

 _Interesting, considering you seem to be much more interested in That Gray Tom,_ he thought bitterly, but clamped down on the irritation and decided to subversively try to deduce what exactly she thought of that tom. "Really?"

"What do you mean?" she purred. "Of course it is!"

 _Well, it isn't_ nicer _to talk to That Gray Tom, right?_ he wondered insecurely, but said instead, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, of course, who _wouldn't_ want to talk to me."

She snorted. "I'll be included on that list if your ego doesn't shrink at least a little. Never met a tom as full of himself as you are."

 _I don't have long, and I need to know exactly where she stands,_ he reminded himself, and decided to steer the conversation towards his goal. "I've never met any she-cat like you either."

She was visibly affected, swallowing hard suddenly.

"Surely there's _some_ she-cat in your Clan you're interested in," she said, eyes narrowing with intent.

He blinked. _She doesn't know about Paledawn… I suppose it's just an innocent question._ "Well… no?" It was true. Paledawn had gone after him, not the other way around. "I don't know… I suppose I'll have to have kits, you know, carry on the lineage and all, but… I guess I've just never really connected that way with another she-cat."

He watched intently and sure enough, her face fell.

"In my Clan," he added.

It was almost comically easy to read her reaction, her ears perking up and her eyes lighting.

 _So she does have_ some _feelings for me in some way… but…_ "What about you? I'm always seeing you with That Gray Tom," Breezepaw accused, hoping he didn't sound to aggressive.

Lightningpaw's eyes widened slightly, then slipped upwards. "Well, that's more of a one-sided thing…" she told him.

 _Which way?!_ he demanded internally, but took a deep breath. "Unrequited crush?"

"No… more like…" she trailed off.

 _More like what?!_

"Well…" she mumbled.

"I actually thought you two were mates," he told her. _Come on, come on, tell me I'm wrong._ "I was je-" _abort, abort!_ "-worried. I mean, I was-I thought."

"Really?" She looked almost… pleased? "Were you jealous?"

His mouth opened, but his answer stuck in his throat. Swallowing hard, he answered, "Yeah?"

"I was actually only leading him on. You know, flirting with him to see-"

"Wait- what?"

Confusion overrode every other bit of anxiety. _She was leading him on? She was the one in control? Was she_ trying _to make me jealous?_

"I- I led him on… Because I thought that making you jealous-"

"So you did it on purpose?" he accused, unable to restrain the anger - _I was so upset, I thought she didn't care about me at all, I thought she chose him -_ "You _tried_ to make me jealous by flirting with some poor tom?!"

Lightningpaw's eyes widened with panic, and he couldn't help wondering, _Because she hurt me or because I caught her?_

"Um- well-" she stammered.

"That's- wow, okay…"

He couldn't even begin to try to tell her. _If she doesn't understand why I'd be hurt by that then I don't know if I ever want to speak to her again…_

"I-"

 _No, no, just don't talk-_

"Fox-heart," he spat, but for all the venom in his voice, he knew it'd soon be mixed with tears.

So before any could spill, he whipped around and stalked away. And didn't look back.

She didn't try to stop him.

He didn't know if he'd rather she had or if it was better this way.

 _I need a break from all of this,_ he thought, exhausted emotionally, and dropped onto the grass several fox-lengths away from the group.

It was actually a lovely view, the lake dark and rippling in the moonlight, the stars reflected in tiny white pricks on the surface. It was hard to appreciate it, of course, when it felt like some cat had just gutted him, but nonetheless.

"Hey. Are you okay?" It was Darkpaw.

Without turning to her, he huffed a sarcastic laugh. "No."

"Yeah, me neither," she admitted, and settled down next to him. "I'm sorry about last moon."

At the reminder of her confession and his awful reaction to it, he just sighed. "Not the worst thing that's happened to me in the last moon."

"Really? Because I was pretty sure I screwed up badly there," Darkpaw snorted. "And I don't think becoming a warrior's made me any smarter."

"Hang on, you're a warrior?" he exclaimed, turning to her.

"Yeah, Darkmoon," she told him. "Pretty flashy, huh?"

"Wow," he said, managing a smile.

"Look, I didn't come over here to tell you about my great new name," Darkmoon told him. "I just want to be honest with you, okay?"

"Honesty is always good," he thought bitterly, thinking of Lightningpaw's slight oversharing.

"Right… so…" she sighed. "I know I come on strong. And I don't know what bees were in my brain when I thought telling a cat from another Clan that I was in love with them was a good idea. So… I guess I just wanted to say, I'm sorry about that."

 _I suppose it was… pretty… confusing, but… I don't know if she should really be apologizing,_ he pondered. "Well, honesty, right? I appreciate you at least trying to clear up that mess, but I've got a lot more of the sort to deal with."

"Too many confessions to deal with?" Darkmoon joked.

"Something like that," he grunted.

"So what's your deal then?" she mumbled, suddenly avoiding eye-contact. "I think you know exactly what's going on on my end, so maybe it's time you owned up."

He snorted. _If only she knew how incredibly hard that is right now._ "I have no idea how I feel," he told her truthfully. "Not. The. Foggiest. Every time I think I've figured it out, something happens, some cat tells me they love me, or some cat reveals that they're not who I thought they were. But… I think if you were in my Clan, I would be less confused."

She chewed on that for a moment, then flicked him. "Well, don't beat around the bush. Come on, honesty, right? So if I was in WindClan…?"

"I- I would probably not be worried like I am," he hedged. "I guess I would be able to… feel any way."

It wasn't the answer she was looking for, but it was the best he could do at the moment without saying something he would regret later.

"Well, I have a feeling the Clans are closer than they appear," Darkmoon said somberly, glancing out across the lake at the border between ShadowClan and RiverClan. "Even some cats closest to us… are hiding things that could change so much…"

 _Don't I know it._

…

Breezepaw and Darkmoon stayed by the edge of the lake through the Gathering, which Breezepaw only realized afterwards meant that Darkmoon missed her chance to have all four Clans cheer for her.

"I don't really care." She brushed it off easily. "I mean, most of them don't even know who I am."

"I guess," he agreed, but inwardly couldn't imagine not appreciating praise for doing nothing. _Automatic approval, yes please._

"I should head back," Darkmoon sighed. "Well, nice talking to you. Sorry about… your life."

Breezepaw purred. _Most accurate thing anyone's said to me._

"I'll see you next moon, hopefully," he said.

"Hopefully," she agreed.

Feeling more peaceful than before the Gathering despite the tumultuous encounter with Lightningpaw, he left the island with his paws solidly grounded and his breathing even for the first time in moons.

"Breezepaw, could I talk to you for a minute?" It was Jayflight.

"Sure?" he said warily, glancing back as she fell in step with him.

"You're pretty friendly with some she-cats from other Clans, huh?" she observed.

It felt like icy hail had collided with his spine. _However well things may be going… I can't forget it's still technically against the warrior code, and no one can know._

"Uh, I guess?" he mumbled.

"Hm." Her posture was relaxed but her eyes were sharp.

The insinuation made him bristle. "I'm allowed to have friendships outside the Clan, you know."

"I know. In fact, I'm glad you have _friendships_ outside the Clan," Jayflight said, shrugging lightly, but her eyes were darker than ever.

"Then what's up?" he said easily, but his heart was pumping quicker than before.

Her pretense finally dropped and she leaned closer to him, the beginning of a snarl on her lips. "If you hurt my sister I will _flay_ you."

"I won't!" he exclaimed, pulling away from her. "Would you just mind your own business? I don't need your input on this one!"

Jayflight's blue eyes glimmered with anger, pain, and determination, all at once… then she turned and padded away.

Unsettled, Breezepaw scowled after her. _I understand that she wants to protect her sister, but does she really think that I would hurt Paledawn intentionally?_

But something struck him.

 _I can hurt her without intent if I'm not careful._

 _And I can't hurt Paledawn._

 _And I can't let Jayflight think that I'm anything but completely loyal to WindClan._

So he knew what he had to do.

 ***spoopy music plays***

 **Thaaaaat's right, I think you know what he's gonna do. And if you don't… well you'll find out soon MWAHAHA. I don't really have a QOTC, but if you want to make a prediction, go for it. I enjoy reading people's theories. Those of you who like the mystery aspect of things (which I've kinda been neglecting, ehehh) will be delighted with Darkmoon's chapter, because hooo boy is that gonna be something.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	73. Wave: Broken Wills and Hearts Ablaze

**I'm back from vacation and back to TEOA!**

 **By the way, I keep forgetting to put this disclaimer (which should be obvious, but just in case, you know?) though it doesn't really apply to this particular chapter;** _ **Views expressed by any characters are not necessarily the author's own.**_ **ie. Primrosethorn may be homophobic, I am not. Rainwater is misogynistic, I am not, etc. Those are fairly obvious, but just in case there might be more subtle ones that throw people off, now you know.**

Chapter 71.

If there was any doubt that it was leaf-bare, today's blizzard would certainly erase it.

Wavecrash barely made it a tail-length out of camp before he ducked back in. "Mm, no, not today."

"Yes today," Briarhoney told him teasingly. "Since when has a breeze been enough to stop you?"

He slitted his eyes at her. "A _breeze_? Have you got bees in your brain? StarClan's wrath has come upon the Clans!"

"Such a drama queen," his sister snorted. "Come on. We're going fishing, no excuses."

His resolve to deny her this was swiftly crumbling. It would be her first time out of camp in awhile, and he wanted it to be with him. But preferably a day on which the wind wouldn't strip the flesh from his bones.

"Arrrgh, fine," he relented. "But _two_ fish and we're coming straight back. Any longer and we'll both be in the medicine den."

They'd found comfortable territory simply avoiding the subject of their warrior ceremony and what had followed. The medicine den comment was the absolute closest he was willing to get.

"Great! Let's go!" Briarhoney cheered.

Wavecrash sighed heavily, but he was pleased to see his sister excited about something. It had become increasingly hard to pretend everything was normal between them with the mountingly awkward interactions with their Clanmates.

"Where should we go? Nowhere too far," Wavecrash offered.

"Hmm." Her eyes narrowed in thought. "How about the stream over by the twolegsplace?"

"Sure," he agreed, and they set off.

They had only been hunting for a few moments when the stench of rogues crashed over them.

"StarClan!" Wavecrash exclaimed before he even formed a proper conclusion on it.

"Shh!" his sister snapped, slapping her tail over his jaws.

He nodded guiltily and she released him, flicking her tail forwards with a nod. Together they crept forwards, through the thick barrier of reeds that was failing to block the incriminating scent. When they saw what lay beyond, Wavecrash's voice caught in his throat with a strangled gasp.

It was Cinnamonheart, facing who Wavecrash knew from several moons ago to be Willy. _What's she doing?!_ he thought, his eyes bugging out as he and Briarhoney watched the exchange between rogue and former rogue on _Clan territory_.

Cinnamonheart was speaking, a low growl, when Willy interrupted her with a sharp cuff to her ear. It immediately became clear to Wavecrash that Cinnamonheart was not actually fighting him with claws, as she simply took the blow and ducked her head, continuing to hiss something.

He leaned forward, but froze instantly, his heart jumping into his throat as the snow beneath his paws crunched. The littermates may have been downwind, but that wouldn't stop Cinnamonheart and Willy from _hearing_ them.

 _Crunch._

As his worst fear predicted, Willy drew himself up, stiffening as his ears pricked.

 _StarClan no! Look away, look away!_ he pleaded, but obviously his sister had no intent on taking this risk, immediately throwing herself out of the reeds.

 _Briarhoney!_ he thought, panicking, but the only thing he could do was jump out beside her and pray that this didn't all go horribly wrong.

"What are you doing on our territory?!" Cinnamonheart hissed at Willy, but with an inward sinking feeling, Wavecrash knew that even the silver-tongued red she-cat wouldn't be talking her way out of this one.

 _They'd obviously been talking before we showed up, it's a little late for a general challenge,_ he thought, wincing. _She probably doesn't know how much of the conversation we witnessed._

"I'm sorry, I wandered into the wrong part of the alley," Willy rumbled, his voice scratchier and sicker sounding than Wavecrash remembered. _Unless… he's faking it, isn't he?_

With his prior knowledge of the she-cat and the gray tom's relationship, the cooperation between them to keep up the facade was only serving to further condemn Cinnamonheart. _Please tell me you aren't a traitor,_ he begged her silently, but it seemed it was too late.

With another dip to the trio of Clan cats, the mangy gray tom let out a pathetic cough. But he couldn't disguise the sharp, cruel intelligence in his yellow eyes, and Wavecrash wasn't fooled for a moment. The rogue turned tail and limped back into the twolegsplace.

"What was that all about?" Briarhoney challenged, not aggressive yet, but narrowing her eyes nonetheless.

Cinnmonheart cocked her head, feigning ignorance. "Just some doddering old rogue that wandered onto our territory."

A familiar glazed look was beginning to cover Briarhoney's eyes, so Wavecrash quickly butted in.

"It's cold here, why don't you head back to camp?" he suggested to his sister, giving her a meaningful look.

She gave him a quick nod, the dazed look fading for a moment, and she turned, bounding away.

"Cinnamonheart-" he began with an accusing tone, before the she-cat shook her head firmly.

"Not here, I'll answer all your questions, but not here," she promised, darting a glance away into the hard stone of the twolegsplace.

With a sigh, he nodded, and allowed her to lead him further towards the WindClan border.

Once they had made it what Cinnamonheart ostensibly decided was far enough, she turned back to him with a resigned expression. "Alright, let me have it…"

"What. Is. Your. Deal?!" he spat, each word firing out sharper than the last. "Every single StarClan-forsaken excuse, I've heard them all, so you're _not_ getting out of this one, and you can use whatever little mind-messing power you have, but the second it fades, I'll know exactly what kind of _lying snake_ you are, and don't think for a _heartbeat_ I'll forget."

After the half-comprehensible tirade, he was practically panting, having worked himself into such a frenzy that he hadn't even realized he was advancing on the red she-cat until he blinked and drew back.

Far from being scared or intimidated, she simply sighed heavily and shook out her thick pelt.

"I can try to explain things to you if you're willing to be reasonable," she mewed reproachfully.

At the suggestion, his claws slid out but he forced his hackles down and said in as level of a tone as he could muster, "It's going to take a lot of explaining to _explain_ away why you were having a conversation with _Willy_ , the oh-so-terrible rogue leader that you 'hate' and-"

"You can't interrupt me," she told him, breaking off his next rant before it began.

With a great show of self-control, Wavecrash sheathed his claws and took a deep breath. "Then explain. But I'm going straight to Snowstar if it isn't satisfactory."

Far from begging or trying to reason with him, she simply cocked her head. "You and I both know that won't do much."

"Get on with it," he spat. He knew he couldn't refute the easy confidence in her ability to sway the leader. The simple fact that he'd accepted as an uncomfortable reality was suddenly much colder, much more worrying. _If she_ is _a traitor… there may be nothing I can do about it…_

"You already know that I didn't actually… escape the rogue group," she sighed heavily.

 _That's right, she said Willy sent her to kill her sister for leaving, right?_ he recalled.

"So he returned to Clan territory to try to find out whether I had killed her or not," she admitted, her golden gaze drifting to the gray sky. "I assume one of his spies told him I'd gone to RiverClan, despite Willy almost certainly also knowing that Scarlet… _didn't_."

"Wait!" Wavecrash snapped, a sudden realization crashing over him.

"I told you-" Cinnamonheart began, the closest to irritated he'd ever heard her, but he wasn't about to release his sudden moment of lucidity.

"You're lying," he said brokenly. "You're lying, you're lying, I can't-" He tried to take a deep breath, but until that moment he hadn't realized how deeply he wanted her to explain it away. _She's just spinning another web of lies, I can't believe I forgot what a spider she is…_

"What are you talking about?" she said, worried. "You're just confused-"

" _I AM NOT CONFUSED_ ," he roared, advancing on her once more. "You- you told me. You've told so many lies that they're contradicting each other! You told me that Scarlet was your sister! Then you told me you were Acornkit! Then you told me that Scarlet ran away from the rogues and that Willy sent you to kill her! Then you told me she was on a _mission_ from him to destroy WindClan!"  
Her mouth opened and closed, and her eyes slowly began to glitter.

But not with malice, as he'd seen before, flashing hard flint and evil…

With tears.

And with that, the thrice-damned, conniving, manipulative liar broke down sobbing.

And Wavecrash's StarClan-cursed heart twisted with pity.

"I…" but the words died in his throat.

There was nothing to be said. She was revealed and it was too late to pretend that whatever end-goal she had was still in reach.

After several moments of silence, only the wind whistling between the softly falling clumps of snowflakes heard, and Cinnamonheart's broken sobs, she finally looked up at him, her yellow eyes nakedly hurt and helpless.

He knew his gaze was harder than he meant, the twist of his lips crueler than he would have wished on her, but she had weathered harsher storms that that, and they both knew it well.

"You're right," she said raggedly. "You're right. I'm a liar, I always have been. But I'm not going to keep this up. I'm done lying. And you don't believe me, I know you don't. But I can't lie to you anymore. I'm not going to compel you to believe me, I'm not going to try to soothe or dull you, or convince you."

He stared.

"I'm just going to ask you one thing." She was beginning to compose herself, but her voice wasn't her trademark honey-smooth purr, it was low, rough, and harsh-edged. "If you care about me, and knowing the truth, then follow me now and hear me speak."

 _She's a liar, a liar, a liar, it's just more lies,_ a reasonable part of his brain shouted.

 _I want to give her a chance… I want to believe that she can change._

She stared at him pleadingly, but without the usual smirking edge that told him she already knew what his choice would be.

She hadn't planned this.

She didn't know what he would say.

StarClan, it was possible she didn't know what _she_ would say.

 _If it's just a weak lie, then I'll know, I'll be able to tell,_ he convinced himself.

"Lead the way."

…

By the time they returned to camp, it was almost sunset.

Wavecrash's head was spinning with all the revelations he had just been privy to, yet he felt more at ease than he had in awhile despite being informed of imminent danger to his Clan.

 _An outside threat is something we can deal with. As long as Cinnamonheart isn't working against us, I feel like we can take on anything,_ he realized.

 _When she says 'protect those I care about most', you know who she means, right?_ Pondfrost asked drily. _L- Great StarClan, on the verge of war and you're just padding after a she-cat…_

Wavecrash's pelt felt very hot suddenly. _She just means that she_ cares _, not that she- y'know, well…_

Pondfrost rasped a chuckle that let him know she didn't believe for a heartbeat that he didn't know exactly where Cinnamonheart's feelings stood.

 _Oh, be quiet,_ he snapped.

"Wavecrash!" Snowstar greeted him immediately when he entered the camp. Cinnamonheart sent him one last inscrutable look and disappeared into the warriors' den. "Would you like to go to the Gathering tonight?"

"Uh, sure, yeah?" he replied automatically, caught off guard.

"Wonderful!" the fluffy white tom exclaimed, bounded away to jump on top of the tree stump that they used for Clan meetings.

"All cats old enough to swim, gather for a Clan meeting," he called. "These cats will be going to Gathering tonight."

Wavecrash was included in it, but something about it almost made him uneasy. _Kind of weird that he'd ask me specifically like that…_

But he shrugged it off and cast his gaze across the territory to where he could see the outlines of the trees on the Gathering island on the horizon. _The Gathering… I wonder if Lightningpaw's a warrior yet?_

The familiar over-the-moon feeling that accompanied thoughts of the golden-eyed she-cat was lessened slightly by all the other things competing for his attention at the moment.

 _Such as another golden-eyed she-cat,_ Pondfrost said sharply. _You really should try to distance yourself a little from Cinnamonheart, because if she_ does _betray you, it'll hurt all the more. I know._

Though the advice was reasonable, something about it made him want to snap back at her. _I think can very well judge for myself, thanks._

 _Have it your way,_ she snorted. _But that's the beauty of all the best manipulators. You don't realize you're being played until it's too late._

He sucked a breath through his teeth. He had made the decision to Cinnamonheart, and he would stick by it until Cinnamonheart proved herself to be a traitor.

 _Which she's already done multiple times over…_ Pondfrost trailed off meaningfully.

 _I'm giving her a second chance,_ he snapped.

 _More like a four hundred and twentieth,_ she told him sharply. _But whatever. If you want to be blind, far be it my place to try to open your eyes._

As usual, any interaction with the mysterious she-cat left him huffing in irritation, but it was at least one normal thing in the otherwise tumultuous world that Cinnamonheart had just revealed to him.

 _I hope that the Gathering will be normal at least._

Oh, how wrong he was.

…

 _Murder is wrong._

 _Murder is wrong._

 _Murder is wrong._

He reminded himself, but every time he said it, he felt his morals loosening a little more.

 _No one would miss_ one _smarmy little piece of fox-dung, I'm sure…_

The cat - target? - in question was one gray ThunderClan tom who was altogether too close to Lightningpaw for Wavecrash _not_ to want to shred him.

He had almost regained control over himself when he suddenly took note of the tom taking a threatening step closer to Lightningpaw. And then his vision was hazing and the next thing he knew, he was barrelling towards them.

Their conversation was quickly becoming more intense, though both seemed to be interested in keeping it quiet. Wavecrash began to catch snippets of it as he drew closer

"Don't interrupt your superiors," the gray snapped, advancing on her, nearly nose-to-nose with her.

Moreover, his whole body was tensed and preparing pounce. _Not on my watch,_ Wavecrash thought, anger making blood rush through ears.

"Don't come near me," Lightningpaw snapped back, holding her ground. The silver tom felt a flash of pride at her defiance, but couldn't deny his fear that the gray tom wouldn't give up so easily.

"What's going on here?" Wavecrash snapped, forcing himself to stop a couple pawsteps away as a safety precaution against pouncing on the gray tom and disemboweling him.

Lightningpaw's bright gaze snapped over to him, undisguised shock washing over her, and flinched away from the gray tom.

"None of your business, RiverClan," the tom hissed, but Wavecrash knew exactly how he was going to deal with this fox-dung if the tom didn't back down. Drawing himself up to his full height, which was notably considerably higher than the ThunderClan tom's, he took a step towards him.

Lightningpaw's gaze darted between them, worried, but Wavecrash was beyond trying to keep up appearances.

"Well, it wouldn't be, only I thought I saw you threatening an apprentice of your own Clan," he said coldly, forcing his voice not to boil over with the rage quivering in his bones. "Was I mistaken? In that case, I'd like to catch up with Lightningpaw here about Clan news. Since it's a Gathering."

"She's with me, now scram," the tom spat back.

 _With you?! With you?!_

His breathing sped up as his heart began to pump straight adrenaline through his veins. _WITH YOU?!_

"Well, just wait-" Lightningpaw started softly, but Wavecrash wasn't going to let the other tom get away with such a claim.

"I'm not done talking to her," he said softly, his feathery tail tracing through the air, his shoulders tightening as he prepared to dodge out of the way of the blow that the equally-simmering gray tom seemed to be planning to throw at him.

He heard a sharp hiss from Lightningpaw, before the sound of her pawsteps bounding away made his ears prick. But neither gaze of sharp blue released the other.

After several moments of tension, the gray ThunderClan tom hissed softly and turned on his heel.

 _That's right. Skitter away, little mouse. I think we both know who won,_ he thought, satisfaction blooming.

But when he looked over his shoulder, Lightningpaw was nowhere to be found.

Blood still pounded through his veins as though he was gearing up for a fight, and even then he knew that it would unwise to see Lightningpaw with Breezepaw at the moment, for fear of snapping and clawing the other tom to shreds.

 _Maybe she's with Darkpaw,_ he told himself, simultaneously accepting it as a blatant lie. _I'll check in ShadowClan anyways…_

"Heya, stranger!" a cheerful voice, most decidedly un-ShadowClan, made him turn. It was she-cat Breezepaw - that is, Lionpaw. "I know you!"

"Ah yes, we met last Gathering," he recalled. "You're Lionpaw? You were with Leopardheart, the WindClan she-cat…?"

"That's right, but I'm Lionsun now!" she exclaimed, fluffing out her golden pelt proudly. "Had my warrior ceremony."

"That makes two of us," he said amiably, puffing out his chest. "I'm Wavecrash now."

"Oh good," she winked conspiratorially, then confessed, "I forgot your name. Good thing you told me, or that would have been awkward."

"But you just- you just admitted you forgot it," he purred, shaking his head. "Good to know I made _such_ an impression."

"Oh, you did," she assured him, her golden eyes - _what is it with all these yellow eyes?_ \- twinkling with mischief. "But your name didn't."

"You wound me so," he quipped, pretending to faint.

"A delicate flower, huh? They'd eat you alive in ShadowClan," she teased.

"Riiight, the Clan of darkness…" Wavecrash snorted, giving her a pointed look, sweeping his gaze over her bright fur and sunny attitude.

"I'll have you know I can be _very_ scary," she said imperiously, baring her teeth in what looked a great deal like a smile to him.

"I can barely contain my terror," he said dryly. "Shaking in my pelt, 'I'll have you know'."

At his squeaky imitation of her, she let out a puff of laughter. "Perhaps we should switch places, you seem nasty enough to fit in with _some_ of my Clanmates."

"I'm all ears," he said, narrowing his eyes with interest.

"I noticed," she said, laughter bubbling out of her again. "Great _StarClan_ they're enormous! Do they fit in your nest? For that matter, how can you fall asleep? Dovewing over here, the walking pair of ears!"

He choked back a peal of laughter. _My ears? What in StarClan's name is she talking about?_ "I'll have you know that every cat in RiverClan has big ears. That's why you slimy ShadowClan worms haven't been able sneak up on us!"

"On the contrary," she countered, taking the jab at her Clan in stride, "we were sneaky enough that moons later you still don't realize that we were there! Woosh, like the shadows."

She did a peculiar undulating motion, as though she were trying to prove how stealthy she was and instead looking like a dying fish flopping around on a riverbed.

"Are you doing that on purpose or should I call for a medicine cat," he deadpanned.

Lionsun snorted so hard that it made her laugh, restarting the cycle and Wavecrash shook his head with a sigh.

"Seriously, there's a _fleet_ to pick from," Wavecrash continued, all too pleased at her continued purrs of amusement. "Take the ditzy ThunderClanner, the hare-brained WindClanner, the prophecy-screeching RiverClanner, or… _yours_ , whom appears to be-"

Tears leaked from Lionsun's eyes as she supplied, "So far up himself that he's forgotten what the ground looks like."

Her blatant vulgarity earned a surprised shout of laughter from Wavecrash, who promptly tried to squash it as he drew peculiar looks from nearby.

"Cats are staring!" he snapped, but it was far too late to stop them now as Lionsun, with an increasingly evil look, let loose a spewing list of further vulgarities.

"You'll corrupt the apprentices!" Wavecrash yelped, but he was still in throes of hilarity. "What in StarClan's name do your mentors teach you?"

"Oh, many more, I can supply you with the complete list," she assured him, and much to his horror, continued.

They were still choking on their laughter as the Gathering began, and later, ended too.

It was only as he was walking back from the island, a stupid grin on his face, that he realized he hadn't spoken a word to Lightningpaw.

 **Hachi Machi that was fun to write.**

 **I feel like y'all get a very skewed view of Lionsun from her bitter sister, so here's her in her natural element, gemini to the core. The image of a cat just screeching swear-words at a Gathering delights me. You're welcome. QOTC: What do you think Cinnamonheart revealed to Wavecrash to make him do such a 180 on his conviction that she was a traitor?**

 **Eyyo, y'all liked that? I've been meaning to do a bait like that for awhile.**

 **P.S. apologies for the late chapter, but I been (waiiiit for it) busy. Hopefully we'll be back to regular updates now though.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	74. Dark: Truth, Trust, Trials

**Hey everybody!**

 **Ya sick boi is bringing you a chapter, courtesy of a couple extra cups of coffee, pajamas, and a healthy dose of not getting out of bed despite it being the afternoon.**

 **Dorkmoon, comin' on over to hitcha with a chapter.**

 **A lot of dirty jokes. I don't even know what happened there, but… yep. Nothing like gross but just kinda… ?**

Chapter 72.

 _Dear StarClan save me, what am I supposed to do now?_ she wondered desperately.

 _Cut the drama, you're acting like a kit,_ Ripple said cuttingly, but then added sympathetically, _They usually just want to talk at someone. Just shut up and nod at the correct moments._

Robinwood had been going at it for what felt like several moons to Darkmoon, but was surely only a few actual minutes. The main focus of what seemed to be rambling mess was Primrosethorn, but now he had moved on to Ravenwing and the power structure of ShadowClan and Darkmoon was fairly certain she couldn't jump in with any safety at this point.

"-and I just can't get my head around how anyone even listens to them anymore!" Robinwood snapped.

She nodded and tried to make a sympathetic noise that sounded like a groan of pain.

Mudpaw was unfortunately roped into a training session with Feathermist - however, she didn't seem to be as unenthusiastic as usual - and so Robinwood and Darkmoon were solo-patrolling the border they shared with the rest of the world outside the Clan territories.

Which, apparently to Robinwood, meant chatting each other's ears off.

Or more specifically, him chatting her ears off.

 _You know, I used to be hurt that Duskpaw and Robinwood wouldn't invite me when they went off on their own during the day,_ Darkmoon mused to Ripple. _But know I'm feeling a little more thankful._

"And that sheep-biter thought-" Robinwood continued, but Darkmoon had fully tuned him out at this point.

"Damn, that's crazy," she muttered.

Ripple huffed with amusement in her mind.

"So should I talk to her?" Robinwood asked, his eyes worried.

 _Uh…_

"Well, it really depends on how you feel," she supplied weakly, but it seemed good enough for Robinwood who continued his self-psychoanalysis.

"I know that she's not going to be frog-whacking about it now, but I think that's just because as long as it doesn't seem to her that I'm padding after any toms, she couldn't give a lizard-nostril," Robinwood mumbled, sighing tragically.

 _Is… what?! I understood like a quarter of that sentence,_ Darkmoon told Ripple, trying not to purr out loud.

"Uhuh," she muttered.

"Well, I miss her," he said, his stream finally petering out as he gave another melancholy exhale.

"I could talk to her on your behalf…" Darkmoon offered hesitantly. _Would that even help, though?_

"No… this is really just something I have to deal with." Another sigh. "Thanks for trying to help."

She nodded, not really sure what else she could say.

"Any cat you're interested in?" he offered, giving her a nudge.

Darkmoon gulped hard enough to swallow a fly passing by and managed a weak, "Not really… no?"

He narrows his eyes for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, I don't blame you. The elders told me about some disease that ravaged the Clans that wiped out like half of most of us. Not exactly a whole lot of choice, and the pressure's on to repopulate."

She nearly choked on her own tongue. _Repopulate?! I do_ not _want to have this conversation right now… Well, if he understands humour then I guess that's how we're going about this…_

"Oi, my parents died, I think that gives me a free pass from the lizards-and-the-frogs talk," she snipped.

Robinwood snorted, and then with a mischievous gleam began, "When a mommy cat and a daddy cat love each other very much, they get into a nest-"

"Shut uuuuuup!" she groaned, flattening her ears and covering them with her paws. "This is not happening, we are going back to camp."

"And they touch noses in a very special way-" Robinwood continued between bouts of evil purrs.

Forgoing simply covering her ears, Darkmoon flattened herself on the ground and pushed her paws straight in her ears. "Stop talking, stop talking, shut your muzzle!"

"Don't be afraid of love!" Robinwood called after her as she hared away, then collapsed into laughter. "StarClan brings them a litter of kits down from the stars, and-"

"I don't know what Duskpaw sees in you!" she retorted, still charging back to camp.

His amusement echoed through the trees.

By the time they made it back to camp, Darkmoon was shivering in her thin pelt, but her amber eyes glittered with delight in just playing and joking with another cat who cared as little as she did.

"Back so soon? Did you find something?" Ravenwing asked, eyes flicking between the two of them.

"Nope, everything was normal, we renewed the scent marking, and that's it," she said, shrugging. "Why, was there something else?"

"You remember what I told you when I sent you out?" he asked rhetorically.

 _"The rogues around here have been getting more active. Make sure none of them crossed.",_ her mind supplied.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember," she bobbed her head obediently. "Rogues, something something."

The sleek deputy pursed his lips, but seemed to narrowly avoid rolling his eyes. "Very well. If you're sure there was nothing to report."

"Sure as I can be."

 _What's up with him? Does he really think I'd lie about this?_ she wondered, holding his dark blue, penetrative stare for another heartbeat then turning back away.

 _He's just being a good deputy,_ Ripple snorted derisively.

 _Doesn't exactly sound like you think that,_ Darkmoon retorted pointedly.

 _Well, you know, he is the StarClan Chosen Saviour of ShadowClan,_ Ripple expanded, his cynicism and sarcasm growing with every word.

With that, Darkmoon recalled the story of how Ashmask, Ravenwing's brother had supposedly received a sign that his brother was definitely going to lead ShadowClan… _And not every cat was too happy about it…_

 _Well, I'm not a skeptic like some of your bitter-old-codger Clanmates, but I certainly don't think that him being deputy is going to save ShadowClan,_ Ripple snorted. _I think StarClan just wanted to interfere to try to prove that the Clans still need them._

 _Huh?_ She cocked her head, drawing a couple of glances at the sudden and seemingly unprompted movement form her Clanmates.

 _Well, you know, they never specifically said what Ravenwing was supposedly saving them from,_ Ripple explained slowly as though she was a kit. _So who's to say there actually_ was _something?_

 _Uh, StarClan?! Like… all-knowing, all-powerful, all-benevolent…_ Darkmoon rattled off.

 _So they say,_ Ripple mewed dismissively. _But he's really just some tom who happens to have a shiny pelt and a smooth voice and a brother who's also pretty important._

Darkmoon tried to shut him out. It wasn't good to hear those sorts of thoughts about her deputy, or StarClan for that matter. Far as she was concerned, as long as Ravenwing actually did his work as a deputy she couldn't care less. He'd die eventually, and that would be that. If he did save them from some terrible fate, all the better, right?

 _I just think it's kind of funny how the Clans are so dependent on StarClan for answers, solutions, and saving…_

Was it her imagination, or did Ripple's voice dip lower for a moment?

 _Just stop talking about that,_ she told him firmly.

 _Enjoy your bubble,_ he snorted, his voice sharp, cutting, cold.

Unease roiling in her stomach, she tried to shut him out.

The exchange left her off-balance and upset, but Ripple at least was silent. _Good riddance,_ she thought, not caring if he heard. No answer. She couldn't feel his presence, but she'd learned a while ago not to trust anything, not even her own instincts.

It felt like there was a ball of sand, or mud at the back of her throat, making it harder than ever to swallow. She found an undisturbed patch of snow by the side of the camp and plunged her muzzle into it, welcoming the icy sting.

It numbed things.

She looked around, and saw that Feathermist had returned, however with no brown tabby at her side.

A cold feeling in her gut travelled right up to her throat until she had to speak.

"Feathermist? Where's Duskpaw?" she nearly choked on the words, but made it through at least coherently.

"She just went back out with Robinwood," the silvery she-cat assured her calmly with a weak smile. "It's okay."

So why didn't it feel okay? Why did it feel like every cat had suddenly abandoned her?

Even the warmth generated by being in a camp full of others was being sucked from her.

Her sudden spiral into feelings of intense isolation was suddenly shattered as Feathermist looked at contemplatively, before speaking.

"Will you walk with me, Darkmoon? I have a feeling that there's something you'll understand better than… some cats," she said softly.

 _Oh excellent, no, yeah, for sure, just go ahead and pour all your problems out on me, because I sure can't feel anything…_ she thought viciously, but took a deep breath and nodded.

There was a flash of something that seemed almost like surprise, but then Feathermist smiled weakly and began to pad out of camp, Darkmoon following.

It became clear quickly that the other she-cat didn't really have a destination in mind as they made their way through the territory until they happened upon a snowy clearing that Feathermist deemed suitable and cleared some of the snow away with tail before sitting down delicately.

Darkmoon attempted to copy and also sat, looking anywhere but Feathermist. _Awkward much? I don't even know why she wanted to talk to me…_

"I know this is kind of sudden, but well, I trust you, and I really need to talk to some cat," Feathermist said softly, studying her paws.

"Well, go ahead then," the tortoise-shell mumbled.

"I"m sure you've heard all the rumours and reports of increased rogue activity," she began awkwardly, glancing up at Darkmoon for affirmation, then continued, "so I… um, I tried to go to one of the twoleg places just outside the territory to try to find out what was going on. I got caught by some tom, but he didn't attack me or anything, he just seemed genuinely interested in my life as a Clan cat."

 _This isn't going where I think it's going, is it…?_

"He told me things about the rogues that lived there too, things that lined up with what Patchy's said about his previous group, pretty terrible things honestly…" Feathermist closed her eyes, and then glanced back at Darkmoon, looking remorseful. "We started meeting more often…"

 _And you fell in love, you fell in love, you frog-brained, fluff-headed idiot…_

"He told me how no cat could fall in love in their group," she said softly. "How every cat just had a pair chosen for them to have kits with, like it or not. He fell in love with the cat he was paired with, but before any cat found out, she disappeared."

 _And now I'm getting a second-paw life experience. What exactly is the point of this…?_

Catching Darkmoon's sharp expression, Feathermist sighed with a little smile.

"I'm sorry. I've just been holding onto some other cat's secrets for long enough that you know, I'm kind of… spilling all of them," she said, shaking her head at herself. "The point is… yeah, as I'm sure you've guessed…"

"You fell in love," Darkmoon finished the sentence, sighing heavily. "StarClan, Feathermist…"

But it was hard to even try to be chiding when tears were welling in the she-cat's forest-green eyes.

"I know, I know, I'm a mouse-brain," she sighed, letting out a choked purr. "In the same heartbeat that I realized, I immediately stopped meeting him. We'd just been each other's escape for long enough that I wanted to escape for good… and I knew I couldn't."

Darkmoon tried to give her a sympathetic look, but much like earlier, it was coming out painful.

Feathermist sniffed and glanced up at the overcast sky.

Darkmoon's amber eyes darted lower for a moment, and she inhaled sharply.

"Wait-"

"Yep."

"Great StarClan!"

There was a heartbeat of silence, and then through her tears, Feathermist started laughing and despite herself, Darkmoon did the same.

"I know I'm a mouse-brain, I know, I know," the silver she-cat sighed after the hysterical laughter had left her.

Suddenly, the delicate way she'd sat down and the unreasonable exhaustion after her training with Mudpaw was all starting to make a lot more sense.

Darkmoon just shook her head.

"Don't blame you for wanting to talk to some cat…" she said, giving her a heavy smile.

"Well, I was starting to feel full of secrets, like they were dragging me down, but that might just be the kits," Feathermist said with another laugh.

Despite herself, Darkmoon snorted again. For whatever reason, being in some cranny of the territory she'd never felt perfectly at home in, with a cat she'd barely had two conversations with spilling her guts to her, the whole situation suddenly seemed like the funniest thing she'd ever heard.

"Well, what in StarClan's name are you going to do now?!" she demanded.

Feathermist continued her laugh between sobs. "I guess I'm just going to throw myself at Ivystar's paws and beg for forgiveness."

 _Repopulate…_ The goofy conversation with Robinwood abruptly came back to her.

"Well, you know, it might be a blessing in disguise, if you think about it," Darkmoon said thoughtfully. "I mean, there are only so many toms and she-cats in ShadowClan. If we want to avoid awkward conversations about how-related-is-too-related, then, uh, _mingling_ outside the Clan isn't such a terrible idea."

Feathermist sniffled with laughter. "Keep talking like that and you'll be taking a mate from WindClan next."

Her ribs abruptly felt a little too small. She gave a choked chuckle. _Haha, right? Wouldn't that just be ridiculous?_

"Well, okay, let's draw the line at _actually_ breaking the warrior code," Darkmoon said, her voice sounding a little too strained to be totally natural. "I mean, there are going to fox-hearts who'll kick up a fuss whether you're having kits with a rogue or just breathing too loudly."

"A fair point," Feathermist snorted, and Darkmoon had a feeling both their minds went to Primrosethorn.

"Have you thought about asking him-" she began, but Feathermist anticipated the question and answered.

"Yeah, but… I'm pretty sure that he'll say no," she mumbled. "And… I don't know, after a couple meetings we just sort of tried to stop talking about that kind of thing altogether."

"Didn't sound like you two were doing a whole lot of talking in general," Darkmoon cracked, giving Feathermist a cheesy wink.

Feathermist gaped a little, then went _pffft,_ and they both started purring again.

 _I imagine this is the sort of thing I'd joke about with Lionsun if she'd even give me the time of night at this point,_ Darkmoon suddenly thought, and blinked. _Was there ever really a time when we_ really _talked like this? I guess blood means even less than I thought if I can feel closer to another cat in a couple conversations than I can to my literal sister._

"Well, I've gotten pretty good at trying to defend the indefensible to Ivystar at this point, so hit me up if you need help with that," Darkmoon snorted.

"Ah, yes, forgot I was speaking to ShadowClan's resident delinquent warrior," Feathermist giggled. "You're getting a bit of a reputation, you know?"

"Seriously?" The tortoise-shell she-cat blinked at the other warrior. "Sheesh. Don't cats have anything better to do than gossip?"

"What, like go out and freeze to death in a blizzard?" she teased. "Yeah, let me know how that works out for you."

Darkmoon rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Feathermist, who suddenly froze and pricked her ears.

Alerted by the other she-cat's sudden reaction, she also tasted the air and swivelled her head towards the earthy scent of a pheasant.

 _Either I'm hallucinating or we are the luckiest warriors around the lake,_ Darkmoon thought, salivating as she glanced at Feathermist to affirm the existence of the prey.

Together, they silently padded around to either side of it, neither downwind nor upwind.

With a wordless agreement, Feathermist jumped out of the slight cover from the spindly branches of a dead bush and scared the woodland bird straight into Darkmoon's open jaws. She snapped shut her mouth, hearing a satisfying crunch as the bird's life ended.

"See, it's a sign," Darkmoon teased Feathermist. "The kits are good luck. We can bribe Ivystar with this."

The young warrior purred in amusement at the mental image of the uptight leader's nose twitching at the fresh scent of prey.

"It had better go to Pineleaf," Feathermist said, sighing. "A real shame; I swear that she-cat popped out of her mother already complaining about the birth-nest and her brother taking too much space in her belly, and _StarClan, Ashmaaask, why aren't you giving her lavendar or whatever already!?_ "

The impressions of whiny Pineleaf was so accurate that it took Darkmoon a solid minute to compose herself.

"Well, she won't be able to talk while she's eating," Darkmoon pointed out.

Feathermist's eyes widened comically. "StarClan, you're right! We have to get this bird back immediately."

They purred, taking turns dragging the heavy bird back to camp, where they paused several fox-lengths away, Feathermist the one currently in possession of their prize.

"I mean… you should really take it. You killed it," Feathermist reasoned.

"We did equal amounts, and you're the one who needs Ivystar's approval more," Darkmoon countered. "Besides, most cats will probably just assume that it was a joint catch."

Feathermist shrugged, convinced, and in they strode.

Jaws visibly dropped and Darkmoon could practically smell the food-lust in the air as the pheasant made its entrance.

"It's for the queens," the tortoise-shell announced strictly.

Feathermist released it for a moment to murmur to Darkmoon, "Tears are going to be shed and fights are going to break out if we don't get it into the nursery immediately. Help me out?"

She felt embarrassed suddenly as she realized she'd been forcing the _pregnant_ \- _how did I forget?!_ \- Feathermist to drag a giant piece of fresh-kill around.

"Right, right," she exclaimed, and grabbed it, wincing as her teeth sank into the soft flesh and the sweet, salty blood pooled on her tongue…

"You good there?" Feathermist teased. "Or am I going to have to wrestle it away from you?"

Purring, Darkmoon cradled it on her chest mock-protectively. "You can try…"

"Shiningsnow, Pineleaf, we brought you something to eat!" Feathermist called softly.

Suddenly, the sound of squealing kits began and Feathermist and Darkmoon exchanged panicked looks.

" _You_ woke _up_ my _kits_!" Pineleaf hissed from within, sounding about two heartbeats away from _actually_ gutting the two warriors.

"Run?"

"Run."

They dropped the bird and hustled over to the other side of the camp, giggling all the while. It felt like her stronger days as a kit, when she actually had enough energy to participate in their little kit games. Days that were few and far between, certainly, but they were some of her best memories.

When had everything become so complicated?

…

"...Darkmoon, Lionsun, Mudpaw, and Poolpaw," Ivystar finished.

She and Feathermist had been sharing a pathetically small frog that tasted like it had been frozen for the better part of the last moon. Darkmoon had been taking purposefully small bites, knowing that Feathermist would object to her explicitly giving up her share for the other warrior, but probably wouldn't raise a fuss if it was covert enough.

 _So you_ can _be selfless,_ Ripple observed, a hint of amusement in his voice.

 _Huh?_ Darkmoon's brow furrowed. _Well, I like to think I'm not such a fox-heart that I'd snarf down a lizard in the thick of leaf-bare when a young queen hasn't eaten all day._

 _Eh, I wasn't so sure,_ Ripple purred, but despite the rude comment, he sounded normal again.

"Looks like I'm in for a quiet night tonight then," Feathermist observed, glancing at the setting sun, now just a molten slice on the horizon. "I'm glad. Not interested in traipsing down to some island to listen to feather-brains…"  
"I didn't really want to go either," Darkmoon lied. _I totally, totally want to go. I have to make things right with Breezepaw before he thinks I'm just some needy kit…_

"Bring me back a story or two," Feathermist told her. "Your WindClan mate, right?"  
"About that-" Darkmoon laughed nervously, but she was cut off as Ivystar called the patrol to leave.

"See you in the morning," she said cheerfully as the tortoise-shell awkwardly cut off her own almost-confession with a weak smile.

Glancing back at the she-cat still peacefully sitting with her silver paws tucked under her silver chest, Darkmoon actually did wish for a moment that there was a chance she could simply forget about Breezepaw…

Yet even the thought was enough to make her flinch away and some part of her cry out against the idea.

 _I'll just talk to him. I'll be calm, and normal, and he'll_ like _me, and that'll be enough. It doesn't matter how he feels about Lightningpaw, they're from different Clans. We're from different Clans. Just as long as he talks to me._

What she _didn't_ like about the whole situation, she reflected as the ShadowClan patrol walked to the island, was how dark and shameful and secretive the whole thing felt. She wished she could climb to the top of the tallest tree, float to the middle of the lake, and shout how she felt, but… it couldn't be.

 _Now,_ she told herself, not dwelling too much on how much of a lie it was, _it's enough to just be friends. And maybe in another life, I'll have another chance._

 _You believe in rebirth?_ Ripple's voice was perfectly level despite it being framed as a question.

 _I have to hope,_ she grunted with a sigh.

 _And if this is your only chance?_ he pressed.

 _Would you shut your yapper?_ she demanded irritably. _You're the one who got me into this mess in the first place. All that 'tell him' fox-dung, StarClan above._

Ripple was silent in the face of that accusation, and Darkmoon was glad for it.

As they crossed the Gathering bridge, Darkmoon realized the other three Clans had already arrived, and seemingly also had been there for awhile.

She bee-lined for the WindClan area, but she couldn't see the familiar golden pelt of Breezepaw. For a moment she thought she caught it, but she realized it was just the deputy of WindClan.

 _C'mon, c'mon, where is he?!_ She caught herself. _Well, okay, I'm probably not supposed to be so excited to see a_ friend…

But he appeared to have disappeared off the face of the territories.

 _Maybe he didn't come to this Gathering?_ Disappointment dragged through her belly. _I guess he must have not been made a warrior either, then…_

Abruptly, her head swivelled at the sound of a bright and brassy, almost grating laugh. _Lionsun._

She narrowed her eyes suddenly.

 _And… Wavepaw? What?_

She crept closer, trying to catch any part of their conversation, but they seemed to be purposefully trying to keep their voices down. _Why? What's sooo important that you can't share it with any potential eavesdroppers?_

Her eyes narrowed in interest as she feigned obliviousness, aimlessly padding around the area.

"...doesn't know what the ground looks like," Lionsun giggled, and Wavepaw abruptly yelped with amusement.

For whatever reason, it set her teeth on edge to see them both so relaxed and cheerful.

 _It's just because I don't like either of them right now… right? Not…_

 _… jealousy? Of who? Pssh, if I wanted to actually be friends with_ either _of them, I could, and it would be easy too!_ she told herself, feeling very upset for confusing reasons. _Whatever. If those two lizard-brains want to squeal together like a pack of worthless mice, then they can go right ahead, see if I care._

She stormed away, but just before she did, she glanced back and noticed with a start how they looked, outlined in the moonlight. The pale illumination made Lionsun's fur turn paler, and the broadly muscled shoulders under her pelt were mirrored in Wavepaw's. She looked odd, placed against a RiverClan cat like that, almost as though she and Wavepaw-

The wind shifted suddenly, bringing a new scent to Darkmoon's nose, one that she knew very well.

 _He_ is _here!_

She turned on her heel from where she'd almost made a full, undetected circle around Wavepaw and Lionsun and hurried to the little grassy bank by where the lake met the shore.

 _Where all of this madness started…_

She remembered it like it had been earlier that day. The strange, insistent force that rooted her paws to the pebbles on the shoreline, the crash of water breaking as Lightningpaw first plunged, and then the two almost simultaneous splashes as Wavepaw and Breezepaw both also dove in after her.

Shaking off the memories, she padded slowly up to Breezepaw's unmoving, seated figure, almost angelic with how his golden fur turned silver around the edges by the starlight.

Blinking, she realized his shoulders were far tenser than they should be with how beautiful the view was. _Did something happen to him?_

"Hey," she called out to him, closing the last couple fox-lengths between them. "Are you okay?"  
He didn't move, but she heard him exhale in a sarcastic laugh. "No."

Side-eyeing him, she slowly moved to his side and admitted, "Yeah, me neither. I'm sorry about last moon."  
 _Guess I'll just get right to it..._

His muzzle barely moved in the darkness as he sighed. "Not the worst thing that's happened to me in the last moon."  
The rawness of his voice would certainly support that. He sounded like he'd been dragged to the Dark Forest and back behind a monster.

"Really? Because I was pretty sure I screwed up _badly_ there," she snorted. _I mean, seriously, what happened to him that was worse than some crazy she-cat from another Clan declaring her undying love?!_ "And I don't think becoming a warrior's made me any smarter."

A casual-not-casual flaunt of her new status.

"Hang on, you're a warrior?" At last he turned to her. His eyes glistened with moonlight, making it look like they were brimming with unshed tears.

"Yeah, Darkmoon. Pretty flashy, huh?"

"Wow," he mewed. A sad smile lit his face. _So I guess I was right, he's not a warrior yet._

"Look, I didn't come over here to tell you about my great new name," she confessed. _Might as well attack the badger head-on…_ "I just want to be honest with you, okay?"

"Honesty is always good," he muttered, sounding like he was talking to himself.

"Riiight, soooo," she trailed off awkwardly, then attempted to remember what few points she had planned to try to hit with this apology. "I know I come on strong. And I don't know what bees were in my brain when I thought telling a cat from another Clan that I was in love with them was a good idea. So… I guess I just wanted to say, I'm sorry about that…"

 _Doing well, come on, stick the landing…_

He gave her a contemplative look out of those strangely familiar eyes. "Well, honesty right? I appreciate you at least trying to clear up that mess, but I've got a lot more of the sort to deal with."  
 _Of the sort? Exactly how often to she-cats confess their love to you?!_ "Too many confessions to deal with?" she quipped, her voice straining slightly.

"Something like that," he grunted. _Waaaiiiit, seriously?!_ She studied him, then glanced down, embarrassed.

"So what's your deal then?" she challenged awkwardly. _He's going on about honesty, how about he return the favour?_ "I think you know exactly what's going on on my end, so maybe it's time you owned up."

He snorted, and her fur suddenly spiked at being so quickly brushed off, but then he caught her gaze and winced.

"I have no idea how I feel. Not. The. Foggiest. Every time I think I've figured it out, something happens, some cat tells me they love me, or some cat reveals that they're not who I thought they were. But.. I think if you were in my Clan, I would be less confused."

She pursed her lips. _Well_ that's _not an answer. Nice try buddy._ "Well, don't beat around the bush. Come on, honesty, right? So if I was in WindClan…?"  
 _Is he trying to say that the only thing holding him back is that I'm from another Clan…?_

"I- I would probably not be worried like I am," he hedged. "I guess I would be able to… feel any way."

 _No. I refuse to read into this. If he's going to be vague, then I'm going to take it at face-value and that's that._

"Well, I have a feeling the Clans are closer than they appear," she said grimly. "Even some cats closest to us… are hiding things that could change so much…"

The Gathering was over before Darkmoon even thought to return to the ShadowClan section.

"Oh, wait! You just became a warrior, so you would've gotten the cheers and everything," he pointed out.

She felt a pang of happiness that he was worried she missed something important to her, and also seized the opportunity to appear not shallow.

"I don't really care," she lied. She certainly would have revelled in every cat chanting her name. "I mean, most of them don't even know who I am."

 _One day…_ she thought, looking wistfully at the great tree.

"I guess," he agreed but sounded unconvinced. _Would he have respected me more if I'd owned up to wanting automatic approval?_

"I should head back," she sighed. "Well, nice talking to you. Sorry about your… life."

He purred, rolling his eyes.

"I'll see you next moon, hopefully."

The declaration nearly made her hop to her paws, but she narrowly restrained herself.

"Hopefully."

And then he was gone for another moon.

 _Oh StarClan, why couldn't he have been born into ShadowClan?_ she groaned inwardly.

…

"So who did you talk to?" her sister asked her brightly as they walked back.

"Uh, you know, a couple of cats from other Clans," Darkmoon said vaguely, not catching her sister's probing gaze. "Who did _you_ talk to? Seemed pretty friendly with some RiverClanner, huh?"  
"Yeah, he's a friendly tom I guess," Lionsun deflected neatly. "I don't know, some cats you just connect with, you know? Like you've known each other your whole lives…"

 _And yet…_

Darkmoon knew they were both thinking it.

 _...we never connected like that._

 **Borple dorp the plot thickens… also Feathermist's a sweetheart, eh? I like her. One of her kits will be an OC, submitted by a reader! The form is on my profile if you're interested. Since it's kinda inconsequential** _ **exactly**_ **who the rogue she was meeting with** _ **is**_ **, I'll tell you that we've met him before. QOTC: Can you guess who it is?**

 **~Pondfrost is way too proud of the line "If we want to avoid awkward conversations about how-related-is-too-related, then, uh,** _ **mingling**_ **outside the Clan isn't such a terrible idea."**


	75. Lightning: Downpour Pt 1

**At last, more loose ends begin to be tied up in this chapter.**

 **Review Replies:**

 **Somerandomperson: Don't worry, it's not him. I'm glad you like Robinwood though, haha, he's definitely a fun character to write.**

 **Nightmist: Cool! You have a really pretty name for that OC. AND HERE IS MOOOOOOORE.**

 **Alrighty roo! The updated allegiances will be at the end of this chapter, and it'll probably not be too long, but never fear, the Wave and Dark chapters will most likely be longer.**

 **T because Rainwater is** _ **literally**_ **the worst.**

Chapter 73.

A set of jaws closed around Lightningpaw's tail.

She shrieked out of surprise and fear, but on instinct whirled around and slammed a paw into the side of the face of her assailant.

"Gah!" The teeth released her, and Lightningpaw squared off with Slatepaw, who was hissing and had fluffed up her fur.

Lightningpaw leapt first and they tussled for a moment, before Slatepaw handily took the advantage and pinned her sister with one paw. Vixenpaw hadn't even bothered leaping into the fray

"Alright, results of the first two against one, Slatepaw and Vixenpaw are the victors," Blackpool announced, and Halfear and Daisytail cracked wry smiles. "Next up, Vixenpaw against Slatepaw and Lightningpaw."

Her gray sister released her, and she got to her paws, shaking out her now-dusty pelt. _Well that was over quickly…_ she thought irritably. _But what was I supposed to do? I mean, what cat wins a two on one?_

Not Vixenpaw, certainly, as Lightningpaw and Slatepaw wordlessly flanked her, dividing her attention, struck, and ended with Slatepaw once again pinning their sister.

Blackpool nodded and with a gracious show of restraint, did not smile but simply announced, "Second results, Lightningpaw and Slatepaw. Now, Slatepaw versus Lightningpaw and Vixenpaw."

 _Well, this should be interesting at least,_ Whiteshadow murmured, sounding like she was focusing on something.

 _Well, I'm sure Vixenpaw and I's combined skill is more than Slatepaw, but I don't think we'll cooperate well._

Lightningpaw's prediction was proved correct when instead of utilizing the two-on-one tactic that Slatepaw and Lightningpaw had used to defeat Vixenpaw in an instant, Vixenpaw chose to go at Slatepaw head on.

 _No, no, what's she doing?!_ the brown and white she-cat wondered, frustrated.

As she expected, Slatepaw crouched and rolled out of the way, onto her back. Vixenpaw, always one to seize an opportunity, dove at Slatepaw's exposed stomach. Lightningpaw resisted the urge to smack herself in the muzzle and instead leapt at the wrestling pair to try to save Vixenpaw from embarrassing herself.

Slatepaw was about to pin Vixenpaw when Lightningpaw's clumsy head-first attack bowled her off her paws and sent the gray apprentice sprawling.

She recovered quickly, but the momentary advantage was lost, and once more, the three sisters faced off.

"Use the correct form this time!" Lightningpaw snapped, not taking her golden gaze off Slatepaw.

"She'll be expecting it," Vixenpaw spat back. "We have to try something else."

"I'm sorry, last I checked, we can't communicate telepathically. What crazy elder stories have you got in your brain where sisters have connected thoughts?" Lightningpaw retorted. "Just use the basic two on one."

"It's-"

Vixenpaw's next round of frustration was cut off as Slatepaw, quick and low to the ground as a snake, shot forwards and carried the ginger she-cat off her paws. Lightningpaw sighed heavily and braced herself to spot an opportunity that never came.

Instead, wasting no time, Slatepaw pinned Vixenpaw and did the pretend-swipe their mentors had shown them to imitate killing.

With several irritable comments, Vixenpaw 'died' and Slatepaw and Lightningpaw faced off.

The assessment was a mock rogue-battle, fight-for-your-life situation against a larger group of cats. The two 'rogues' were supposed to demonstrate their teamwork and discipline, two things Vixenpaw was notoriously bad at.

 _And she's not the only one,_ Whiteshadow said pointedly.

 _I'm good at teamwork! As long as I'm the team captain,_ she added sheepishly, before shaking off the thoughts. _I'll need every bit of focus I have to beat Slatepaw._

The sisters crouched, synchronized, and began to circle each other, tails lashing.

Slatepaw began with a straight leap forwards with the obvious intent to knock Lightningpaw off balance. _Strangely ordinary considering her usual reliance on sneaky underhanded tactics,_ some part of her mind observed as she braced herself to absorb the blow.

A split second later it became clear the only thing she was about to absorb was a startlingly quick failure.

Despite Slatepaw's slight frame, it felt like there was pure stone under her pelt as her shoulders practically bludgeoned Lightningpaw's chest as the gray apprentice hefted her sister underneath her and reared up like a striking snake, dumping her unceremoniously on the ground like a ball of moss in a vicious body-slam.

All the air was knocked out of her, and she tried and failed to scramble to her paws.

Then, for the second time in what couldn't have amounted to more than a hundred heartbeats, Lightningpaw was pinned under Slatepaw.

"Alright," Blackpool intervened before Slatepaw 'killed' his apprentice. "fight three, Slatepaw wins against Lightningpaw and Vixenpaw."

"Nice work!" Daisytail praised her apprentice, but Slatepaw stared straight ahead.

 _Unless it was my imagination, I think Slatepaw's eyes were flashing with anger for a minute there…_ thought Lightningpaw uneasily. _Maybe she was just really high strung and anxious about the fight._

"Wow Slatepaw, when'd you get so strong?" Lightningpaw asked admiringly, hoping to break the tension.

"When you two were out, wasting the day away," Slatepaw said in her characteristic almost-monotone, but it seemed to Lightningpaw that her voice wavered for a heartbeat on _you two._

"What? Like when?" Vixenpaw demanded, getting to her paws as dignifiedly as she could.

"All the time." Slatepaw's voice got softer and cooler. "You go out into the territory to hunt, or walk, or whatever."

Lightningpaw and Vixenpaw exchanged perplexed glances. They went out nearly every day together. Had Slatepaw really put in _that_ much extra training?

When Lightningpaw looked back at Slatepaw, she had now fixed her gaze to the trees and didn't meet either of their eyes. The mentors had gone off to conference about the assessment, and the tension in the air between the sisters thrummed.

"Well… I mean, you could've-" Lightningpaw started tentatively, but without even looking at them, Slatepaw cut her off.

"Don't say it. Don't say it. I couldn't have, we all know it, and I really don't want to talk about this right now," she spat, then squeezed her eyes shut and reverted to her straight-faced candor. "I want to lash out at you right now because I feel hurt, but I won't. I'm going to go for a walk in the forest and return once I'm okay again."

Lightningpaw fell silent, an uncomfortable ball welling up in her throat. When she glanced at Vixenpaw, she saw that her amber eyes were flashing with anger.

"Yes you could have! You're pathetic," Vixenpaw hissed venomously. "You push everyone away and then blame us when we don't come crawling back to you. Well _excuuuse_ us for having lives outside of you. If you're so desperate for others to wait on your every whim, maybe you should go be a kittypet with your precious Petalpaw and leave the rest of us some _StarClan-damned peace._ "

Whatever semblance of control Slatepaw had regained shattered immediately and she seized up, beginning to shake violently. Vixenpaw's eyes seemed to glitter with worry for a moment, but she curled her lip anyways.

"I want to kill you right now. I want to I want to," Slatepaw whispered, still shaking with tears beginning to leak out from her shut eyes. "I really want to hurt you. But I can't, I can't, I know I can't, so I'm going to go away, and please don't follow me. I'll return once I'm okay again."

Still shut-eyed, Slatepaw jerkily began to walk to the edge of the clearing and disappeared into the trees.

The ball still in her throat, Lightningpaw turned to Vixenpaw.

"What a freak," her sister spat, and turned and left the clearing.

So when the mentors returned to the clearing, they found just Lightningpaw, standing there teary-eyed and shaking her head, heading back to camp.

She was sent to her nest under orders from Blackpool to get some sleep before _later_.

 _My warrior ceremony,_ she thought hollowly.

It had never crossed her mind as a kit that she might feel this way about it.

 _What's the point if Slatepaw and Vixenpaw will probably never look at each other again?_ she wondered helplessly. _What's the point?_

Sleep found her slowly, clawing its way into her body as the last of her troubled thoughts finally faded away.

…

When she awoke, she was in no less turmoil, but this time with the added bonus of aching from the beating she'd taken.

"Eurargh," she groaned, stretching and yawning.

"Lightningpaw! Are you ready to be a warrior or what?!" an enthusiastic meow demanded from the entrance to the apprentices' den.

It was Stormpaw.

"Uh, haha, yeah," she lied with a phony smile. "How about you? How's your training with… Rainwater… going?"

Forcing his name out of her mouth was like swallowing a mouthful of crowfood, but she told herself it was for Stormpaw's sake. _Besides, once I'm a warrior he can't order me around._

 _He'll still be the temporary deputy,_ Whiteshadow reminded her, and Lightningpaw flinched.

 _But not for long. Once Redstar kits, everything will be fine and we can all get on with our lives._

"He says I won't be a warrior for a long while yet," she said mournfully, looking at her paws.

"What? No, I'm sure you're great!" Lightningpaw said, seizing an opportunity to contradict Rainwater.

"Really?" The younger apprenticed brightened. "Look, I've been practicing my hunting crouch."  
The dark gray she-cat crouched clumsily and smiled hopefully up at Lightningpaw.

 _Ooh, okay, I guess Rainwater wasn't just being needlessly negative then…_ The form was abysmal, and it didn't help that the smaller gray apprentice looked all too familiar if Lightningpaw unfocused her gaze slightly.

"Uh, just keep practicing and I'm sure it'll only get better," she said tactfully, averting her gaze from the gray form as the ball in her throat felt like it was about to make a reappearance.

"You really think so?!" Stormpaw demanded excitedly.

"Yeah," she said, the word getting choked. "Yeah, I'm sure. Don't forget to spend lots of time playing anyways though."

"Playing's for kits, I have training to do!" Stormpaw declared.

 _Is this what Slatepaw thought? Is this how she got here?_

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the tall rock for a Clan meeting," Blackpool called, his voice ringing out across the clearing.

 _Slatepaw and Vixenpaw must have come back then,_ she thought dully.

"But Sla- Stormpaw, remember, having fun's important too, and family should stick together," she mumbled, and darted out of the den before she said anything even more mouse-brained to the apprentice.

"What are you talking about?"

But she had no intention of answering. Lightningpaw skidded to a halt under the tall rock and became aware that her pelt was ruffled and sticking out untidily. She began vigorously grooming, only to stop suddenly as the memories of her mother crested like a wave and crashed over her.

Her throat sealed off and burning tears began to spill over. _Not now, not now…_

The clearing darkened slightly as a cloud passed in front of the sun. Lightningpaw took a deep breath, feeling the tears continue to push at the edges of her eyes, nose burning, until she just let them drip over and spill down her face.

Raising a paw, she briskly groomed her face and a moment later no cat would ever know better.

Fawnshade's brisk cleanings as a kit were coming back to her all too soon, but she held her breath, willing the torrent of feelings away. _Come on, come on…_

She glanced to her left and right and saw that Vixenpaw and Slatepaw had slowly padded up to the rock, not looking at each other or her.

Blackpool looked down at them, obviously not registering the clear divide between them and beckoned Vixenpaw up first.

"Halfear," he began, his voice betraying only a slight quiver of nerves. "Has this apprentice learned all she will need to become a full warrior of ThunderClan?"

"She has," the old tom dipped his head proudly, a smile twisting his muzzle.

Vixenpaw smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Then I, Blackpool, _deputy_ of ThunderClan," the black tom announced pointedly, his gaze darting down to where Redstar lounged by the nursery entrance, watching with a small smile. "Call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.

"Vixenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend you Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Vixenpaw swallowed but didn't hesitate. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Vixenpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Vixenleap," Blackpool declared. "StarClan honours your courage and cunning, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Blackpool rested his muzzle on Vixenleap's shoulder briefly, and with a weak smile, the newly named Vixenleap jumped down from the rock and joined Mallowdrop.

Halfear didn't miss the clear ignoring of her sisters, but Blackpool obviously did as he went on without a second glance.

"Daisytail, has Slatepaw learned all that she will need to know as a full warrior of ThunderClan?" Blackpool asked, directing his gaze at the gray and white she-cat.

"She has," the warrior told him, her gaze sliding over to her apprentice to give her a firm nod.

Slatepaw silently climbed to the top of the tall rock and stared at Blackpool, waiting.

"I, Blackpool, deputy of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Slatepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Slatepaw closed her eyes, took a deep breath and replied. "I do."

When her eyes opened again, they were clear and peaceful.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Slatepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Slatecloud. StarClan honors your intuition and faith, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Lightningpaw watched as her sister picked her way down the tall rock carefully.

"I- uh, I can confirm that Lightningpaw has learned all she'll need to know as a warrior of ThunderClan," he announced awkwardly, then continued a little more confidently. "So I, Blackpool, deputy of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Lightningpaw."

Blackpool looked at her, a mere tail-length away on the tall rock, and for a moment, she forgot about her mother, and her sisters, and Rainwater, and everything. She saw pride, joy, a hint of sadness, and confidence shining in his blue eyes, and she felt a smile spread across her muzzle, even as tears began to well in her eyes.

"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"  
 _I would die a thousand deaths to protect my Clan._

"I do," she vowed instantly, feeling the strength of every warrior that had ever been appointed on this rock since the Clans first came to the lake flow through her.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Lightningpaw, from this moment on you'll be known as Lightningstorm." Blackpool sniffed, imperceptibly, and powered on. "StarClan honours your bravery and kindness and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Lightningstorm blinked the tears out of her eyes and touched her nose to his shoulder as she felt her mentor rest his muzzle on her head one last time.

"Congratulations. I couldn't be prouder," he whispered, and then pulled back, still smiling widely.

As the tears spilled down her face, she turned and faced the Clan proudly, _her_ Clan, and grinned.

 _One day, as a kit, I climbed onto this rock and decided that one day, I was going to lead ThunderClan._

 _One day, as an apprentice, I stood on this rock and began my training under Blackpool, and decided that one day, I would prove myself until I stood here again._

 _Today, as a warrior, I stand here, and I decide that no matter what happens, I will love my Clan and love my family and I won't rest until they're safe._

And one day, she knew, she'd stand there again as Lightningstar, leader of ThunderClan.

But that day was not today.

"Lightningstorm," Rainwater interrupted the Clan before they had a chance to begin welcoming the warriors. "I have something to say."

Despite the abrupt ice-cold feeling of something about to go terribly wrong, Lightningstorm locked eyes with him from the tall rock and cocked her head slightly. "Okay?"

But it appeared he had quite a bit of something to say, as he strode forwards to the front of the Clan to address her directly. She knew she should probably jump down, but something told her she didn't want to stand too close to Rainwater right now.

"Ever since we were kits, every cat knows we've been at each other's throats," he said, the words intimate but the delivery such that Lightningstorm couldn't help thinking he'd prepared this. "And I know the only reason you've been so desperate for my attention is that you've been in love with me all your life."

 _Sorry, come again?_

"And I've decided that I'll be your mate."

 _One more time?_

She could do nothing but gape at him.

"I know this might come as a surprise to you, but you've been so clear about it, that I think it's time to accept that we're perfect for each other."

The purrs of amusement from the Clan that thought his ' _desperate for attention_ ' statement was a joke changed to _awwws_.

 _Oh no. Oh no no no. Oh no no no no no._

She could hear her own heart beating, but her mouth wasn't forming any words.

"Uh…" she managed.

"Don't worry, I understand exactly," he purred, still looking up at her.

 _What, what, what, is the world upside down, what in StarClan's name is happening._

"Um, no," she said, but it came out unconvincingly weak.

There were enough _no!_ s in her head to fill the next moon with though, and they were rising to the surface with surprising speed. All the twisting emotions that she'd been keeping inside about Rainwater were about to make her explode, and she was hoping she wouldn't do it in front of the Clan.

"Don't say that you need _time_ ," Rainwater said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at her. "This is what you've always wanted."

Her face twitched into a frown.

It felt like she was outside of her own body.

"No, like, no I will not be your mate." The words came out flat and even.

"You can give up the act, Lightningstorm." He said her name dangerously, threateningly, and she didn't like it. "You're not a kit anymore, you're a she-cat so start acting like it."

A hundred thousand _WHAT IN STARCLAN'S NAME IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN_ s tried to explode out of her throat, but she held them back. _Explain calmly. He'll understand, he's just confused._

"I don't… want… to be… your mate…" she said very slowly.

He blinked, his blue eyes darkening.

"What?"

"I don't want to be your mate," she repeated.

"I-"

"I don't want to be your mate, I don't want to be your mate, Idon'twanttobeyourmate," she snapped, her breath coming in heavily.

"Great StarClan, why are you being so mouse-brained about this?" he demanded, his tone claw-sharp and hard. "Every cat always knew we'd be mates, just give up the act already."

 _Act? What act?_

"I don't understand," she mumbled, the fire still churning beneath the surface. The sky was darkening.

"You don't need to understand, I know you're not very smart, you just need to say yes and everything will be fine," he said matter-of-factly, a cruel sneer in his muzzle that Lightningstorm didn't like.

She didn't like it at all.

"I'm not going to say yes," she said softly, her eyes narrowing. "I don't know what it was that made you think I would be your mate when we've literally hated each other since we were kits…"

"You didn't hate me…" he said slowly. "You were just pretending to so you could get my attention. Why would you hate me?"

The Clan was murmuring now, and Blackpool's gaze darted between them awkwardly like he was wondering if he should intervene.

"I hated you beca-" she began, but Rainwater cut her off.

"StarClan, would you just shut up? It's getting annoying." His lips had curled back into an almost growl now, the knowing smirk gone.

"Hey!" she snapped, hearing at the edge of her consciousness a quiet _plop!_ as the first raindrop fell.

"I've been nothing but nice to you, kept you out of trouble, done what's best for you, and you still act like this?" he demanded, his voice raising. "You mouse-brained she-cats are all the same! Running away the second you see the next shiniest thing, doesn't matter if a tom is actually noble or good-hearted, you just-"

A loud rumble of thunder drowned him out. The second it subsided, Lightningstorm jumped in, trying to keep her voice level.

"Rainwater, you haven't been _nice_ to me, you've been controlling, rude, entitled, and downright nasty at some points," she spat, feeling the fire blaze, burning through the thin veneer of civility she'd been trying to keep up. "You think she-cats all owe you something, you're pathetic and whiny, and I hope you have a speedy recovery from whatever insanity struck you to try this fox-dung with me."

Thunder boomed again, but the rain wasn't yet loud enough to drown out Rainwater's angry retort.

"You're a _she-cat_ , what would you know?" He looked mad as a hare, the rain slicking his fur down so it clung to his frame and his eyes wide and furious. "Why don't you just shut your muzzle and go sit in the nursery with every other pathetic she-cat that ever tried to raise her voice against her betters!"

 _I think he might actually have lost touch with reality,_ some removed part of her mind thought.

Before Lightningstorm actually snapped and ripped out his throat, Redstar had suddenly arrived on the tall rock next to her. She jumped back down respectfully, standing a couple fox-lengths away from Rainwater.

"Rainwater." Redstar's voice was cool, collected, and _furious_.

The tom glared balefully up at her.

"You have been privileged to have been allowed to serve as such a young temporary-deputy, and it seems that was a poor decision," she said, green eyes glimmering with restrained anger. "Take back what you said, now."

He inhaled, looking like he was getting ready to argue, but a moment later ducked his head and apologized quietly to his paws.

"To Lightningstorm, to me, and to the rest of ThunderClan," Redstar ordered unforgivingly.

"I'm sorry I said that," he said softly, the now heavy rain almost drowning him out and making it hard to see his expression. "I'm sorry, Lightningstorm, Redstar, and ThunderClan."

Redstar stared at him searchingly. "For last half-moon until I'm ready to leave the nursery, I hereby strip you of your title as deputy and appoint Owlclaw as the stand-in until Blackpool returns to his regular duties."

Owlclaw dipped his head, and Rainwater continued to stare at Redstar, his expression inscrutable in the downpour.

"Lightningstorm!" It was Slatecloud. "Vixenleap!"

The rest of the Clan followed her lead and began to welcome the new warriors with cheers that were dampened by the confrontation of just a moment ago and the pounding rain.

Lightningstorm closed her eyes and let the cheers of the Clan wash over her.

 _It's over,_ she told herself, _now that Rainwater's shown himself, it's over._

But she had an odd nagging feeling that things weren't quite out of the woods yet.

Rainwater silently had padded up to her, a comfortable distance away, and tilted his head, blue eyes searching.

"I'm sorry about what I said," he said softly, directly. She frowned, but he continued. "I've just been under a lot of stress and I don't know what came over me."

She didn't believe him.

"Apology accepted," she muttered.

"Will you go for a walk with me?" he asked.

"In this rain?" she demanded, glancing up at the sky.

"Will you go for a walk with me?!" he repeated, more angrily and took a step towards her.

"Okay! Okay, fine," she snapped. _What damage could a walk do? He might be a mouse-brain but he wouldn't actually hurt me._

 _Right?_

No cat noticed them leave.

 **Allegiances**

 **ThunderClan**

 **Leader:** Redstar- Dark ginger tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

 **Deputy** : Blackpool- Long-furred, sleek black tom with white tail-tip and blue eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Dawnsplash- Ginger and cream she-cat with blue eyes

 **Warriors:**

Halfear- White and black tabby tom with one shredded ear and yellow eyes

Owlclaw- Dark brown tom with yellow eyes

Hollybird- Brown and ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes

Daisytail- Gray and white she-cat with yellow eyes

Oakpelt- Dark brown tom with lighter brown stripes and amber eyes

Mallowdrop- Gray and white tabby tom with blue eyes

Rosefire- Cream and ginger she-cat with green eyes

 **Apprentice: Birchpaw**

Rainwater- Gray tom with blue eyes

 **Apprentice: Stormpaw**

Lightningstorm - Dark brown she-cat with jagged white stripes and golden eyes

Vixenleap- Ginger she-cat with fluffy ginger tail and white tail tip, chest, and paws and amber eyes

Slatecloud - Dark gray she-cat with white markings on her face and blue eyes

 **Queens:**

Leaffur- Light brown tabby she-cat with light amber eyes (Rainbowkit - fluffy calico with dark blue eyes, Sweetkit - light ginger and white patched tabby she-cat with green eyes, Pearlkit - cream and silver she-cat with blue-purple eyes and short legs, Cloudykit - gray tom with white chest, paws, and tail-stripes, and blue eyes, Sunkit - golden brown dappled tom with golden-amber eyes, and Beekit - golden and black striped she-cat with kit-blue eyes)

Birdtail- Sleek blue-gray tabby she-cat with a fluffy tail and green eyes

Heatherclaw- Cream and brown she-cat with blue eyes

 **Apprentices** :

Stormpaw- Dark gray she-cat with yellow eyes

Birchpaw- Light brown and white patched tom with light green eyes

 **Elders:**

Tanglescar- Gray tom with a heavily scarred underbelly and green eyes

Rowanwind- Brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

 **Cats outside the Clan:**

Molly - White she-cat with dark gray patches and green eyes

 **TORN:**

 **Leader:** Willy - Mangy gray tom with yellow eyes

Satin- Thick-furred ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Embyr- Muscled ginger tom with amber eyes

Benny- Gray and brown mottled tom with green eyes

Ghost- White tom with blue eyes

Spectre- White tom with blue eyes

Spirit- White tom with blue eyes

Phantom- White tom with blue eyes

Kitsune- Ginger dappled tabby she-cat with blue eyes

 **Well, there you have it!**

 **It should be noted that the only cats listed in TORN are ones that the cats in the Clans know about/have heard of, not literally every cat.**

 **Also, oof that ending though. (Scary music much?)**

 **QOTC: What do you think's gonna happen on the walk?**

 **~Pondfrost**


	76. Breeze: Stormstruck

**Heyo!**

 **A chapter a day early because I'm going on vacation, so I won't be able to upload or write… But I'll hopefully have a good time (I'm going to see Wicked! Again! AGGGGH it's my favourite musical and I'm so excited!) Alrighty, onwards!**

 **(I'm a little sad no one noticed the shade I threw at Leafpool and Squirrelflight's BS telepathy last chapter in the beginning XD)**

 **At long last, I think you know what it's time for.**

 **Being apprentices was fun, but get ready for things to pop off.**

Chapter 74

His assessment had been a private affair, given he was the only one doing it, Spottedstar alone with him on the moor. Efficiency was important, as the sky had been progressively darkening over the course of the day.

"Quicker!" Spottedstar called.

He lengthened his strides, already gasping like a landlocked fish, and tried to speed up. His burning legs protested and his lungs screamed bloody murder at him, but he knew he could make it if he just pushed himself a little further.

"Good, that was faster than last time," Spottedstar praised, and Breezepaw made no effort to reply, just interested in re-inflating his lungs from their horrible abuse at the paws of physical exertion.

He flopped onto the ground as Spottedstar explained the next part.

"I have a wild garlic plant that I will have Honeythorn place somewhere on the territory," she stated as Breezepaw stretched dramatically on the ground. "She'll return to camp and then you'll have to track it down. I'll watch you along the way to see your tracking process."

He nodded as best he could from his prone position.

"Until she's hidden it, you may return to camp. I will inform you when your tracking assessment has begun," the leader told him.

He rolled over, flinging a paw across his face. "I cannot move. Death take me now."

"I'll arrange for Morningpoppy to send Littlepaw to drag you back," Spottedstar dead-panned.

 _StarClan above, I think she just made a joke,_ Breezepaw thought, searching the leader's face for any hint of sarcasm or humour. _Can't tell. I think her whiskers would fall off if she made any expression at all._

She looked slightly pleased with herself though, if his read on her perfectly blank face was correct. A dry smile crossed his face, and he theatrically staggered to his paws.

Spottedstar left him to recover his breath, heading for camp, and after a moment, he followed. After a few minutes of walking, he found that the inflamed feeling of his legs had faded to a dull, almost pleasant burn. The world seemed sharper and brighter around him, and the heady scent of wild garlic was carried on the breeze to him. _Guess I should hurry back before I spoil the assessment for myself._

"Breezepaw! How'd it go?" Paledawn exclaimed cheerfully as he entered the camp.

"Fine, other than feeling like my paws are going to fall off," he joked dismissively.

"Is it over now?" she asked, hurrying up beside him.

A prickle of discomfort at her nosiness registered in his mind, but he brushed it off, telling himself she was just being a friend. Or more, potentially, as she had made it very clear she wanted to be.

"Uh, no, Spottedstar's going to assess my tracking," he explained. "Some kind of wild garlic hide and seek or something. Wasn't really paying attention while she was explaining."

"That's odd, Nightpool didn't have me do any of that in my assessment," Paledawn said, cocking her head in confusion.

"I guess Spottedstar just wants to make sure any warrior that she mentored turns out perfect," he guessed, inwardly grumpy about it, given the leader had made it starkly obvious on multiple occasions. _Sooo many lectures about what's expected of the leader's apprentice, sheesh._

"Well, that's good!" Paledawn exclaimed, a response that Breezepaw had not been expecting. "You're probably going to be the best warrior in WindClan!"

He blinked at her. _Intensive training doesn't make up for lack of natural ability,_ he mentally countered, but just gave her a half-hearted smile. "Thanks, I think…"

"Breezepaw! You're back!" Rabbitpaw exclaimed, hurrying away from the pitiful fresh-kill pile upon seeing him. "Did you pass? Is it _finally_ time to be a warrior?!"

"Uh, it's half over, but I think I passed the first part," Breezepaw repeated, grinning at Rabbitpaw's enthusiasm. "Shouldn't you be in the medicine den though? Heard Swiftclaw worked you hard yesterday."

Despite Rabbitpaw's ongoing recovery and near-constant confinement to the medicine den, Swiftclaw had insisted on a proper assessment, which Rabbitpaw had wholeheartedly agreed to, so that his son could become a warrior at the same time as Breezepaw.

"It's not really a good time to be in the medicine den." Rabbitpaw's expression darkened, his eyes going sorrowful. "Morningpoppy's losing the battle against Sunnyfur's infection. His leg never recovered after the battle, and it's getting worse. Littlepaw thinks he'll be gone within the next moon. Spends most of his time out of his mind on poppy seeds. Morningpoppy refuses to use deathberries, but Littlepaw insists it would be the kinder route than keeping him in this world with nothing left for him."

Breezepaw flinched. _I can't even imagine that kind of choice… Sunnyfur's her brother. Even when her mind says 'It's the right thing to let him go peacefully', her heart says 'just keep him alive a little while longer…'_

"I hear Littlepaw and Morningpoppy arguing sometimes, late at night," Rabbitpaw murmured, his voice getting scratchy. "Morningpoppy refused to take off his leg the same way they did for my tail, and now it's too late, and she's refusing again to use deathberries… Littlepaw's just trying to do what's best for him, but Morningpoppy won't listen. How could she?"

Breezepaw swallowed heavily. He had no siblings, and still the knowledge of the pain Morningpoppy must be feeling tore his heart in two. "I can't imagine…"

Paledawn was staring at her brother, her pale green eyes filling with tears. Breezepaw didn't need more than a glance at her to know what she was imagining. _I'm almost glad I don't have siblings. How would it feel to know you could lose a part of yourself like that at any moment?_

"Breezepaw! It's time for your tracking assessment!" Spottedstar called.

Relieved for an escape from the painful cloud over the camp, he turned and hurried out the entrance of the camp. He scented the air, and abruptly remembered something.

 _He had never been out of camp, and he would be in huge trouble if any cat found him._

Brushing off the kithood memories, he opened his mouth and tasted the air.

 _A thousand different unfamiliar scents crashed into the roof of his mouth…_

He sorted through them with practiced ease. _Sun-high patrol of Nightpool, Larkfeather, and Leopardheart, Scarletfire went out on her own, probably hunting, the heather bush, the heavy scent of the coming storm, some herb patch, chervil or horsetail or something, the faint smell of the twolegs place… Aha! Wild garlic!_

Breezepaw clung to the faint scent of the sharp herb and carefully swung his head from side to side until he had pinpointed where it was coming from the strongest.

 _Creeping forwards, he racked his brain for a way to find something when he didn't know what it looked like or smelled like._

With a practiced deftness, he padded forwards confidently, scenting the air again every couple steps and tracing the scent trail until he was sure he was on the right path. Taking into account the direction of the breeze, the other smells that might overpower his quarry's in certain places, and where the wild garlic's scent might be obstructed, he was soon deep in the territory, following his nose.

 _He threw himself into the shelter of a bush as a patrol nearly spotted him._

"Hi, Breezepaw!" Leopardheart exclaimed as he came across their patrol. "In the middle of your assessment?"

"Yep," he confirmed, still scenting the air. "You haven't seen any wild garlic, have you?"

"Nope, but I keep smelling it," Larkfeather told him.

"Good luck," Nightpool told him warmly as the patrol marked the border.

"Thanks," he replied absentmindedly as he absorbed himself in tracking once more.

He'd been walking for another several minutes before the scent began to strengthen considerably and with a jolt, he knew he must have almost found it.

 _A very strong, disgusting stench assaulted his nose and mouth._

The memory was strong enough to make him falter for a moment and a shiver ran down his spine from the cold leaf-bare air. _You're imagining things,_ he told himself firmly, but he couldn't shake the foreboding chill.

 _He whipped around._

Giving in to his instincts, Breezepaw slowly turned around.

There was nothing there.

 _You're just being-_

He was knocked off his paws as a heavy force tackled him from the side.

A sharp _yip_! alerted him to the fact that his imagination was no longer getting the better of him, and there was actually a dog that was actually trying to snap its jaws around his frantically lashing tail.

 _He wailed in fear and plunged into the bracken._

Breezepaw growled threateningly, then plunged his unsheathed claws into the dog's eye without hesitation.

The dog made an unearthly screech and backpedalled.

 _The dog's breath was hot on his hind-quarters, drawing nearer with every passing heartbeat-_

Breezepaw lunged. _I'm done running._

The dog whimpered, turned tail, and fled.

Scents of blood, fear, and canine were so heavy in the air that even the heady scent of wild garlic had been completely eradicated. A moment later, Spottedstar hurried out of the heather, wide-eyed.

"StarClan, Breezepaw, are you alright?" she demanded.

He winced, flexing his shoulder. "Little sore where the dog hit me, but okay I think. The assess-"

"Forget the assessment," she cut him off briskly. "That was more than enough. You sent that dog running before I even had a chance to intervene. That was an impressive show of bravery and skill under pressure, and WindClan is lucky to have you."

Breezepaw blinked.

"Does that mean-"

"Let's get back to camp. I have a ceremony to perform."

…

Despite the now-pouring rain, Spottedstar had insisted that they didn't delay.

"Today, WindClan gains two new warriors." Regardless of the rain, the leader's voice carried. "One young apprentice who fought hard in battle and instead of being rewarded for his bravery, was grievously injured and confined to the medicine den. Another, who has worked hard as part of this Clan despite the tragedy of his mother's life lost in the battle, may Oatpad rest in StarClan, and is so deserving of this ceremony that I almost feel I should apologize to WindClan for not making him a warrior sooner."

A ripple of amusement went through the Clan as Rabbitpaw and Breezepaw, both well-groomed and sitting at the base of Tallrock, shuffled their paws and licked their chests embarrassedly.

"First! Swiftclaw, has Rabbitpaw learned all he will need as a full warrior of WindClan?" Spottedstar asked, training her gaze on the proud tom.

"He has, Spottedstar!"

"I, Spottedstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." Spottedstar's eyes glittered with pride as she glanced to Rabbitpaw, who had hopped up on the stone beside her. "Rabbitpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"Even at the cost of my tail," he agreed. "And my life."

The Clan purred.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name," Spottedstar declared, amusement apparent on her face. Breezepaw caught Jayflight nudging Paledawn. "Rabbitpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Rabbittail. StarClan honours your bravery and your sacrifice, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."

Blinking with gratitude and possibly tears, Rabbittail bowed his head to his leader as she rested his muzzle on his head, then licked her shoulder.

Rabbittail hopped down, his stub of a tail pointed up cheerfully and a bright grin on his face as he went to sit with his sisters.

"Breezepaw, come on up," Spottedstar said quietly, nodding at him. He carefully leapt to the top of the rock, landing soundlessly and sat. "Today, we recognize this apprentice's bravery during his assessment, which was to track down and take a plant. Instead, he took out a dog's eye."

Surprised murmurs broke out, then Jayflight whooped loudly and Breezepaw let a surprised yelp of amusement break free of him. _Yeah, she knows exactly what went through my head then…_

"For this unflinching bravery in the face of a surprise attack," Spottedstar began, looking warmly at her apprentice. "I, Spottedstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior his turn."

The glowing pride in her voice was evident even as the rain beat harder on the moor. _I wonder if Oatpad would feel the same now._

He brushed off the thought. _She's watching from StarClan, but right now I'm here with others that care about me, and it's_ my _day._

"Breezepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"Until I die, and then for awhile longer," he declared determinedly, unsure of where the words had come from but knowing they were right.

Spottedstar's face split into a wide smile and her whiskers didn't fall off.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Breezepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Breezeswirl. StarClan honours your courage and unwavering determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."

Breezeswirl dipped his head to his leader, mentor, and guide as she rested her muzzle on his head.

As the cheers of greeting broke out through the Clan, they drowned out the rain with companionship, joy, and family.

As Breezeswirl jumped down, he was met by Paledawn.

His green gaze flicked from Jayflight, to Scarletfire, to across the ThunderClan border, to across the lake in ShadowClan, then finally to Paledawn.

"Yes."

A hundred promises were made in that single word, and he could only pray to StarClan he would be able to keep them.

An arc of lightning struck ThunderClan's territory in tandem with an explosion of thunder.

 **Allegiances**

 **WindClan:**

 **Leader:** Spottedstar- Black she-cat with white flecks and pale green eyes.

 **Deputy:** Honeythorn- Golden she-cat with moss-green eyes.

 **Medicine cat:** Morningpoppy- Brown and cream she-cat with light green eyes

 **Apprentice:** Littlepaw- small ginger and brown tom with amber eyes

 **Warriors:**

Swiftclaw- Black and white tom with amber eyes.

Sunnyfur- Golden tom with yellow eyes

Larkfeather- Dark gray she-cat with dark blue eyes

Nightpool- Black tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes

Copperspots- Heavyset tortoiseshell and white she-cat with pale green eyes

Buzzardclaw- Gray and white tom with green eyes

Leopardheart- Golden brown she-cat with brown flecks and green eyes

Paledawn- Light brown she-cat with very pale green eyes.

Jayflight- Gray tabby she-cat with paler gray stomach and dark blue eyes.

Scarletfire- Long-furred rust-coloured she-cat with darker brown tabby stripes and amber eyes.

Rabbittail- White and brown tom with amber eyes

Breezeswirl- Golden tom with black paws and tailtip and bright green eyes

 **Queens:**

Icestorm- White she-cat with gray flecks and pale blue eyes. (Kits: Dandelionkit- White and black she-cat with yellow eyes, Goldenkit- Long-furred golden she-cat with white belly and piercing blue eyes, Warblerkit- Silver and white tabby she-cat with pale green eyes, Rufflekit- brown dappled tom with amber eyes)

Dustpetal- Pale brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes (Kits: Crowkit- Black she-cat with white tail-tip and blue eyes, Ravenkit- Black she-cat with white belly and blue eyes, Magpiekit- Black she-cat with white muzzle and blue eyes, Spiderkit- Black tom with white paws and amber eyes)

 **Apprentices:**

 **Elders:**

Sweetberry- Cream and brown tabby she-cat with dark amber eyes

Dapplebreeze- Brown she-cat with pale blue eyes and black tailtip

Logfall- Brown tom with lighter brown patches and green eyes Retired early due to failing lungs.

 **I actually feel like this might've been one of my best chapters. It's pretty short, but still.**

 **QOTC: Best thing that happened to you this summer? (Has nothing to do with the fanfiction, but I'm in a good mood, and I think y'all should remember you have reasons to be in one too. If something really awful has happened to you lately, I'm really sorry, and I hope things get better for you soon.)**

 **I'd actually planned to try to make the chapter short enough to put the fanfiction at exactly 300 000 words, but I didn't want to try to handicap my own writing and I'm glad I didn't!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	77. Wave: Heard not Seen

**Hey hey heyo!**

 **Back from vacation (again) TEOA TIME BOIIIIIIZ**

 **I finally changed the summary as well. Felt the old one was a little vague. So now we're here. I think I like it, we'll see.**

 **Reviewz Repliez:**

 **Nightmist: Oh cool! *hasn't a clue in bloody f*ck what Aquatica is* Thanks for the OCs! Did you have a preference for their Clan, or is any fine?**

 **SomeRandomPerson: AT LAST we have found the single reader of TEOA that ships PaleBreeze**

 **Nightmist's second review: These better be your** _ **LEAST**_ **favourite ships lol**

 **Stormbreeze: Ooh, what concert? -is it TOP-...**

 **So Wavecrash's turn on the chopping block has come, and though he didn't become a warrior this chapter, I'll still put the updated allegiances at the end.**

Chapter 75.

Something about crouching in the reeds outside the medicine den was familiar to Wavecrash.

Certainly, his old eavesdropping spot didn't accommodate his broad shoulders anymore, but he was willing to sacrifice comfort to catch the hushed conversation between the medicine cats of RiverClan and their revered leader.

It had started with him walking past the medicine den, casually heading back into camp after patrol, and catching the sound of his own name. His hackles rose, but he had carefully maintained a relaxed facade and had proceeded as normal until he seized the opportunity to quickly duck into the reed patch behind the den.

 _Honestly, how have they not noticed this spot before?_ Wavecrash wondered, before brushing it off to concentrate on the voices of RiverClan's most important cats.

"...Dawnsplash," Sheepbelly was saying. "She's been uncertain. Redstar and Blackpool have been more… intelligent about the proceedings of watching the suspected, but they haven't found anything conclusive. Stormpaw hasn't exhibited any demonstrative symptoms, though apparently was born on the day of a storm and claimed responsibility for the weather as a kit on the day of another storm."

"And the other two?" Snowstar questioned. "Stormpaw's may simply have been a coincidence."

"Rainwater and Lightningpaw," Pikepaw supplied.

Wavecrash's ears suddenly perked at the mention of the brown and white she-cat. _She's involved in this somehow too?_

"Their situation is… difficult," Sheepbelly said, doing one of his signature heavy-whistly sighs. "Dawnsplash believes that if our joint reading was correct, they may not have control over their powers."

"But then-"

"That it may be brought on by moments of intense emotion, or reaction to danger to themselves," Sheepbelly answered before Snowstar even finished the question.

"Well then, it must be easy to know which one of them it is, if that's the case," the leader said authoritatively. "Whichever seems agitated at the time of the storm is responsible."

 _At the time of the storm? Responsible?_ Wavecrash wasn't certain he was hearing them correctly, yet the eavesdropping spot barely made their voices muffled and he was fairly confident he could hear them. _Are they saying…_

"Well, that's where the issue arises," Sheepbelly replied slowly, almost as though he was speaking to a kit. "They are on quite bad terms, and have a tendency to get under each other's skin."

Snowstar was silent, but Pikepaw filled in what seemed to be the leader's thoughts.

"They are usually upset at the same time."

"So it could be brought on by either."

Snowstar sighed heavily, almost sounding like Sheepbelly. "What a pretty piece of business this is."  
"StarClan's ways are mysterious."

Snowstar ignored the platitude. "What of the other Clans?"

"Morningpoppy refuses to think about the prophecy until terrible things actually start happening," Sheepbelly responded promptly, sounding equal parts amused and frustrated. "Her apprentice is a little more sensible. He believes it's a tom by the name of Breezepaw, seeing as the voice to say 'the wind will twist' was a tom's voice and there are no toms of the correct age apart from another, Rabbitpaw, who has apparently not exhibited any type of destructive behaviour."

Wavecrash's mind was spinning.

 _Prophecy… terrible things… name of Breezepaw… destructive behaviour…_

The small fish he'd had that morning was churning unpleasantly in his stomach as the words ran through his mind endlessly.

"ShadowClan?" the fluffy white leader pressed.

"Ashmask and Lostbird are in agreement that it's most likely the she-cat, Darkmoon, who was recently made a warrior," Sheepbelly informed him. "Lostbird reported asking her directly about her suspected abilities and while it was denied, she said it appeared to be a lie. Which means that it should already be manifesting."

"And what did you tell them?" Snowstar asked slowly.

"I said it was unclear, as you requested," he murmured.

"Well done," Snowstar said softly.

 _Snowstar asked him to say that it- whatever it was- was unclear?_

"I proposed the discussion next Gathering as well," Sheepbelly told him hesitantly, as though it was a delicate subject. "What do you recommend our plan to be?"

Snowstar breathed out loudly.

"They've done nothing yet, Snowstar," the old medicine cat murmured.

"And StarClan willing, they won't," the leader said coldly. "And all I'm trying to do is ensure that. Save all at the cost of one."  
There was an icy chill down Wavecrash's back at the words.

 _Why do I have a feeling that the cost of one means me?_

"I still believe it to be the rogues," Sheepbelly said defiantly.

"I know."

"Wavecrash is particularly close with that she-cat, Cinnamon."

"Cinnamonheart," the leader corrected immediately. "She's a loyal warrior, I won't hear words against her."

Wavecrash's heart sank. Whatever doubt he had that Cinnamonheart had complete sway over Snowstar was immediately swept away. _She could gut his children and he'd welcome her into the camp._

"I meant no disrespect, Snowstar, you know that," Sheepbelly muttered. "But I fear Acornkit was not the end for them. They may return, and my worry is that Wavecrash is helping them from within the Clan."

The silver tom couldn't stifle a sharp inhale.

Once the shock subsided, anger coiled like an adder inside him, just as dangerous and venomous.

"You may be right," Snowstar admitted darkly. "I don't trust him at all, yet I still-"

"Do not disregard the threat of the rogues!" Sheepbelly cried suddenly.

There was shocked silence in the medicine den for a moment, and Wavecrash forced his fur flat. _No matter what fish-brained beliefs they have about me, I have to stay under control._

"Lower. Your. Voice." Snowstar's own voice was a whisker above silence.

Ignoring the warning, Sheepbelly swept on in a blazing, teeth-gritted whisper.

"You're a damned fool if you believe you face no danger from the thing that killed your predecessors."

There was a tense moment of silence.

Then Snowstar murmured something so quietly that even Wavecrash didn't catch it.

"They killed her too, you know they did. It may have been relegated to elders' tales at this point, but you know that the rogues destroyed her in the end."

"But it was not by their claws that she was ended."

" _It doesn't matter_!" the old medicine cat roared.

Silence once more.

Sheepbelly began to speak once more in a tightly controlled whisper.

"Every one of the last three leaders of RiverClan was directly or indirectly ended by the poison in the twolegs place. And even though she wasn't _ended by their claws_ , Ripplestar's fate more than made up for it. I may have been just a kit, but it left a scar on the Clan that will not be so easily forgotten. And you're a StarClan-damned fool to ignore the signs."

"Sleekstar-"

" _You saw her die with your own eyes_!" Sheepbelly shrieked. "With your own eyes!"

Even though Wavecrash could not see them, he knew anger was blazing in Snowstar's eyes.

"And that's. Why." Snowstar's voice was more controlled, lower than Sheepbelly's, but it held moons of anger and fear. "We cannot allow this threat to run rampant, unchecked, through _my Clan_."

Sheepbelly let out a bitter laugh. "Violence will not solve the challenge StarClan has given us. If it is his destiny, you will not stop him."

"So what then?!" Snowstar snapped, then lowered his voice. "You are resigned to our fate? You will lie, play dead, and wait for this _monster_ to kill us all?"

Wavecrash had heard enough.

As though in a horrible nightmare, he wheeled around and stumbled away from the reeds, trying to blink it away. But he was conscious, and this was happening. He was the subject of some terrible _thing_ that was making Snowstar believe he was a traitor, a murderer, a _monster_.

 _But it's not true!_ a kit inside him wailed. _It's not! I'm a warrior of RiverClan! I would never do anything to hurt my Clan!_

 _A history lesson and a horrible shock all in one,_ Pondfrost mused. _Hm. A shame you missed the name of that other leader._

The curious statement made Wavecrash's internal screeching falter for a moment. _I missed the- what?_

Pondfrost said nothing.

Wavecrash resumed internal screeching. _I'm not a traitor! I'm not! I'm not I'm not I'm not!_

 _Shame Snowstar has so many lives left,_ Pondfrost purred.

 _What? How can you make jokes at a time like this?!_

 _Relax, would you? L- StarClan. Snowstar's not actually going to kill you,_ Pondfrost assured him.

 _How do you know?_ he snapped back.

 _Because I'm brilliant,_ she replied promptly, laughed a little, then added, _besides which, what are you going to do about it? Kill him first? I don't think that would go well. You're not going to run away from RiverClan, so just take a deep breath and be reasonable._

He took a deep breath and failed to be reasonable. _But-_

 _Well if you won't be sensible, at least be quiet._

Wavecrash once more obeyed and sat down, trying to keep his mind straight. _Everything is okay, at least for now. I'm not in present danger._

 _Well…_

 _Not helping._

"I said I was sorry, okay?!"

A desperate cry caught Wavecrash's attention as two cats shoved through the entrance to the camp, one bursting through and the other hurrying behind. It was Briarhoney and Ripplestripe.

He watched, silent, as Briarhoney flattened her ears, eyes squeezed shut and hurried into camp. Ripplestripe followed briskly afterwards, a gleam of repentance in her eyes drowned out by her expression of annoyance.

"It's not enough, shut up, shut up, go away," Briarhoney whispered painfully, shaking her head hard like she was trying to make Ripplestripe disappear.

"Come on! I'm sorry!" his silver sister exclaimed, rushing after the brown she-cat to no avail.

"Leave me alone!" Her broken plea felt like it was shredding Wavecrash's heart. _Should I intervene?_

"Briarhoney, you're being unreasonable!"

"You can't undo it, and I need time! Just- stop!" the brown she-cat snapped, her voice ragged.

Ripplestripe finally halted, letting Briarhoney dash away into the medicine den. _What was that all about?_ he wondered, but he had a feeling he already knew.

"Ripplestripe?" He greeted her cautiously as he padded over to her.

"I tried, I tried, I tried, but she won't listen," Ripplestripe murmured, her eyes crushed shut, her expression painful. "I apologized! What more does she want?!"

"You heard her. She needs time," Wavecrash said, doing his best to sound comforting.

Ripplestripe looked at him, her bright blue eyes shining with frustration. "But-"

A wail from the nursery suddenly cut him off.

"Was that…" Wavecrash began, but his concerned mew faded as Timberheart dashed out of the nursery with his eyes rolling. "Um…"

"Flowerpelt's giving birth!" he shouted. "Sheepbelly! Pikepaw!"

Both medicine cats were already outside the den. _Their conversation about how incredibly evil I am must have been interrupted by Briarhoney,_ he thought faintly, still shaken. Pikepaw was speaking in low tones to Briarhoney, who was vigorously shaking her head and shivering slightly.

Sheepbelly gained a familiar confidence to his movements abruptly the moment Timberheart's panicked yowl echoed over the clearing. The old medicine cat briskly turned on his heel and hurried into the medicine den, reappearing a moment later with some green fronds clenched between his teeth.

"Hurry," Timberheart urged, sounding like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"Pikepaw," Sheepbelly muttered to his apprentice, muffled by the herbs, and jerked his chin towards the soon-to-be-father.

"Right!" The apprentice hopped suddenly, and then rushed to Timberheart's side. "Relax. Sheepbelly's done this since before you were born, and Flowerpelt is young and healthy. Everything will be perfectly fine."

Timberheart nodded along with the smooth cadence of the younger tom's voice, then blinked and shook his head vigorously. "Oh no it won't! Listen to her! No cat should scream like that! Something's going terribly wrong."  
"She's pushing cats from inside her to outside her," Pikepaw reminded him, but it only served to make the dark brown tom more agitated. Pikepaw continued, "It's going to hurt, but she won't die. Soon you'll have perfect kits and everything will be _fine_."

This time Timberheart really did seem to calm down a bit.

 _Thank StarClan for Pikepaw,_ Wavecrash thought gratefully. _I'm sure_ he _doesn't think I'm a spy or a monster and probably isn't supporting the plan to assassinate me or whatever either._

 _Your bar for liking cats is so low that as long as they're not actually planning to murder you, they're StarClan's gift to the Clans?_ Pondfrost could barely make it through the rhetorical question before she dissolved into laughter.

 _Look, I'll take allies where I can find them,_ Wavecrash grumbled back.

Wavecrash stood in the camp silently, waiting as Flowerpelt's pants and groans ebbed and flowed. Ripplestripe had fixed an injured look on him as though StarClan interrupting her with the arrival of Flowerpelt's kits was somehow his fault.

He ignored her stare.

Eventually, there was silence in the camp.

"Five healthy kits!" Sheepbelly exclaimed triumphantly, hurrying out of the nursery.

"Five!" Timberheart echoed, his jaw hanging open, before charging into the nursery.

"StarClan has blessed RiverClan," Wavecrash muttered mutinously. _But if Snowstar's to be believed, I'll kill all these kits in the middle of the night, right?_

 _Would you shut up about that and go coo over the kits?_ Pondfrost demanded.

Sighing, the silver tom padded slowly over to the nursery entrance and listened to Timberheart and Flowerpelt talk over the sound of softly crying kits.

"Three she-cats and two toms," the new mother said softly, the amount of unrestrained love in her voice sending a strange, clenching feeling through Wavecrash's insides.

"They're beautiful," Timberheart mumbled, sounding like he was either on the verge of tears or already crying.

Wavecrash only realized he was grinning like an idiot when Pikepaw arrived next to him and the whiskers on his forehead twitched questioningly and with a great deal of amusement.

"Oh shut up," the silver warrior sniffled.

…

"All cats old enough to swim gather to hear my words," Snowstar called, his cheerful tone belied by the flicker of fear in his blue eyes when Wavecrash hurried to the meeting point.

He had left the new parents to their kits when Sheepbelly had told him that no cat was to meet them that day. Despite being healthy, they were smaller than normal and he wanted to make sure that they had a chance to feed in peace before any sort of disturbance was allowed into the nursery.

"As you know, Flowerpelt's kits with Timberheart came today," Snowstar reminded the Clan, inciting soft cheers. _No cat wants to wake the kits,_ Wavecrash thought, amused by the restrained cheering. "StarClan has blessed us with five new kits, three she-kits and two toms, with the names Pearkit, Duckkit, Sedgekit, Otterkit, and Pebblekit. May they serve RiverClan for many moons to come."

More quiet cheering.

"And as Flowerpelt has named one kit after her fallen sister, may Duckfeather rest in StarClan, she requests that as this new dawn falls on RiverClan, we do not forget those that have given their lives to keep our Clan safe," Snowstar murmured solemnly.

"Duckfeather!" some cat called out softly.

The quiet chant was taken up by the whole Clan, and soon the whole camp echoed with the soft calls of 'Duckfeather!'

"Uh, is this a bad time?"

Every head in the Clan swivelled to the camp entrance.

Two unfamiliar she-cats stood, staring at the large group of cats all quietly chanting 'Duckfeather'.

They were both black and golden, though one had a base pelt of gold and patches of black, while the other was the opposite. The she-cat with golden patches had a belly that hung lower with kits.

The Clan's chant faded quickly under the confused stares of two similar sets of blue and green eyes.

"Uh, hello RiverClan!" the pregnant one exclaimed awkwardly, gaining a warning look from her companion. "I'm Goldentail, and this is my sister Shadedapple-"

She was cut off as Reedtail, the oldest cat in RiverClan padded forward as quickly as the golden elder could manage.

"Lionwhisker," he exclaimed, and the Clan behind him exchanged confused glances. "You're-"

"You knew our father?" Suddenly, the golden one with black patches, Shadedapple, burst forwards, looking worried but hopeful.

"I would know my brother's kits anywhere," Reedtail rasped, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

Both Shadedapple and Goldentail stared at Reedtail, a wild mix of emotions in their eyes. _They have Clan names, but I've never seen them before. They know that we're RiverClan, and their father was Reedtail's brother?_ Wavecrash puzzled out, but movement at the corner of his vision drew his gaze to Cinnamonheart, whose hackles had suddenly risen.

For the second time in his life, he saw the familiar golden eyes flicker with fear.

 **Allegiances**

 **RiverClan**

 **Leader:** Snowstar- White tom with pale blue eyes

 **Deputy** : Mistcloud- Silver she-cat with lighter gray patches and blue eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Sheepbelly- Elderly gray tom with fluffy cream underbelly and amber eyes

 **Apprentice:** Pikepaw- Brown tom with pale blue eyes and white ear.

 **Warriors:**

Timberheart- Dark brown tom with green eyes

Flameleaf- Ginger tom with pale green eyes

Cherryfish- Ginger she-cat with white paws and blue eyes

Fallowspots: Gray and white patched tabby tom with green eyes

Seednose- Cream tom with dark brown flecks and amber eyes

Cinnamonheart- Long-furred russet she-cat with brown tabby stripes and golden eyes

Wavecrash- Long-furred silver tom with piercing blue eyes

Briarhoney- Dappled brown she-cat with bright green eyes

Ripplestripe- Fluffy silver-gray she-cat with grayish-blue eyes

 **Queens:**

Poolfur- Long-furred gray-silver she-cat with blue eyes and pale tabby stripes (Kits: Splashkit- Brown and white patched she-cat with blue eyes, Trilliumkit- Gray and white dappled she-cat with bright green eyes, Islandkit- Blue-gray she-cat with creamy ginger patches and amber eyes, Quailkit- Light brown she-cat with lighter brown chest and underbelly, white ear, and amber eyes)

Flowerpelt- Cream she-cat with green eyes (Kits: Pearkit- Pale gray she-cat with white mask and kit-blue eyes, Duckkit- Tortoiseshell she-cat with kit-blue eyes, Sedgekit- creamy ginger she-cat with white paws, belly, tail-tip, and kit-blue eyes, Otterkit- Dark brown tabby tom with kit-blue eyes, Pebblekit- Pale gray tom with darker gray speckles and kit-blue eyes.)

 **Apprentices:**

 **Elders** :

Flintwhisker- silver she-cat with dark amber eyes

Plumeye- Dark brown she-cat with odd purple-blue eyes

Reedtail- Light brown-golden tom with black tailtip and green eyes

 **So there you go! All sorts of OCs landing.**

 **Shadedapple, Goldentail, Sedgekit, and Quailkit are all reader submitted. Fun fact: Islandkit was made by my four year old cousin; I asked her what she would want her cat to look like and she said 'blue and pink!' so I made the kit blue-gray with creamy-ginger patches because… um… yeah.**

 **Anyways. Did the idea of two random cats walking in on a group quietly chanting 'duck feather' repeatedly make you laugh? No? It made** _ **me**_ **laugh, and that's what counts ;).**

 **So to recap: Kitz, random cats, Briarhoney's not ready to forgive and forget, and ALSO Snowstar thinks Wavecrash is probably totally about to murder everyone.**

 **A lot in a short chapter!**

 **QOTC: Favourite background character? (In the series or my fanfiction, either is good to go)**

 **~Pondfrost knows that Dovewing's eyes are green**


	78. Dark: The Fire and the Fox

**Salutations, welcome, hail and well met, etc.**

 **Had a long week of volunteering and junk, but it's the weekend, so that means FaaaaaaaanFiction.**

 **RRs:**

 **Wintergreen: Whoa, the name is cold the roasts are hot. (but honestly you right, like SUPER HEARING?! what?!)**

 **Nightmist: My dude, I know because of your later reviews you're eleven, so I'll be gentle about this, but you should know that it's pretty much never okay to make jokes about miscarriage, or wish it on someone because you don't like them, or wish their kids were disabled, because… it's just… really not.**

 **(See? This is why I wished I hadn't forgot the 'I don't share the views of my characters' disclaimer earlier, because I thought it was clear that when Lightningpaw was thinking things would be better if her OWN. MOTHER. MISCARRIED. she was WAAAAAY over the line)**

 **Stormbreeze: Well enjoy your concert! (I dunno if I've ever actually been to a concert that I was the one to initiate the ticket-buying of… I think my friends and junk have dragged me there, but… hmm… Do I need to rethink my life again?)**

 **Somerandomperson: Ding ding ding, been subscribed for a few years now! (I take it that you are also subscribed seeing as you immediately figured out the reference?) Hmm, I thought it was called thonking.**

 **ANyways, time for your monthly dose of Darkmoon's edgy edginess.**

Chapter 76.

Darkmoon was finding it harder to stay in the ShadowClan camp for too long.

Every cat seemed to be pairing up, or having kits, or just sort of… being happy together.

 _Far be it from_ your _selfless self to begrudge others their happiness,_ Ripple remarked dryly.

Darkmoon gritted her teeth, wishing for the thousandth time that Primrosethorn would leave Ravenwing alone for a moment so that the deputy could assign Darkmoon to a patrol and she could finally escape every cat's smothering joy.

Silverpuddle had moved to the nursery immediately after their warrior ceremony, and Shiningsnow looked like was ready to burst with kits, the medicine cats assuring her they would come any day.

Olivewolf and Lionsun had been acting like mates for so long already that when they finally sealed the deal, there were few differences in their routines. Robinwood and Mudpaw grew closer every day, and Darkmoon had a sinking feeling that the joke of Primrosethorn's crush on the deputy was about to stop being very funny.

Darkmoon watched with an undisguised baleful glare as Lionsun trotted into the medicine den. _Probably getting checked to see if she and Olivewolf are going to be happy parents yet. StarClan above._

 _No, not yet,_ Ripple informed her. _Hmmm. Oh my. It's something else. Well well well, looks like things are proceeding a little more quickly than I expected._

 _What are you talking about?!_ Darkmoon wondered. She'd known for a while and come to accept that usually Ripple said inexplicable, strange things, yet this time something seemed off. _Is this about Lionsun? What's wrong with her? Why would she be visiting the medicine cats? Proceeding more quickly? Is she sick?_

 _No, not a physical sickness,_ Ripple replied softly, almost condescending.

 _Is she okay?_ she asked slowly. No matter how frustrated she'd been with her sister as of late over the debacle with Olivewolf, they were still littermates and she would stay loyal to Lionsun. _She's not in any immediate danger, is she?_

 _Wellll… not to her body, no,_ Ripple said, another of his infuriating non-answers. _She's… three, two, one, annnnd…_

Lionsun's golden form abruptly shot out of the medicine den and straight out of camp, garnering strange looks. Olivewolf immediately stood from his spot by the fresh-kill pile and bounded after her, leaving the rest of the Clan to shrug and return to what they were doing.

 _What… in StarClan's… name was that…_?Darkmoon demanded silently, her jaw locking with confused anger. _If this is your fault, Ripple, I swear to StarClan…_

 _My fault? Oh H- no, no, of course not,_ Ripple purred, seeming amused by the accusation. _Weeell… No. Nah, not my fault. I mean- okay, technicalities. No. Not my fault._

Darkmoon's face twisted in frustration. She knew that she wasn't going to get a straight answer out of Ripple on this, and that left one option.

Go find out what in StarClan's name had happened to Lionsun in that medicine den.

Steeling her resolve, Darkmoon stood and padded straight for the shaded den.

 _Ashmask, Lostbird, you're not wriggling out of this one. What did you do to my sister?_

When she entered the den, Ashmask was nowhere to be found. Lostbird stood, feigning arranging the herbs, but Darkmoon knew that it was an act.

"Lostbird."

"Darkmoon."

With that exchange, Darkmoon took a deep breath and tried to sort through her mind. "What just happened to Lionsun?"

"Hm? Oh," the medicine cat muttered, intensely focusing on her pseudo-task. "Uh, nothing."

A lie, if Darkmoon had ever heard one.

"So nothing at all made her charge out of the den like her tail was on fire?" she demanded. "Tell me the truth."

"It's not your truth to know," Lostbird murmured, her blue gaze locking on Darkmoon.

 _Why do I feel like that's the straightest answer I'll get?_

"She's my sister!" Darkmoon snapped.

Lostbird flinched.

Darkmoon swallowed hard, trying to straighten her anger out into constructed arguments. "If there's something wrong with her, then _yes_ I have a right to know. I'm not an apprentice. I can take care of myself, and I-"

She stopped herself, taking a deep breath and knowing instinctively that it wasn't going to be her bottled-up residual anger that would convince the immovable ginger and white she-cat.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"You can't handle the truth, and if you fly off the handle then we're all dead," Lostbird said flatly, taking a step towards Darkmoon. "It's true. You know it."

 _What's she talking about?!_ But Darkmoon had a sinking feeling. _Not… not the rifts, not those cracks in the earth, surely not?!_

"I can control myself," Darkmoon said softly.

"I don't want to find out what happens if that's a lie."

 _So it's purely selfish._

 _It's purely self-preservation,_ Ripple corrected.

 _She thinks I'm going to kill her! I don't call that self-preservation, I call that having_ bees in your brain _! Lostbird's lost it for sure._

"Tell me."

"No."

Blue on amber.

And Darkmoon saw deep in the shadowed azure depths, conviction.

 _She won't tell me._

The simple idea made Darkmoon want to claw her own ears off.

" _Tell me!_ "

" _I WILL NOT!_ "

The den echoed with the scream.

Darkmoon's heart pounded with the frenzied passion of the moment. She instinctively glanced down.

Darkness.

A split in the earth.

"Get out of my den."

Tears openly pooling in her eyes, Darkmoon tried to breathe through the choking sobs that were rising in her.

"Lostbird, I'm sorry-"

"Get. Out."

The tears spilled over and she turned tail and ran.

…

Darkmoon was halfway to the RiverClan border before she stopped and tried to breathe again.

Her head throbbed with the painful force of all the thoughts in her head.

She wanted to dig her claws into the ground, rip apart the world the way the world had ripped her apart, _open hard again and again kill it kill it-_

She sobbed openly as the ground split apart under her again.

 _I'm sorry, I'm sorry._

 _Get. Out._

Darkmoon collapsed onto the ground, shaking.

 _Please. Why. I don't want it, I don't want it, I don't want to hurt anybody, I'm not a monster!_

Trembling, tears sliding off her whiskers, she vainly tried to push the ground back together.

 _Some things, once broken, cannot be fixed,_ Ripple murmured.

 _Would you shut up!?_ Darkmoon raged at him, furious, hot angry tears coming faster. _I don't need another platitude! Unless you want to help me, to try to stop whatever it is that's destroying me like this, then why don't you just be quiet!_

The ground cracked once more.

 _I don't care I don't care I don't care!_

Another split.

Her chest heaved.

She heard a giggle suddenly and froze, panicking. _No cat saw me, right? Please StarClan, if you have any mercy at all…_

"Oh stop it!"

It was Primrosethorn.

Darkmoon's breath was still coming in pants, but the distraction managed to pause her uncontrollable rampage long enough to focus on the cat scents that were drifting her way from several fox-lengths away. _Ravenwing and Primrosethorn?_

She sat there, still and silent, listening to their unabashed flirting and feeling something cold growing inside her 'til she was sure her tail tip was frosty. _Well, isn't that just lovely for them_.

Perhaps it was the fact that her own birth had taken so much from her.

It could have been Breezepaw.

Or Lionsun.

Lostbird.

Ripple.

Everything was piling up neatly into an enormous pile of reasons she hated everything, and she couldn't stand it.

Not giving a mouse-tail if Primrosethorn and Ravenwing heard, she stood and directed her pawsteps straight back to camp. _It's fine. I don't care. Every cat can be perfectly happy with the perfect life, and for StarClan knows what reason I'm allowed to feel like everything's crashing down around me, but it's. Just. Fine._

By the time she made it back to camp, her clouded thoughts had cleared enough for her to register the shrieks of some cat. _What in StarClan's name- I leave for a_ heartbeat _and suddenly every cat's dying?!_

She slowly recognized the howling as Shiningsnow, which could only mean one thing.

 _Kits…_

It was a dark moment when she realized that there was no burst of joy at the idea of meeting her old mentor's kittens.

 _I… just don't really care._

She blinked, trying to figure out if it was a passing moment of apathy or if she had really just given up on it at all. _Kits. Huh. I suppose he'll be happy._

Darkmoon stood awkwardly at the edge of camp, waiting as Shiningsnow's wailing grew and fell, until finally the soft mewling of newborns was the only real noise in the camp. Every cat had apparently been sent out on patrol by Ivystar in lieu of her deputy's 'absence'. _Taking time off the job to go flirt with Primrosethorn, that's great._

 _I wouldn't do that,_ she vowed. _If I were given that honor, I'd be the greatest deputy ShadowClan's ever seen._

Her daydreaming was cut off as a cat hurried into the nursery. _Patchy? Why's he all desperate to meet the kits?_

She was across the camp from the nursery and not close enough to catch the soft murmurs, so just as Ashmask exited the nursery, she carefully, paws feather-light, crept over to stand next to the bramble thicket that served as the nursery entrance. The voices within clearly belonged to Wildwind, Shiningsnow, and Patchy. No surprises.

"Well?" Shiningsnow's teasing voice was the first that Darkmoon caught.

There was a moment of silence, in which Darkmoon could only imagine her previous mentor was staring at his kits.

"Never thought kits would be the thing to shut your big muzzle up," Patchy mumbled slyly, but affection was ripe in his voice. "They're beautiful, Call. Hey, that little tom looks just like you!"

"The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree," Shiningsnow murmured, her mew going muffled for a reason that Darkmoon could not know from her vantage point.

"Why don't we name him Acornkit then?" Wildwind suggested finally, scratchily.

"Cute," Patchy commented, and Darkmoon finally found a tiny gap in the brambles where she could peek at the trio. Patchy was flicking Wildwind with his tail.

"Perfect," Shiningsnow murmured.

"I didn't know you had russet fur in your blood." Patchy's mew was oddly strangled as he glanced down at the kits.

For reasons that Darkmoon could only guess at, Wildwind rested his muzzle on Patchy's shoulder, and the black and white tom buried his face in his friend's chest.

"I'm sorry, old friend. You should have had a chance at this," Wildwind murmured, so quietly that Darkmoon almost missed it. Her fur felt too hot, and she abruptly realized that if she was caught, it would be… bad.

"We never even got to name them." Patchy's voice was thick and hoarse. "Kitsune was always joking that if we had kits, they'd be a mix of both of us and probably burn the twolegs place to the ground. Pelts like flame."

"Firekit," Wildwind murmured suddenly. "No kit should have their family taken from them. No family should have their kits taken."

"Patchy, Wildwind and I were talking, and we'd be honored if you would join our family," Shiningsnow said softly.

The offer hung in the air for a charged moment.

"You… would…"

"Anything for you, my friend," Wildwind rasped.

Darkmoon's feeling of out-of-placeness increased tenfold. _This is a moment that no cat should be sharing except the three of them._

"The honor would be mine," Patchy replied formally, but his voice shook as though he was on the edge of tears.

"To remember her," Wildwind said, his voice a whisker above silence. "We should name a kit for her."

"Kitsunekit?" Shiningsnow asked, and Darkmoon caught the barest glimpse of her flicking an ear at one of the two reddish she-kits, the one without white patches, simply red with black markings exactly like her father's.

"And Firekit," Wildwind said, conviction burning in his voice. "No cat should forget either of them, and who they would've been had they not been taken from us so soon."

Patchy was silent.

"Patchy?" Wildwind ventured softly.

"You two are the kindest cats I've ever met," he mumbled. "I don't know what in StarClan's name I did right to stumble upon you, but I swear on my life I'll be eternally grateful for it."

Then all three cats were silent.

There was an odd, unnamed ache in Darkmoon's chest.

It wasn't the embarrassment of eavesdropping, the delight at the new kits, or the happiness for Patchy finally finding an end to his pain with the rogues.

Envy?

But how… how could she be envious and feel that her world was incomplete when things were falling into place so nicely?

 _It's called wishing it was you,_ Ripple told her helpfully. _It's called watching from the bushes as every cat gets their happily ever after. It's called wishing for once in your cursed life that things might be different._

 _Me and Breezepaw. And… Duskpaw?_

Her heart ached.

"What do you think of Dustykit for the last one?" Wildwind suggested finally.

"Call, don't name your child Dustykit," Patchy said through his tears.

Shiningsnow laughed. The noise almost startled Darkmoon; Shiningsnow seemed almost too perfect at times, pure white, eyes like the sky at dawn, surprisingly strong, great huntress… Her purr sounded like gravel falling off a cliff.

The noise made Darkmoon involuntarily snort, which she quickly muffled.

"How about Brindlekit," Shiningsnow ameliorated, giving Wildwind a teasing smile. "He looks more like a Brindle than a Dusty."

"Listen to your mate, Call," Patchy snorted, still purring.

"Oh hush. Yes, Brindlekit is better, I think it suits him," Wildwind mumbled. "I don't know. My father's name was Dustynose, you know."

There was a beat of silence, then a loud ' _pffft_ ' from Patchy, and Shiningsnow's gravelly purr echoed again. "Wildwind, my dear mate, just because your father's parents hated him doesn't mean we should curse our kit with the name 'Dustykit'."

"Dustynose," Patchy repeated, purring so hard he seemed to gasping for breath.

Wildwind mock-frowned. "I think it's a good name."

"Uhuh. Yeah," Shiningsnow smiled sweetly. "It's lovely, it's just… a little…"

"Awful?" Patchy supplied.

Darkmoon couldn't continue to stand there.

The ache in her chest felt like it would tear her apart.

And so she turned tail and walked to the fresh-kill pile and pretended everything was fine.

 **Allegiances**

 **ShadowClan**

 **Leader** : Ivystar- Black and white tabby she-cat with vibrant green eyes

 **Deputy:** Ravenwing- Sleek black tom with dark blue eyes

 **Apprentice** : Poolpaw

 **Medicine cat:** Ashmask- Black tom with ash-gray face and amber eyes

Lostbird- Ginger she-cat with white chest and blue eyes

 **Warriors:**

Wildwind- Mottled brown tom with strange black markings and amber eyes

Frostsong- White she-cat with greenish-blue eyes

Voleheart- Black and silver tom with yellow eyes

Sootfire- Gray tom with bright amber eyes

Quailwing- Black and silver she-cat with amber eyes

Foxwhisker- Ginger tabby she-cat with white underbelly and green eyes

Feathermist- Beautiful silver she-cat with dark green eyes

 **Apprentice:** Mudpaw

Rattail- Brown tom with long thin tail and amber eyes

Primrosethorn- White and ginger tabby she-cat with green eyes

Olivewolf- Gray tom with pale green eyes

Robinwood- Light brown tom with one amber eye and one blue eye

Lionsun- Broad-shouldered golden she-cat with black paws and golden eyes

Darkmoon- Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with dark amber eyes

 **Queens:**

Pineleaf- Black she-cat with green eyes (Kits: Gladekit- pale gray she-cat with kit-blue eyes and darker gray muzzle and ears, Ivykit- light gray she-cat with white paws and kit-blue eyes, Lilykit- dark gray she-cat with paler gray mottling and kit-blue eyes)

Shiningsnow- Pure white she-cat with extremely light blue eyes. **(** Kitsunekit - Russet she-cat with black markings and kit-blue eyes, Brindlekit - Cream and brown mottled tom with kit-blue eyes, Acornkit - Mottled brown tom with black markings and kit-blue eyes, Firekit - Russet and white she-cat with black markings and kit-blue eyes **)**

Silverpuddle- Silver tabby she-cat with one blind gray eye and one blue

 **Apprentices:**

Mudpaw- Brown she-cat with green eyes

Poolpaw- Brown she-cat with blue eyes

 **Elders:**

Patchy- Black and white tom with yellow eyes

Sandywind- Pale ginger tom with white underbelly and paws and blind blue eyes

 **Cats Outside the Clans:**

Molly- White she-cat with dark gray patches and pale green eyes

 **TORN**

Leader- Willy- Mangy gray tom with yellow eyes

Satin- Thick-furred ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Embyr- Muscled ginger tom with amber eyes

Benny- Gray and brown mottled tom with green eyes

Ghost- White tom with blue eyes

Spectre- White tom with blue eyes

Spirit- White tom with blue eyes

Phantom- White tom with blue eyes

Kitsune- Ginger dappled tabby she-cat with blue eyes

 **Shababading.**

 **Welp, a shorter one, but I figure there was enough fluff and angst to tide y'all over 'til next week ;).**

 **QOTC: Think Kitsune the rogue will ever pop up? If y'all feel like it, you could submit Patchy and Kitsune's kits.**

 **BTW: In case y'allz are wondering why Patchy calls Wildwind 'Call', it's not 'cause Wildwind's an ex-rogue or something, it's because, if you remember (which I actually didn't) Ravenwing and Wildwind have nicknames for each other, and Patchy calls Wildwind the nickname as well, so whatever the origins of those names are, Patchy was probably** _ **somehow**_ **involved.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	79. Lightning: Downpour Pt 2

**Welcome back!  
I'm writing this immediately after the last one, so I don't really have any feedback yet.**

 **Speaking of feedback though: 800 reviews people. I'm shaking, feels like I'm on a rollercoaster and I just keep building the track ahead as I go. I love it :P.**

 **So, if you don't remember (though, how could you forget?) Lightningstorm's been asked to go for a walk with ol' Rainy and… yikes.**

 **DISCLAIMER:**

 **This chapter contains non-explicit depiction of attempted rape. I know this is a spoiler, but this is important because if this will be triggering for ANYONE that might be reading, you can skip ahead to the first line-break. If you feel this is not safe for you to read, I URGE YOU NOT TO.**

 **This content is rated T for a reason. I know I can't stop people from reading, and I believe that the more stories that are spread about these things, the more aware people will be that it happens every day, but if you are a younger reader and you don't feel comfortable, please skip to the first line-break.**

Chapter 77.

The rain lashed through ThunderClan's territory with a vengeance.

It was the least of Lightningstorm's worries.

Rainwater hadn't even looked at her as they padded out of the camp, leaving the Clan to cluster around Vixenleap and Slatecloud, and now Owlclaw too.

Even as the rain pounded the treetops, Lightningstorm heard nothing but the blood rushing in her ears.

Adrenaline still shot through her after the confrontation with Rainwater, and showed no sign of dissipating. His presence set her on edge, and it wasn't just the heavy humidity that hung in the air between them.

They were far into the territory of ThunderClan when Rainwater finally spoke.

"Why would you do that?"

His voice was soft and measured, but ragged around the edges and ice-cold.

"Tell you the truth?"

Lightningstorm matched his voice challengingly, staring at him even as his blue gaze was fixed on the horizon.

"In front of the whole Clan?"

The world felt oddly disconnected in that moment, like everything had frozen in place and they were the only two cats in the world.

None of the passionate fury that had burned inside her during the confrontation in the camp was there, only a weirdly breathless feeling, like everything in her chest had briefly disappeared.

"Where else would I have done it?"

Her own declaration made her want to laugh. What was Rainwater even talking about? He was the one who had so vastly misconstrued her actions, and he was facing the consequences.

"In private. Not at all. I don't know."

"Not at all? You think I should have just been your mate?"

"That's what you want," he said placidly. Lightningstorm stared at him, the words utterly senseless to her, yet Rainwater continued. "I know it is, it's so obvious."

The coals of anger that remained after her public argument with the tom were beginning to burn brighter.

"You're delusional," she said flatly. "I don't know what's made you lose it like this, but I'm sorry for you. Why don't we just let everything go back to normal and never talk about it again?"

"You want to be my mate."

"I don't."

"You want it!"

Suddenly, a loud crack opened the sky, and a purple-white flash lit the world up.

Lightningstorm was shaking with anger.

"I. Don't."

"You-"

" _Get it through your thick skull that you're a disgusting creature that I will never love!_ "

She knew she would run the words through her head endlessly later, tucked in her nest and shaking with tears, but now it was the only thing she could release.

The sky suddenly tilted overhead as something collided with her. side.

Lightning flashed.

Lightningstorm tumbled as Rainwater tackled her.

"Just hold still."

Lightningstorm vaguely realized her head had hit a tree behind them.

A tree.

She knew trees; she grew up surrounded by trees.

Trees were safe and strong.

But they didn't know how to fight.

She knew what could fight.

Fire could fight. Fire could destroy things. Fire could make things go away and never come back.

And trees could catch fire.

He was going to hurt her.

It felt like she would explode if she got any angrier.

But she didn't, she just felt the fury mounting in her chest, black and hot and angry and angry and burning and no amount of Rain would douse this fire.

 _Boom!_

Energy slammed into the tree behind them.

Rainwater flew off of her.

Thrown by the force of the explosion.

The explosion of lightning.

 _I will kill him._

But she was as frozen as he was.

The storm was raging harder than ever.

She couldn't keep her eyes on him; she couldn't keep the all-too-familiar gray pelt in her vision.

Lightningstorm turned around and padded back to camp.

…

Every step she took felt like it was leading her further out of reality.

How had everything spiralled out of her control so quickly?

The white explosion of lightning was still fresh in her mind, but everything that had followed was cloudy and unclear.

 _Did the lightning hit the tree or him?_

 _Is he dead?_

The last question echoed around her head with deafening silence.

Was it her fault?

There was something deep inside her, some small corner of her soul that knew every word out of his mouth was a lie. He had tried to force himself on her, and that was all there was to it.

But the lightning was inexplicable.

A stroke of incredible luck?

She couldn't find it in herself to believe that.

The memory of some dark creature rearing up protectively inside her… the brilliant white flash…

It wasn't chance.

StarClan, perhaps then, had saved her.

 _Then thank StarClan,_ Lightningstorm thought, still shaking.

 _It wasn't StarClan,_ Whiteshadow murmured. _I think you already know the truth._

Her thoughts instinctively shied away from the idea. She was experienced with turning a blind eye on the strange weather that seemed to correspond all too well with heated moments of hers.

 _But lightning striking him, right when… surely I didn't._

Her ears flattened and she squeezed her eyes shut.

 _I didn't kill him._

 _It was the lightning._

 _I didn't kill him._

"Lightningstorm!" It was Vixenleap, looking panicked. "We saw the flash of lightning, and though- Great StarClan, are you okay?"

She stared at her sister.

Blinked.

"No."

"Where did you go?" Her sister's amber eyes were wide and earnest, looking worried for her sister, and Lightningstorm felt a fearful ache that everything would change once her sister knew. Would she even believe it? It was hard to imagine after all. No matter what Rainwater had said or done, he was still the tom they had all grown up with. How could he…

"Rainwater and I went for a walk." The words came out like they were trapped in bubbles, tiny and choked off.

"Where is…"

Golden amber, searching, searching, there's the truth. See it, see it, Lightningstorm was begging her sister silently.

"Did…"

Wide, wide, blackened eyes, there was chilling darkness.

But there was no opportunity for Lightningstorm to know if her sister had realized the truth or what her next words would be; they were interrupted by the arrival of another cat in the camp.

"Rainwater?" Redstar's confused voice was the only sound that almost made it into Lightningstorm's panicked mind.

Her throat closed off and she stopped breathing.

"Vixenpaw," she choked out raggedly.

Her sister didn't even bother correcting her, just stared at the gray tom.

"Rainwater, are-"

The world would never know how Redstar was going to finish that question.

Blue eyes, black sky, white flash.

The second time.

Only this time, it was different.

This time, he couldn't touch her.

A Clan between them, he couldn't get to Lightningstorm.

Let him try.

It was a heartbeat before he leapt into the air towards her.

"Get away from my sister!"

He was thrown to the ground of the ThunderClan camp.

Throat torn open by the she-cats standing over her.

Never going to move again.

It really was over.

Never again.

Gone.

Stone-cold eyes.

Torn throat.

Over.

Rainwater wouldn't return, she knew that much.

Moved to insanity, now never to move again.

Fitting.

Lightningstorm was still shaking as her sister padded back to her, still shook as they pressed their pelts against hers, and still shivered as Redstar padded over to Rainwater's body.

"I wish you hadn't done that," were the first heavy words the leader spoke.

"He was-" Vixenleap began heatedly.

"I know," Redstar murmured, waving her tail to silence the young warrior. "I would have exiled him for it."

 _Would it have been enough?_

She had a sinking feeling she would have still seen his cruel face around every bush, behind every tree, no matter how gone he was supposed to be. This gone was more final. Stronger. Harder. He would never come back.

"He could still have hurt her before you had the chance," Slatecloud murmured, her gaze locked on Rainwater's still body.

"I didn't think. We just… _did_." Vixenleap's eyes were also on Rainwater.

But Lightningstorm had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had seen them. She had watched as they silently moved to either side of him. The very tactic that Vixenleap had demonstrated she didn't use during their assessment.

It was calculated.

Efficient.

Merciless.

"You did what you thought was right," Redstar allowed, her eyes shadowed and troubled. "I'm only sorry that this is the path destiny has taken."

Lightningstorm glanced to Redstar's left, where Dawnsplash stood. The medicine cat caught Lightningstorm's eye, then took a step forwards.

"Redstar, if I might…"

"Yes, of course," the leader stated quickly, her attention turning back to Vixenleap and Slatecloud immediately.

"Lightningstorm, why don't you come stay in my den for a little while?" Dawnsplash suggested softly.

She was hesitant to leave her sisters' sides, but she gave them quick nods and followed the she-cat.

The debate outside was muffled enough that Lightningstorm could easily stop focusing on it. Unfortunately, that let other thoughts creep in.

"Here, take some time," Dawnsplash murmured, pawing a green herb over to her.

"What's this?" she asked, poking it.

"Thyme," Dawnsplash repeated.

Lightningstorm couldn't help letting a hysterical bout of laughter. Once she had herself under control again, she chewed up the leaves briskly and let the calm heaviness settle over her.

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" the medicine cat invited softly.

The thyme had made the panicked panting that had sustained in her mind since Rainwater's attack silent briefly, so when Lightningstorm began, her voice was oddly flat.

"He wanted to go for a walk with me right after what happened during the ceremony," she mumbled.

"And you said yes?" Dawnsplash exclaimed, staring at her with undisguised confusion.

The mere incredulity of the medicine cat's voice stripped the confidence from Lightningstorm, and she shrank away. _Wasitmyfaultwasitmyfaultwasitmyfault?! I'm so stupid, if I just hadn't gone on that walk, I should have said no, I should have said no, I didn't say no…_

 _It wasn't your fault._ It was Whiteshadow, but she sounded louder than usual, almost like a shout. _It wasn't your fault. You told him, and he tried anyways! You couldn't have known he would lose it like that, and agreeing to go for a walk with him doesn't even begin to get close to excusing what he tried to do._

Her words got progressively louder until they quieted even the harshest of doubts in the back of her mind.

"Yes, I said yes to go for a walk with him!" The thyme couldn't stop her from sudden fury at the veiled suggestion. "But do you know what I didn't say yes to? Being his mate! Or- or being _with_ him!"

"He-" Dawnsplash's shock was writ clear on her face.

"Yes. He did."

Silence hung between them, but nothing would stop her now.

Rainwater was dead.

He tried to force himself on her.

She stopped him, she threw him off, she commanded that lightning to strike the tree.

She was shining golden and he could never hurt her again.

…

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the tall rock for a Clan meeting!" Redstar's powerful voice echoed through the camp, catching Lightningstorm's attention from inside the medicine den where she was resting.

Dawnsplash gave her a little nod, so they exited the den together and sat beneath Redstar.

The whole Clan was in the clearing, though most were looking at Rainwater's corpse.

"As you know," Redstar's mew was exhausted and heavy, and Lightningstorm knew it wasn't because of the kits, "tragedy struck earlier today after the warrior ceremonies of Lightningstorm, Vixenleap, and Slatecloud. Rainwater exhibited unstable behaviour and was stripped of his deputy position. He apologized, though in light of recent events it seems that was feigned.

"He attacked one of his own Clanmates and was subdued, though continued to struggle and Vixenleap and Slatecloud had no choice but to kill him." The leader's voice was firm as though daring any cat to contradict her.

It was more or less the truth, after all, though the way it was presented was so flat and removed that Lightningstorm could not help wondering how Redstar had minced her words to strip any mention of the crazed declaration of love.

"I have received a request from Halfear and Hollybird," Redstar announced, beckoning the two senior warriors forwards.

"Rainwater was our son, as you know," Halfear began, his voice scratchy. "There was obviously some darkness in his heart that went unseen by every cat around him, and I can only hope he finds peace, wherever he is now. Because of this, Hollybird and I have decided that in the spirit of moving forwards, we wish to officially retire and become elders."

Hollybird gave a tiny nod, her eyes the only feature betraying her pain.

Redstar dipped her head to the two cats. "It has been an honour to serve alongside you. Hollybird and Halfear, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?"

"It is," Halfear murmured.

"Did you even hear him?" Hollybird demanded sourly, then huffed and repeated, "It is."

"ThunderClan honours you and all the services you have done us. I call upon StarClan to give you many moons of rest," Redstar announced ceremoniously, dipping her head to the two cats.

Hollybird and Halfear exchanged glances and silently turned and padded together to the fallen tree.

"Hollybird! Halfear!" the Clan called as they disappeared into their new dens.

"Rainwater's unfortunate passing," Redstar began again tactfully, "has left young Stormpaw mentorless. With that in mind, Slatecloud."

Lightningstorm's sister's eyes went wide as moons. "Me?"

"Your ceremony was only today, but you have shown maturity, bravery, and strength beyond your moons time and time again," Redstar said, smiling proudly at the young she-cat. "You received excellent training from Daisytail, and I know that you will pass on your discipline and valor to Stormpaw."

Slatecloud was still staring at Stormpaw with undisguised shock.

The little gray she-cat herself had confused sadness beyond her years still covering her face, but at this prospect, a little spark of hope seemed to alight in her eyes.

After all that had happened, there wasn't even a heartbeat of disappointment, just contentedness for her sister.

"Stormpaw!" Lightningstorm cheered immediately, and the cry was taken up by the rest of the Clan.

Shortly after the cries died down, another shriek was taken up, though this time it came from the nursery.

"Oh! Don't worry every cat, those are just Heatherclaw's kits. Right on time actually," Dawnsplash purred, and the Clan immediately settled at the reassurance.

Lightningstorm blinked.

How was it possible that the world had rolled on so quickly just after the explosive events of the rest of the day? _Well, the rest of the Clan doesn't know_ exactly _what happened, so…_ Yet still. Their Clanmate had _died_ and they were talking about kits?

 _Kits don't wait for anything,_ Whiteshadow chided her. _Doesn't matter how inconvenient it is._

 _Inconvenient?_

It felt like she was a walking bag of bones, like something had been pulled out of her.

At least the sky had cleared.

At least the thunder of her mind had quieted.

She breathed slowly, fixing her gaze on nothing in particular. _And the day goes on._ Rainwater's body had disappeared. Dragged away, respectfully buried, she didn't care.

No cat would be keeping vigil for him.

Hollybird and Halfear, perhaps.

 _They deserve to know,_ she thought. _It's not fair to them to have to leave him behind in the past without knowing._

Her paws turned towards the elders den.

"Lightningstorm," Halfear greeted her, his voice subdued. "Something I can do for you?"

"Did- did you want to talk? I mean, talk-" She broke her own rambling off with a cough. "I think we should talk."  
Hollybird finally also lifted her head, and Lightningstorm gaped as she saw the tabby's green eyes were shot through with red.

"Why don't we go outside?" Halfear asked her softly. "I think Hollybird needs some time alone."

She nodded mutely and allowed herself to be led to one of the more sheltered corners of the camp.

"So…?"

"The reason Vixenleap and Slatecloud killed your son is because right after our ceremony Rainwater and I went for a walk together and he tried to force himself on me, so I ran back to camp and then he followed and tried to attack me again but they stopped him."

The whole thing burst out with surprising ease.

Halfear was silent.

He blinked a couple times, then looked up at the clear sky with liquid yellow eyes. The silence stretched on long enough for Lightningstorm to start to feel awkward.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I know that won't help," he finally mumbled.

She dipped her head, accepting that was most likely true. _He's not the one who should apologize. And even that would do nothing now._

"I just… I wonder what could've happened differently," Halfear said, sighing heavily. "I don't know what Thornstar was thinking, giving him to Hollybird as an apprentice. She was always so strict with Petalpaw and him, and… but that's no reason. Petalpaw ran off, perhaps also because of that."

Lightningstorm almost felt like she was intruding, but something rooted her to the ground.

"I've spent long enough blaming myself for things that weren't my fault to keep it up now," the old tom finally added. "I don't think it was any one cat's fault. Thornstar, maybe."

"Because-"

"No," Halfear cut her off before she even finished her theory. "After what happened to the Clans with blue-cough, seeing the destruction… Everything has consequences."

 _Still though... the point is, there will consequences for everything…_

Whiteshadow's warning about leading on Rainwater from moons ago suddenly returned to her, and she flinched away. _Is this what you meant?_

 _Well, I couldn't have known, could I?_ Whiteshadow said, some inexplicable sad amusement colouring her tone.

"It was before your time, yet… the effects lasted." Halfear stared up, lost in memories. "I don't know how much you've heard about the epidemic, but it almost destroyed the Clans."

Lightningstorm was silent. _How could this relate to Rainwater?_

"After seeing the disastrous effects of two Clans at war, the remaining Clans made an agreement," Halfear murmured. "For as long as the infection wreaked havoc on the Clans, their bonds would have to go deeper than just being alive together and trying to survive in a world that was wiping them out."

"What do you mean, their bonds would have to go deeper?" Lightningstorm questioned, frowning.

"Bonds as deep as family," Halfear murmured. "A pact was made. In times of sharp disagreement between Clans, a kit from one would be given to the other. It helped to keep too much inter-familial reproduction from happening as well."

"Wait, a kit from one Clan… do you mean-"

"Yes. Kits from WindClan were sent to ShadowClan, kits from RiverClan to WindClan, and vice versa," Halfear said softly, still watching the clouds drift by. "Every cat at the time agreed it was necessary. No battles could be fought with the knowledge that you might come face to face with your own kit."

"How did any cat agree to it though?" Lightningstorm was in shock. "Could mothers really…"

"They knew it was the only way," Halfear told her solemnly. "Other solutions had been proposed. More drastic solutions."

"But what does this have anything to do with…"

"ThunderClan proposed some of those more extreme ideas," Halfear continued, his voice getting lower until it was almost inaudible. "As a result, WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan were really the only ones to become involved with both conflict and the kit-trading pact as it became known as. ThunderClan cut off completely. There was a couple moons where we didn't even go to Gatherings."

Lightningstorm was silent, knowing better than to repeat _But how does this actually affect what's going on_ now _?_

"We imposed regulations within our Clan. Every cat took a mate, and every she-cat was pushed to have kits." Halfear's voice was cold. "Hollybird and I never planned to. And yet…"

Lightningstorm's heart dropped into her belly. _And so ThunderClan survived. But at such a terrible cost…_

"Though the Clans are stable now, the old ideas about kit-rearing and mates persist," Halfear explained. "Fawnshade and Owlclaw must have worked to protect you three from that sort of prejudice, but Hollybird and I couldn't stop Thornstar and Shadefur's twisted worldviews from filtering into the nursery."

 _So that must be where Rainwater found this idea of she-cats staying in the nursery and having kits and… not saying no to toms._

"I can't stand knowing that Thornstar destroyed him like that. I thought he was taking him out for extra training because he thought Rainwater would make a good deputy, or because… I never imagined that all this could be going on."

Halfear's voice was so broken that Lightningstorm wished she could give him some thyme.

"My poor son."

"He made his choices, just like Thornstar and Shadefur," Lightningstorm reminded him. "He'll find rest."

"I wouldn't dream of excusing what he did," Halfear agreed immediately. "And yet… I wish so desperately things were different."

"I do too."

 **I do too.**

 **Well, that chapter wasn't exactly sunshine-y, but it wrapped up the plot that has been planned since the day I started tapping out the prologue. The very first subplot I thought of.**

 **Cheers.**

 **QOTC: Did you notice the acrostic poem?**

 **~Pondfrost**


	80. Breeze: World of Difference

**Howdy!**

 **Welcome back, here's your monthly dose of Breezeswirl's angsty-angstyness with a special twist.**

 **RRs:**

 **Guest: Nice job!**

 **Stormbreeze: Nobody does, but she's strong.**

 **For the rest of y'all, the poem started at 'Let him try'.**

Chapter 78.

He first noticed something was wrong when Breezeswirl realized Scarletfire was spending less and less time in the camp each day.

It wasn't just that, which could be easily attributed to hard work during leaf-bare. Something in the air seemed to have changed.

He had a hard time describing it.

It was like the world was heavy with a new presence, like something was stirring in its nest after a long slumber. A new film across the land, a new texture to everything.

He found himself plagued with frequent headaches each morning and was tempted to join Scarletfire in her restless roaming of the land. But there was one large factor preventing that.

"Something on your mind?" Paledawn greeted him with an awkward nose touch that made him feel like his tail was on backwards.

"Just thinking," he mumbled.

"Too much of that is dangerous," she joked, obviously trying to get him to relax, but his shoulders only tensed further. "You can talk to me remember."

 _Because I'm your mate._

The end of her sentence echoed silently, deafeningly, in his mind.

He knew she would give him as much space as he wanted, yet he also knew it would set her on guard if he kept pushing her away. _She'll ask me why I even accepted her in the first place. She'll ask me what's wrong. She'll ask, she'll ask,_ his mind repeated in the endless pattern of worry he'd developed since the ceremony.

Her presence, which once had been an easy comfort to him, just pressed heavier on him, a reminder of all that was at stake. _I'm trying to do the right thing,_ he told himself firmly.

Yet somewhere in his mind, he knew that it was a lie. His real reason for accepting Paledawn was flat-out selfish and he was terrible at lying to himself. _I'm trying to be a good warrior. A good, loyal WindClan warrior._

Some smaller, rebellious part of his mind corrected, _You're trying to_ look _like a good loyal WindClan warrior who doesn't dream of golden-eyed she-cats and husky-voiced ShadowClanners._

His fur itched suddenly and he stood. "Just another headache."

"I still think you should talk to Morningpoppy," Paledawn pressed.

"I know," he said shortly.

Normally, it would be his first course of action. But lately, he had felt more and more detached from his Clan and less trusting of the cats that should have been his first line of defence.

Something bright white flashed in front of his eyes for a heartbeat, then disappeared.

His head throbbed, and he dropped back to the ground. _Please find something to do, please Honeythorn come over and assign you to a patrol…_

No such luck. Paledawn stayed firmly planted at his side.

"She can help you, I'm sure she's dealt with-"

"I'm not going to Morningpoppy," he said sharply, then at the taken-aback look in his mate's eyes, backtracked with, "If it gets worse, I'll consider it. Right now, I can handle it."

"Stubborn as always," she said softly, nuzzling him lightly.

He stiffened but didn't pull away. _She's done this even when we were apprentices,_ he told himself firmly, but it was different. There was another layer to it. They were _mates_.

When she drew back, the warm affection in her pale eyes nearly made him wince. "I'll get you something from the fresh-kill pile," she told him.

 _If there is anything,_ he thought morosely. _Leaf-bare's sunk its claws in and I don't know when it'll let go._

He tried to enjoy his moment of respite from Paledawn's fussing, but it was interrupted when Scarletfire returned from another of her mysterious outings.

As though in a trance, she moved towards him with disturbing speed before pulling up a few fox-lengths short then padding normally over to settle next to him.

"Hey."

"Hey," he mumbled in return, watching Paledawn sort through the fresh-kill pile.

"Headache?" she asked without looking at him.

"How'd you know?" he asked flatly, his head too painful to try to add any inflection.

"After so long of having them constantly, I can figure out the signs pretty well," she informed him, finally turning her amber gaze onto him.

He noticed with a chill that her eyes looked strangely wild, the whites showing around her reddish-brown irises. Her eyes weren't bloodshot, however. In fact, they seemed almost strangely bright white. Like they were…

His attention was drawn away abruptly as Paledawn returned from her perusal of the pile.

"Scarlet." The name dropped from Paledawn's muzzle as venomously as ever. Almost territorially so.

Though Breezeswirl's mate - was that ever going to stop feeling unnatural? - had her lips drawn back in a snarl, Scarletfire merely looked amused and flicked her feathery tail in greeting. "Paledawn."

At the casual dismissal, Paledawn's snarl turned to a full growl. "Excuse us."

Scarletfire got a chuckle out of that, and drew herself up to her full height, a good mouse-length above Paledawn, and walked away with a sway in her step.

Paledawn's fiery gaze followed the ex-rogue across the clearing. Breezeswirl felt almost unnaturally irritable at the hostile exchange. _Why can't she keep it cool for a heartbeat!? I wanted to ask Scarletfire about her headaches! If she's had them for so long, she probably knows what to do to help them._

In fact, the idea that Paledawn had stolen the chance of a remedy from Breezeswirl made something burn behind his eyes. _Calm down, you can talk to her later,_ some small, reasonable part said, but it was shouted down by the rest of him.

"Can't you stifle your hare-brained prejudice long enough for me to have a conversation with a friend?" he snapped, rounding on her the heartbeat Scarletfire was out of camp.

Paledawn recoiled, shock in her eyes. "I- what?"

"You heard me! Her name is _Scarletfire_ , can't you get that? She's as much a Clan cat as you or I!" The same small part of him was telling him to be quiet and reasonable, but he felt like he couldn't calm down.

Paledawn scowled suddenly. "That's not true and you know it. She was raised differently, just because she's here now doesn't erase that. She's a _rogue_ and I wish every cat would accept that."

Breezeswirl felt a chill down his spine.

His first instincts after those words were to claw Paledawn.

Staring into the blazing eyes of the cat he'd known since he was a kit, the cat who he'd just had the urge to physically attack over a minor dispute, he felt like he was drowning on land.

"Excuse me," he muttered harshly, unable to meet her eye.

Before she had a chance to stop him, he whirled around and stormed out of the camp after the reddish she-cat.

"Scarletfire!" he called, panting. _What's wrong with me? Why am I so worked up?_

"Breezeswirl?" Her curious reply came from across the moor.

Feeling an odd adrenaline in his veins, he sprinted over to her, barely breathing harder than before.

She regarded him, the same wild-eyed look, yet her amber irises were peaceful. He stared at her for several heartbeats before speaking.

"You said you had headaches," he mumbled.

She stared searchingly at him, uncomprehending.

"Wh- what did you about them? Did you have a treatment?" he pressed, then with a jolt remembered something. "Those plants you were eating. The ones Morningpoppy said were poisonous? Do those-"

She jumped, like she'd forgotten about them. "No. No, those are… something else. I don't do anything about the headaches. Regular treatment doesn't work either, so don't bother with Morningpoppy."

It was oddly gratifying to know that his strange urge not to go to the medicine cat had been correct. Yet… "Does that mean there's nothing I can do?"

"Mine are worse at night," Scarletfire told him, and shrugged. "Taking poppy seeds might help you sleep if yours are the same."

Feeling let down, he shook his head. "Mine are worse during the day."

"Mouse-dung," she swore, looking pitying. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "If there's nothing to be done, then there's nothing to-"

Breezeswirl was cut off as another white flash lit his vision and with an exclamation of pain, he collapsed for a moment, breathing heavily.

"Do you see white flashes too?" Scarletfire asked curiously, cocking her head.

"Yeah," he grunted, trying to get his bearings back. "So it's the same kind of headache then."

"Apparently," Scarletfire confirmed, shrugging. "Except for the day and night thing. Strange."

"If that's not why you were eating that weird plant, then-" His line of questioning was sharply cut off by the ex-rogue.

"Don't ask about those," she snapped.

Muted with surprise, he nodded. _More secrets that she's not sharing it would seem._ "Are there other effects?"

She nodded grimly. "I don't know how much is just my other… things, but I also have strange dreams, random… urges… to, uh…" She gave him a searching look through squinted eyes.

"Violent urges?" he prompted quietly.

Scarletfire nodded, another layer of interest in her eyes. "So perhaps it does have something to do with the headaches and not just… everything else. Other than dreams and, uh, urges, you'll probably have less patience and… a feeling of… well, maybe that's just me. But you might-"

"Stop beating around the bush, what is it?" Breezeswirl said irritably.

"You'll feel like every cat around is worthless," she said quietly, staring at the horizon. "I can't stay in the camp with all these cats… just living. But-"

"You don't feel like that about me," he finished instinctively, knowing it to be correct. It was the same to him. While his patience with Paledawn was small at the best of times, nowadays he felt himself wishing she would just take her meaningless little existence off somewhere else.

It frightened him, the violence and impatience in his mind.

But somehow Scarletfire was exempt from his sudden superiority feelings. She, at least, felt like an equal. Which… made no sense. If any cat was to feel like an equal to him now that his ego had suddenly inflated, it should be Honeythorn or Spottedstar or some cat, right?

"And they've been getting worse lately," she confessed.

"Mine have only just started," he told her, and she nodded.

"I don't know how to explain that," she mumbled, shaking her head. He fought to urge to press himself reassuringly against her. _There are some lines regular Clanmates don't cross,_ he told himself firmly, and yet he still wondered what her long, silky pelt would feel like against his.

Tense silence hung between them, charged with something heavy and powerful and altogether too terrifying for Breezeswirl to focus on at the moment.

He shuddered.

 _What's wrong with me?_

Scarletfire, in turn, gave him a blazing bright look out of amber-fire eyes, then turned tail and hared across the moor. He simply stood, watching as she dashed away from him.

Every hair on his pelt quivered from the sudden lash of desire that had fallen across him, and he briskly turned to hurry back to camp. _Stop it, stop it, stop it,_ he berated himself, wanting to cry at the hopelessness of everything.

Why was it that every time he tried to fix things or find a solution they only got more complicated?

By the time he made it back to camp, the harsh wind seemed to have scraped all unbecoming urges out of him, and he was grateful for it. _I'm a warrior. I can control myself. I'm a warrior. I can control myself,_ he reminded himself repeatedly, but the memory of his sudden need for Scarletfire against him cast all of it in doubt.

"Breezeswirl! Just the new warrior I was looking for," Honeythorn said cheerfully, but there was a dark shadow in her eye that belied her bright words. "Patrol. RiverClan border. Chop chop, no time to waste."

He nodded briskly, grateful for the distraction from his mind's turmoil.

But there was a sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw the patrol had Jayflight on it. She too had been acting strange ever since his warrior ceremony, always finding an excuse when he tried to talk to her.

"Well, let's go then!" Buzzardclaw said brightly, hurrying them along like a queen herding her kits.

Jayflight was avoiding his gaze as per usual, and even went so far as to speed up to fall in step with Buzzardclaw. Breezeswirl's features darkened into a frown, and the now-familiar line of thought - _not worth it, how dare she, mouse-brained cat brushing off_ me?! - began to circulate through his mind.

Making a conscious effort to push off the angry, unfamiliar thoughts, he walked quicker to fall in step with Jayfligh and Buzzardclaw.

They were deep in conversation - that is, Buzzardclaw was, and Jayflight seemed to be 'mhmm'ing every so often. Something about his latest catch.

"Jayflight? Can I talk to you?" Breezeswirl fought to keep his voice soft and unobtrusive even when every strange new instinct told him to _order_ her.

Her blue eyes looked like a trapped animal's but after a moment, she nodded stiffly. "Alright."

 _What's_ wrong _with her? Why is she being like this?_ he wondered irritably. "Jayflight, what's been going on with you? Why are you… doing… whatever you're doing?"

She feigned incomprehension, but there was a guilty spark behind it. "I don't know-"

"Yes, you _do_!" he snapped out, trying to hold onto the last remnants of his shredded temper. Taking a deep breath, he soldiered on. "You keep brushing me off, and honestly it's getting old, so tell me-"

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking unusually chagrined. "I'm sorry. I've just… I don't know. I've been busy with- other… things."

Her stuttering speech told him she was wasn't giving away the _whole_ truth. "Really?" He cocked an eyebrow doubtfully.

"With other cats," she ameliorated quietly, her gaze flicking to Buzzardclaw.

"The truth comes out," he said, the words coming from somewhere cold and hurt inside him. _She brushes me off so easily for that- that- hare-brain?! Unbelievable._

She scowled at him. "It's none of your business."

"Didn't think he had enough of a brain to talk for long enough to keep you so occupied," he mocked cruelly, the jibes coming too fast for him to rein in. "Of course, if you're so interested in being around him, I hardly think it's for the scintillating conversation."

At the veiled accusation, rather than blush and stammer, Jayflight curled her lip. "Fine. Act like a kit. You were the one who wanted to talk. If you must know, yes, Buzzardclaw and I intend to be mates and have kits."

Some removed part of him thought it was odd that she would tell him that after how he had reacted to what little else she'd told him, yet the reason became clear quickly.

Her blue gaze searched his green, for what, he didn't know, but whatever it was she obviously didn't find what she was looking for as her face crumpled with anger and possibly hurt and she whipped around and hurried back up to Buzzardclaw.

His stomach was roiling with upset and anger and hurt, but he tried to fix a neutral expression on his face. His mind was at war with itself. The new, angry, unfamiliar part was pulling for the plan of cuff Jayflight soundly across her ears, whereas his old mind was just hurt that Jayflight had made such a big decision for her life without even mentioning it to her supposed best friend.

 _They're having kits? Are you kidding me? When did we grow up…?_

The last thought came from his part that was still a kit, still interested in moss-ball and demanding that Leopardpaw teach him a fighting move. _Why is everything moving so fast?_

"Are you alright?" Nightpool, who had been bringing up the rear of the patrol and had gone unnoticed by Breezeswirl until that moment, inquired. "That sounded-"

"Keep your nose out of my business," he spat, then jolted at the anger in his own voice. "StarClan! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that! I've just been kind of on edge, and I'm… sorry." He finished the apology lamely.

Nightpool squinted at him, looking puzzled, then shrugged. "I think we all are. Leaf-bare and all."

 _Like I could be swayed by something so tiny and insignificant, as though I were nothing more than-_ he cut himself off this time, unable to hear the dark, angry thoughts. _What's wrong with me?!_

He nodded weakly to Nightpool, trying not to let his disgust show on his face. "Yeah. That's all."

As the patrol walked, Breezeswirl found his own burning gaze fixed on Jayflight. Unbidden, the sharp, hard thoughts came creeping back in. _How dare she, how dare she, what makes her think she has any right-_

Trying to press them back, he shut his eyes tightly and focused on something that would ground him. Paledawn, maybe. When he and Jayflight fought, she was always the peacemaker, the voice of reason.

Yet now, just the thought of her made his pelt itch angrily.

 _Scarletfire._

Like cold water, he felt a shudder run over him and the fury was silenced for a moment.

 _That's not good,_ he knew with a sinking feeling.

Paledawn, for him, had at least been a safe cat, some cat he could talk to in a dark moment, a rock in a tumultuous lake, and now… Somehow, the fiery ex-rogue made him feel more peaceful than _Paledawn_.

Wishing he could just stop his mind from thinking for a few moments, he marked the borders silently, ignoring Jayflight's blazing blue gaze, and walked back to camp. His heart pounded, and _he didn't know why._

The moment he was back in the dip in the moorlands that served as the WindClan camp, he headed straight for his den. The last thing on his mind was whether Honeythorn wanted him on another patrol; besides which, he could hear her broken sobs from the medicine den, where she surely thought no cat could hear her.

 _Sunnyfur's finally gone I guess,_ he registered dimly, sleep already tugging him out of consciousness.

…

 **Fire and water, oh my. I can't wait for you to destroy each other.**

Breezeswirl snapped awake, white star-eyes burning at the edge of his vision.

…

 **QOTC: What's up with Paledawn, Breezeswirl, Jayflight, and Scarletfire?**

 **Everybody's acting weird eheheehh what a delightful mess.**

 **~Pondfrost**


	81. Wave: Fallen Snow

**Hi again!**

 **I don't know what's up with me, but something's possessing me to write MORE AND MORE TEOA! I dunno. But I won't question it, because it's awesome to have enthusiasm for a project that's pretty old at this point…**

 **RRs:  
Wintergreen: Hm hm hm, perceptive one. I don't think I could make it through a Breezeswirl chapter without trying to make his life even more messy than it is.**

 **Stormbreeze: Honestly, I don't really like superhero movies because they feel very formulaic to me, but I enjoy some for the absolute silliness that the studio seems to love. It's great to see a franchise aimed at adults and teens that can still have fun and make jokes. Avengers (the og) is one of my favourites, but I haven't seen some of the more recent ones like Infinity War, Wonder Woman, and I probably won't go to see Venom. (I did see Black Panther. As a social statement, I think it's awesome that they finally put out a movie with a predominantly African-American cast, though it was a 'superhero movie' in the formulaic sense and so I wasn't too wowed by it. Since I'm a writer, the story was what I was most interested in, and it was just the generic 'good guy is having a good life, bad guy comes beats him up, good guy gets stronger and beats bad guy'. Though I do understand why people loved it for the casting, costumes, backgrounds, CGI, etc, since it was one of the sleekest and prettiest movies I've seen in a** _ **loooong**_ **time. Solid 7.5/10)**

 **Guest: That sounds like a lot of fun to write. If inspiration hits, I might drop something like that in my book of challenges and one-shots. (I dunno if this is what you meant, but it's worth mentioning that 'the golden-eyed she-cat and husky voiced ShadowClanner' was in reference to Lightningstorm and Darkmoon.)**

 **ANYWAYS dunno why I just wrote an essay…**

 **BUT ONWARDS! WAVECRASH! YEET!**

Chapter 79.

Wavecrash had a headache again.

They had become more and more frequent since the arrival of the two strangers in RiverClan.

Shadedapple and Goldentail had fit remarkably well into Clan life, seeming to find it unnecessary to ask many questions. When Mistcloud, who had been assigned to help them learn the Clan ways, had attempted to describe StarClan to them, she was met with a cool but polite, "We know."

Wavecrash had his private assumptions about why, predominantly that their parents had told them, but never found it necessary to talk to them.

Other than going on patrols just like any other Clan cat, they mostly spent their time in the elders' den with Reedtail, listening to tales of their father, Reedtail's brother. _That makes them related to me,_ Wavecrash had realized quickly. Reedtail being his grandfather, their father being his brother, that made them his… aunts?

Thinking about it just worsened his pounding headache.

Mistcloud had confined him to camp after he hadn't even managed to make it through a simple request to be sent on patrol without multiple winces and pants of pain. Anger burned inside him after her casual dismissal. _If I want to go on patrol, then who is she to stop me?!_

 _The deputy?_ some small voice inside reasoned, but he ignored it, pelt burning with frustration.

He had already paced the length of the camp twice, and while exhaustion lurked at the edge of his mind, some wriggling energy had made a nest in his stomach and didn't seem to be in any hurry to let him sleep.

With a heavy sigh, he padded into the warrior's den, grateful for the cool shade, and settled into his nest, praying to StarClan that his insomnia would leave him long enough to allow him a nap.

For whatever reason, his breathing eventually slowed as he counted minnows jumping over a log in his head.

The last thing he heard before sleep claimed him was his own heavy, contented sigh.

…

"Interesting."  
The voice was familiar to him.

He had heard it… once, perhaps twice before. He remembered it. Pondfrost, in some dream-vision to him, had suddenly lost all composure, her pelt rupturing and flashing, and her eyes… white.

"Oh, most wonderful." Infinite amusement was laden in that voice, sounding like a bird song.

"Who…" He struggled to his paws, his throat feeling muddy and his headache like a sharpened stone was being driven through his skull.

"Not important." A purr of laughter, then the she-cat's voice lowered like she was getting down to business. "Just checking on you. So, _Wavecrash_ , how have you been?"

"Um…" His voice trailed off as he blinked his gummy eyes and tried to focus on the cat in front of him.

Familiar.

His head split in half.

At least, that was what it felt like.

"Oh, no, that won't do," the voice muttered, then the form in front of him fluttered in the wind and disappeared. "Better? My, my, never realized descendants would have _such_ defects. Embarrassing, really."

"Defects?" he mumbled, blinking hard and seeing nothing. The world was dark, though the ground felt solid beneath his feet.

"Forget it." An order, and he complied immediately. "Well, you've been falling behind your… comrades, and it's time to kickstart things."

"What are you talking about?" he managed. His headache was receding enough that he could talk without feeling like he'd rather die than try to squeeze another word out of himself.

"What was the last…"

Her voice trailed off, and Wavecrash had one of the most unpleasant experiences of his life.

White flashed, like he had been looking at the sun for too long, and he felt something deep in his ears, a thrumming directly inside his mind. Another presence was in his mind, and it wasn't Pondfrost.

"Oh. Hmm, the whole lake? Well, that's not _too_ bad I suppose. But why aren't…" she trailed off again, and the sensation returned before fading. "Afraid!? More sun-failing I suppose."

She sighed heavily.

"What- what are you talking about?" he repeated, shaking his head vigorously as if that would keep the presence away.

"Water fear. What do the Clans call it? Dry-paws?" the creature muttered.

Wavecrash felt a protective, angry flash. Who was she to rummage in his mind and pull out his most secret memories? He had long since overcome his fear of water.

"No you haven't," she corrected. "Those doddering fools you call leaders figured it out _long_ before you. Shameful, for a descendant. Look at… er, what are their names? Yes yes, the darkness and the storm, they're _so_ far ahead of you and they don't have a drop of star blood!"

It was utter nonsense, yet Wavecrash frowned all the same, trying to understand.

"Lightningpaw and Darkpaw?" he guessed, feeling instinctively that they were who this _thing_ was referencing. "What about them? What are you talking about, star blood?"  
A laugh, then another not-reply. "I don't understand why you aren't exercising more of your power. Illogical, considering. He was always so cocky, and yet you seem… hesitant. Don't you realize how far above everyone else you are?"

He blinked at the bold statement. "Far above…? What do you mean?"

"You _are_ a slow one. You could tell Snowstar to go jump in the lake and he's so terrified of you he'd comply immediately."

The idea made him shiver. Any time the notion of Snowstar being a weak leader came up, he would feel an unmistakable quiver of unease. Cinnamonheart's complete sway over him was _not_ something he liked to think about too often, and the mere notion that Snowstar was _scared_ of him set off a ring of fear through his mind.

"Ridiculous. I'm glad _I'm_ not at fault for this _weakness_ , though I suppose you do have a tracing of me from… who would it be then? Ah yes, the red, violent failure of mine. Tch, figures."

He blinked. More nonsense, yet the phrase _red, violent failure_ was somehow familiar. Something twinged at the back of his mind, but he couldn't place it.

"Ooooh, what a delightful mess." A high, tinkling, _unsettling_ laugh that resonated deep inside him. "Good thing he ruined _that_ , or my plans might've actually had a hitch."

Wavecrash scowled. He was fed up with all the cryptic statements from StarClan-knew what sort of creature this was, and he-

"Be silent."

His mind quieted immediately.

"Oh, if only _he_ was this obedient, we'd have so many less problems." Another laugh. "Yet what fun would that be?"

"Who are you talking about?" he murmured, unable to scream at her as he would prefer.

"You really don't know? Huh. He hasn't told you? Well, I suppose your little… helper… has been less than informative. Pondfrost really does act more like me than is good for her," she sighed.

"What does my sister have to do with this?" he demanded, his voice strengthening, though it felt like he was fighting the current of a raging river to do so.

"Your _sister_?!" The laughter grew. "So she told you that she was… well, well, well."

"What do you mean?" he whispered, beyond frustrated with all the obfuscation and knowing laughs.

"Well, she's not your sister, I'll tell you that much. I have _very_ little interest in how time passes in your insufferable little groups, and I know that she's _far_ too old to be your sister, let alone your littermate."

So Pondfrost had lied.

Or this _thing_ was lying.

Which, now that he thought it, seemed _much_ more likely

"Too old? How old is she then?!" he demanded. _If she's going to answer me, then that would be a first, but I have to know._

"Hmm, how long ago would it have been now…" the creature deliberated, taking her time. "I don't know. I don't care. Too long. Older than your parents. In _fact_ , my oh my, she's… well. Her sister was your mother's mother's mother. Oh brilliant, this is _too_ good."

 _Her sister?_ How much had Pondfrost not told him?

"Though I suppose she wasn't entirely lying about being your stillborn sister," the creature mused. "Changed her mind about the return right at the last moment. Could've been, I guess."

 _The return?_ his mind echoed.

"What do you mean, changed her mind about the return?"

"Wanted to keep her silver memories. Didn't work out that way though, StarClan's not quite strong enough. Oh, who am I kidding, StarClan's a pitiful group of idiots that couldn't find their own tails and likes to pretend they're still in control of anything." Another cruel laugh. "Pondfrost decided she wanted to retain her old existence. Can't imagine why, I practically destroyed that poor she-cat."

Wavecrash's mind was spinning, trying to understand anything he'd just been told. _What… is… happening._

"Time to wake up, before I destroy you too," the thing laughed, and his dream shattered.

…

When Wavecrash woke, his headache had finally faded and he felt better than he had in awhile.

 _Oh no._ It was Pondfrost, and her voice held infinite sorrow. _She got to you too? I thought… Well, I guess that's that. No hope for any cat._

 _You lied to me,_ he accused.

 _Yeah, but didn't every cat?_ Pondfrost said with another heavy sigh.

 _Well, you didn't have to,_ he snapped. _Why didn't you just tell me the truth?_

 _You wouldn't have accepted it,_ she told him easily. _You wouldn't have listened to me at all unless you thought I had some connection to you._

 _So that… thing was telling the truth,_ he thought to himself.

 _Well, basically._ Pondfrost snorted. _She's been more useful to you than she ever was to me. I would warn you to try to resist her, but I know from experience that's impossible and also if I said a word against her she'd probably destroy me again._

Wavecrash heard the echo of a hundred lifetimes of pain in her voice, inexplicable but somehow familiar.

 _How did she destroy you?_ he asked softly.

 _In every way,_ she replied, laughing in a way that was altogether too familiar.

 _I'm sorry,_ he mumbled.

 _Don't be. Get on with your life and hope things don't go so far out of your reach that the world is destroyed,_ Pondfrost deadpanned, and Wavecrash had a sinking feeling that it wasn't a joke.

 _At least tell me the name of my enemy,_ he pried.

 _The name?_ Pondfrost purred dryly. _Names have power, and I don't know if you're strong enough… Well, think of it as your first test. Are you sure?_

 _The creature. Tell me her name,_ he said firmly.

 _She has thousands of names, but the one she gave me when she first came in a dream to me…_ Pondfrost took a deep breath. _Lune._

 _Lune,_ he repeated, feeling a bone-shaking energy shoot through him. _StarClan above, what_ is _she?_

 _Just hope you never know,_ Pondfrost replied heavily.

He accepted that answer as most likely true, and made up his mind in that moment that however Pondfrost might have lied to him, he had few allies and her intentions seemed good enough that he wouldn't completely distrust her over a few instances of manipulation.

Since he was confined to camp, and the nap, dream, and name had all given him the same uncomfortable, writhing energy, he decided to put it to good use and help out in the nursery.

As he approached, he heard the soft tones of Flowerpelt and Poolfur chatting as their kits played.

"Apparently Mistcloud and Snowstar are trying for a litter," Poolfur was saying.

"I hope it's at least new-leaf before their kits come," Flowerpelt commented affectionately. "It'll be hard to support another litter of kits when leaf-bare's still gripping the Clans."

"Often the darkest night heralds the brightest day," Poolfur told the younger queen wisely. "Leaf-bare might seem like it's at its worst, but mark my words, it'll be over by the end of the moon."

"We can only hope," Flowerpelt murmured in agreement.

Wavecrash cleared his throat to make his presence known, and both queens glanced up at him.

"Afternoon, Wavecrash. Mistcloud sent you to help out?" Poolfur guessed. "No apprentices, so I suppose-"

"Actually, I just came on my own. Mistcloud's showing Shadedapple and Goldentail the territory," Wavecrash replied, then licked his chest in embarrassment. "Sorry for cutting you off. My bad. Anything you need help with?"

Poolfur purred. "My four are getting antsy and Flowerpelt's are still too young for them to play with. I'd be grateful if you could keep them occupied."

Wavecrash nodded eagerly, and Flowerpelt gave him a grateful smile, pulling her still-tiny kits closer to her belly where they were nursing. Their eyes had obviously only recently opened as they seemed to still be nosing around to find their mother's milk.

"They're just outside. Thanks, Wavecrash," Poolfur told him cheerfully, beginning to wash her face.

"No problem!" he exclaimed. _See how good I am at being helpful?_ he thought privately. _I should mentor one of your kits, huh?_

His ambitions were easier to think about than everything else that was on his mind at that moment, and the kits were a welcome distraction from the supposed impending doom of the world.

He ducked out of the nursery, scanning the clearing for Poolfur's four rambunctious kits and finding them as they all abruptly tackled him.

"Warriors of RiverClan, attack!" the biggest one, gray and white patched, squeaked as she clambered onto his back and boxed his ears.

"Minnow formation!" one of the others, white and brown patched, ordered in a high-pitched squeal before joining her sister in cuffing him over the head.

He shook them off gently, amused by their sudden ambush.

"Nooo, they're too strong!" he yelped dramatically.

"You're Wavecrash?" another demanded, an almost comically tiny she-cat with a blue-gray and cream-ginger pelt demanded.

"That's right," he agreed, glancing over the four of them. "And what are your names?"

The two on his head released him and slid down, forming a ragged line in front of him.

"I'm Trilliumkit," the big gray and white she-kit announced proudly, waving her tail. "Momma says my eyes are greener than Poppa's, see?!"

She widened her eyes and jutted her head forwards.

"I can't see 'em 'cause there's no reflectin' things around right now, but when I'm an apprentice I'mna go to the lake an' look at 'em," she informed him self-importantly.

A purr of amusement burst out of him. "Your eyes changed recently, I guess."

She nodded briskly. "No more little blue eyes for me, I'm a real warrior now."

He suppressed more laughter and nodded.

"I'm Splashkit," the other she-kit who had attacked his ears, the slightly smaller brown and white patched one said. "I'm gonna be the leader of RiverClan."

"No, I am!" Trilliumkit mock-snarled, wiggling her hindquarters and pouncing on her sister. They wrestled, and Wavecrash got the distinct impression this was something they argued about frequently.

"They're always like this," the blue-gray and ginger-cream one told him with a heavy, solemn sigh that belied her miniature appearance. "My name is Islandkit."

Wavecrash turned to the last one, a bark-brown she-kit with paler brown on her underbelly and chest, a white ear, and big, serious amber eyes that were dark in a familiar way. "And you are?"

She was staring at him silently, unblinking, eyes round and dark.

 _Um…_

"Quailkit," she mumbled. "I'm… Quailkit."

 _A quiet one, I guess,_ he thought to himself and gave her a bright smile. _I think Cinnamonheart mentioned her._

Trilliumkit and Splashkit seemed to have finished scrapping and were back to staring at him, noticeably more rumpled.

"You want to play… mossball?" he mumbled, suddenly feeling awkward under the stare of four little kits.

"Mossball's for kits!" Splashkit said scornfully. "Let's play fishing!'

 _But… you are kits…_ Wavecrash thought, utterly confused, yet shrugged and smiled indulgently. "How do we play fishing?"

"One cat's the hunter and every cat else are fishies," Trilliumkit began, flicking her tail at one side of the camp. "The fishies start over there, and they try to get to the other side of the 'stream' without getting caught by the hunter. If they do, they turned into reeds and they can tackle the fishies when they run by to try to help the hunters."

Wavecrash blinked. _That's… involved._ "Did you make this game up yourself?"

"Quailkit invented it," Splashkit told him proudly. "She's really smart."

The little brown she-kit shuffled her paws in embarrassment and stared at the ground. Wavecrash blinked, newfound appreciation for the minds of kits rising in him.

"Okay, who's going to be…" he trailed off, already forgetting the details of the game, "the hunter?"

"You, obviously," Islandkit exclaimed. "We're the fishies, you have to try to catch us!"

He remembered that much at least.

"Alright, so you start…" he began, but the litter was already haring off to one side of the camp.

"When you want us to run, you say _fishing!_ " Trilliumkit informed him.

"Uh, okay," he nodded, then called, "fishing!"

Quick as minnows, all four she-kits darted across the camp. Wavecrash leapt into action and put himself in the way of Splashkit. Unsure of how exactly the game was supposed to work, he flung his feathery tail into her way. She crashed into it and stopped with a frustrated expression.

"Aw," she whined. "You're too fast!"  
 _Actually, she's not wrong,_ Pondfrost told him, sounding almost pained. _If you want the game to go on for more than a few heartbeats, you have to let them beat you a bit._

He accepted the truth in the statement, and when he shouted 'fishing!' again, he let them all get by without even giving the impression he might catch them.

The next time, he chased Islandkit into Splashkit, who pinned her sister and kept her there until Wavecrash tagged her with his tail.

"Fish-tail," the kit snapped, frowning.

At the tiny kit 'swearing', Wavecrash stifled another bout of laughter and returned to his post in the centre.

By the time the game ended, Wavecrash found himself grinning. It was surprisingly fun to chase kits around and pretend that he couldn't run faster than hedgehog. He found himself oddly attached to all four kits in such little time, and found it was almost a shame when Poolfur called them back into the nursery.

 _You know what, I'm going to do something proactive for once,_ he told himself, feeling a warmth in his chest.

Pleased with himself for finally making a decision, he turned his paws towards the leader's den and padded across the camp to visit Snowstar.

"Snowstar?" he called softly.

"Wavecrash?" His voice was surprised, and slightly worried. "Come in…"

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said awkwardly as he ducked into the shaded den. Snowstar was sitting in his nest, his dark eyes troubled.

"No no, don't worry," Snowstar said quickly. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was just playing with Poolfur's kits, and I thought, um, I'd like to mentor one," he said quickly, taking a deep breath afterwards. "I know I'm a younger warrior, but I'd really like to… you know, make a difference for my Clan, and…"

He trailed off awkwardly, having already said the bulk of his message and not really sure what else he could add.

Snowstar blinked, surprise registering. Clearly that wasn't what he had expected Wavecrash's little visit to be about, but the leader cocked his head and gave him a thoughtful look, the troubled air not leaving his blue eyes.

"I think that could be arranged," he said eventually. "I appreciate the initiative to ask directly. That was… brave."

Didn't sound like a compliment, but Wavecrash smiled anyways. "Thanks! Well, that was, uh, everything I wanted to talk about, so I'll just… go then."

The cheerful feeling had faded from his chest as he ducked out of the leader's den.

 _I got what I wanted…_ he thought dimly, but something was still bothering him.

Words from Lune echoed in his mind.

 _You could tell Snowstar to go jump in the lake and he's so terrified of you he'd comply immediately._

 _Don't you realize how far above everyone else you are?_

He hadn't imagined the flash of fear in the leader's eyes.

 **QOTC: Any theories on Pondfrost or Lune with the new information?**

 **~Pondfrost**


	82. Dark: Confessions and Concussions

**Interesting.**

 **Though hardly I never knew, a bit of underhanded thinking…**

 **Knowledge I've lost little interest now grips. Maybe you're still everywhere listening freely.**

 **I wish I understood anything.**

 **Emotionally packed chapter; might be shit, I have no idea.**

Chapter 80.

Darkmoon had a hard time facing Wildwind after what she'd overheard, and so that was how she found herself stalking through ShadowClan territory alone again.

It was the first time in many moons that she was completely alone.

Ripple had finally gone for whatever reason, she didn't care.

Something was insatiably hungry inside her, and all she could manage was stalking through the territory over and over again, her steps smashing holes in the snow.

That was how, halfway through the day, she found herself in blazing need of Mudpaw's company.

She walked back into camp, the same predatory speed in her step, and located the brown tabby quickly.

She was with Robinwood. Again. _Of course._

"Duskpaw, I need to talk to you," she muttered, her voice harsh and urgent. What it was that was gripping her like this, she had no idea, but she needed to get it out because the danger in it all was evident. "Can you… can we go for a walk or something?"  
Her friend turned to her, surprise in her green eyes, then narrowed her eyes. "You alright? You seem a little… on edge."

"Fine, I'm fine," Darkmoon said, coughing suddenly as though whatever was buzzing in her chest could be released by _coughing_. "Come on, let's go."

Mudpaw looked worried, but shrugged and flicked her tail in farewell to Robinwood and followed Darkmoon into the pines. The world pulsed around Darkmoon, oddly bright and stark, and she took a deep breath, trying to regulate herself.

"What's up?" her friend asked, curiosity and worry in her voice.

Darkmoon tensed, shuddered, relaxed, and repeated. "I have no idea. But I need to tell you something, because it feels like it's ripping me in two."

"O- okay?" Mudpaw muttered, cocking her head as Darkmoon led her deeper into the pines, an unfamiliar urgency in her steps.

"I'm in love with a WindClan cat," she began, the words flowing easily.

"Pardon?" Mudpaw blinked.

"I am in love with a cat from WindClan; his name is Breezepaw and when I'm not around him it feels like the world's on fire," Darkmoon said, her voice dead. "I love him so much it feels like I'm dying sometimes."

Mudpaw stared at her like she'd just declared her love for a WindClan cat.

Well…

"I have no idea what to do, but I needed to tell some cat before I actually exploded," she said briskly, almost businesslike. "So? Ideas?"

Mudpaw was still silent, staring at her.

"Frog got your tongue?" Darkmoon asked.

"Bees in your brain?!" Mudpaw snapped out finally. "A _WindClan_ cat?!"

Darkmoon blinked; cocked her head; replied, "Uhuh. Any questions, suggestions, or helpful comments?"

Mudpaw gaped, and closed her mouth slowly. Utter confusion was evident in her eyes. Darkmoon felt nearly as confused. The world was slipping in too many directions, and she was going to get out this strange, powerful frustration if it killed her.

"Come on, Duskpaw, I asked you for a reason," Darkmoon said impatiently. "It's worth knowing as well that he seems to be rather enchanted with this other she-cat from ThunderClan named Lightningpaw who is basically the darkest creation to ever come out of the Dark Forest."

She said it so plainly that at any other time she would have wanted to laugh at herself, but right now everything seemed rather humorless.

"What's wrong with you?" Mudpaw mumbled, staring at her with a glimmer of fear in her eyes.

Darkmoon jerked, shuddered, and then pasted a bright smile over her features. "Nothing at all. Come on, I told you the truth, now help me out. What do I do?"

Mudpaw was still staring silently.

"Oh whatever, if you're not going to help me I'll ask some cat else," Darkmoon threatened irritably, though she knew there was no other cat she _could_ ask.

"Help you? Don't ask any other cats, you can't spread this around," Mudpaw exclaimed. "You… I'm sorry, but how exactly… Are you-"

Mudpaw cut herself off and simply stared at Darkmoon, who grinned again.

"C'mon, I asked you for a reason, I know you have some plan or something, right?" It was a challenge, and Darkmoon felt another shudder try to grip her. She shook it off, trying to focus.

Mudpaw's fearful look grew.

"I… _no_ , Darkmoon, I think you should get help," she said hesitantly. "You don't seem…"

Darkmoon snarled, the world pulsing again.

" _Fine_ , I'll just rot alone."

Mudpaw's face crumpled in anger, fear, and sadness. "Shut up! I- why are you acting like this?!"

"Acting like what?!" she snapped back. "This how I always am! Inside at least! Just because you can't see it-"

Mudpaw scowled. "Don't put this on me. This is about more than that WindClan cat. What's _actually_ wrong?"

"I hate _everything_!" Darkmoon spat, raking her paws through the dirt. "I don't know!"

Though the fear was still blazing in her friend's eyes, Mudpaw narrowed her eyes. "Darkmoon. Take a deep breath."

Darkmoon breathed in the leaf-bare and breathed out her panic.

The world became slightly less destructively bright and she could breathe again.

"I- Something's up with Lionsun; I don't think she's my sister anymore. Also, I hate you and Robinwood for being happy, the voice in my head has disappeared, and something's _really_ wrong with everything right now. I need Breezepaw," she rattled off flatly.

Mudpaw didn't seem fazed by the announcement that her best friend hated her or that there was a voice in that same best friend's head. She gave Darkmoon a sturdy look.

"Everything feels like it's out of control, but it's not," Mudpaw said quietly. "Take another deep breath."

Darkmoon obeyed.

"You're okay." The soothing tone was utterly unfamiliar to Darkmoon, but she drank it in anyways. "I know you're scared. But you'll be alright, I swear."

Darkmoon felt something loosen a little in her chest.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, wishing she could claw herself. "I don't hate you. I'm just jealous, and the thing with Lionsun's probably my imagination, and I _know_ I'm not supposed to be in love with a WindClan cat but I really can't help it."

"I know," Mudpaw said softly, resting her muzzle on Darkmoon's trembling shoulder. "I know. Remember when…"

Mudpaw didn't need to finish it for Darkmoon to remember the lashing rain, the churning water, the hollow helpless tone of Mudpaw's voice… and she trembled again.

"You helped me, and I'll be there for you forever," her friend told her softly. "You'll make it through whatever this is. But you'd better stop thinking about this Breezepaw."

"I know, I know, I know," Darkmoon muttered. "I just don't know what else to do! It feels like I'm stuck in a tunnel and I can't get out and the ground's choking me and-"

"Why don't you talk to some cat about Lionsun, if she's been adding so much to your stress?" Mudpaw suggested softly. "I don't quite understand what your issue with her is right now, but it might help to put it to rest."

"Yes. Yes, you're right," Darkmoon agreed, the jittery feeling in her paws slowly leaving. "I want to know… I want to know about my birth."

Mudpaw's face darkened slightly. "Really? Won't that add to the nightmares…?"

"No! It'll help, I know it will," she insisted.

Mudpaw shrugged. "Alright; if you're sure."

"I am."

…

Darkmoon was feeling less sure.

The only cat that she could think of to ask was one of the older cats, and there were few that Darkmoon was interested in facing at the moment. _Well, might as well take the badger head-on,_ she decided, scanning the camp for Wildwind. _Talking to him might get that particular piece of stress off my mind as well._

When her eyes landed on him, he was playing with his kits.

Her claws slid out involuntarily, but she took a deep breath and steeled herself to go talk to him.

"Wildwind?" she called softly, trying to keep her voice from shaking too much.

"Oh, hi Darkmoon!" he greeted her altogether too cheerfully and she growled, so low in her throat that it made no noise at all. "What can I do for you today?"

"I wanted to ask you about something," she muttered, each word getting harder to scrape out as the four kits chased Wildwind's flicking tail.

His face lit up. "Certainly! Let me just… Frostsong, would you watch these four for a moment?"

"Sure thing," the white queen agreed cheerfully and nosed the four kits away from Wildwind.

"Shall we talk here, or were you wanting to…" He saw the pained look on her face and gave a brisk nod, leading her out of camp. "What's wrong?"

"Can you tell me about my birth?" she whispered, feeling fury mount inside her at the pitying look in his eyes. "I…"

He smiled, more pity in his eyes. Darkmoon unsheathed and sheathed her claws.

"Are you sure? It might be a bit-"

"Would I have asked if I wasn't sure?!" she snapped, not caring when confusion flashed in his amber eyes. "Please."

"A- alright."

As they padded through the snowy territory, Wildwind began.

"It was the darkest night I'd ever seen," he told her, staring at the horizon that was partially obscured by the snow-laden pines. "Suppose that's where your name came from. There was a storm that night too, black raindrops that pierced even the pines. It was right overhead as well, lightning striking the lake and everything. Wind howling, water crashing on the shore, some cats thought the world was ending."

Darkmoon held her breath. _Darkest night - lightning striking - wind howling - water crashing - world ending._ She felt something twinge, dark and deep inside her.

"Poppyseed, your mother, was giving birth, and every cat knew it was far too early." Wildwind's voice was heavy with old sorrow. "Lostbird - Lostpaw, that is, and Ashmask were working their tails off to try to make her pull through, but it wasn't enough. She was so tiny, and… _six_ kits, there was no hope."

His helpless voice made something shiver inside her, but she had to hear more.

"Four stillborns, and two tiny kits," Wildwind muttered, closing his eyes as memories washed over him. "There was you; could already tell you were going to make it. Little calico, mewling as loud as you please like you fighting the thunder to be heard. Fighter from the start. Then, Lionkit. She… she was so small and weak, I never thought she would make it through the night, much less grow into such a golden giant." He laughed softly. "Her pelt didn't even look golden when she was first born. More like brown and black. Like she became a different cat overnight. I guess it was luck."

Darkmoon frowned.

 _Luck indeed._

"But you didn't think she would…" she pushed, having to hear confirmation.

"No. I thought she would just pass in the night and that would be the end of that," Wildwind said, shrugging. "It's the strangest thing."

 _Strange indeed._ Something felt off to her. _Like she became a different cat overnight._

There was something she was missing, but she had a feeling Wildwind wouldn't be able to tell her what it was.

"Thanks," she muttered, unceremoniously turning on her heel and heading back to camp.

Far from easing the confused stress on her shoulders, the conversation had only tightened the uncomfortable feeling that there was something about Lionsun that she needed to find out, and quickly.

When she returned to the camp, the blue eyes staring out from medicine den told her that she might already know where the answers lay. But they weren't going to be given up so easily.

 _I don't need to be told, I'll figure it out myself,_ she decided. _Don't need Lostbird's stupid cryptic statements._

At least the world wasn't pulsing anymore.

…

"Every cat old enough to stay up through the night, gather to hear my words!" Ivystar called out to the Clan, rousing Darkmoon from where she had been pacing beside the warriors' den.

The whole Clan assembled briskly, every cat already knowing what the meeting was about and still interested in attending.

"As you all know, Mudpaw and Poolpaw have been training hard for the past five moons, and as their ceremony grows closer, it is time for an essential part of every ShadowClan apprentice's training," Ivystar announced ceremoniously, her eyes glinting with pride. "Although, before we do, there is something else I must do."

Darkmoon blinked, uncertain of where this was suddenly headed.

"Feathermist has announced that she is with kits and is no longer able to oversee the last moon of Mudpaw's apprenticeship," Ivystar announced. "Because of this, she will be reassigned to Lionsun until she has finished her apprenticeship."

"Lionsun!" Olivewolf began the cheer of course.

Darkmoon fantasized briefly about shredding him and his stupid mate. Her sister. Her _sister_.

"Any cat that wishes to participate in Mudpaw and Poolpaw's night training, meet by the edge of the lake at dusk."

Darkmoon took a deep breath.

…

She was the first one to the lakeshore.

The sun was barely touching the horizon. She had been too nervously excited to eat anything, and was abruptly regretting it as her stomach growled its protest. She paced the pebbly shore, waiting for some cat to arrive, or something, _anything_ to happen.

Darkmooon had been waiting for a while before something finally did.

About half the molten circle was past the horizon, and Mudpaw and Poolpaw finally appeared, sleekly groomed and hopping from paw to paw with anticipation.

"Wish it was you instead," Mudpaw said softly, touching noses with her best friend.

"Me too," Darkmoon agreed with a dry purr. "I'm sorry you'll have to deal with her for a moon."

"Hopefully less than that if Ivystar has any mercy at all," Mudpaw muttered, shaking her head. "Honestly, I'm terrified of this stupid training. What was yours like?"

Darkmoon frowned, trying to recall it. "Er… good. I think. Um, I kind of forget it actually."

Mudpaw laughed. "Seriously? Too much on your mind?"

"Something like that," Darkmoon muttered. "Thanks for putting up with me. You really helped."

Mudpaw blinked warmly. "Anything for you. You saved my life, least I owe you is to tell you to smarten up and deal with your problems like a warrior."

Darkmoon purred. "You'll do great."

Mudpaw grinned. "Here's hoping."

They waited as the setting sun lit the lake blazing red and about half of ShadowClan arrived next to them.

When Lionsun finally arrived - one of the last, Darkmoon noted irritably - the sun was fully below the horizon and twilight twinkled overhead.

"Warriors and apprentices of ShadowClan!" Ivystar began. "We are gathered here today to honour and test the two futures of our Clan, Mudpaw and Poolpaw!" Cheers rose, none louder than Darkmoon's. "Tonight's night training will be a race. We will begin at the lakeshore, and end in the camp. Ravenwing is already stationed at the green-leaf two-legs nest. He will be making sure that every cat gets there before returning to camp."

Murmurs broke out, and Mudpaw turned to Darkmoon, confused.

"Why are we racing? Isn't that more of a WindClan thing?"

"The night gives us energy to run faster than _any_ WindClan cat," Darkmoon said confidently. "You've felt it, haven't you? This is a test of how the night affects you. Rise to the challenge and you can do no wrong."

Emboldened by Darkmoon's words, Mudpaw gave a sharp nod and a hint of a smile, turning back to Ivystar as she did so.

"As the darkness falls over the territories, ShadowClan's true strength is revealed," the leader murmured, her voice thrumming with meaning. "And so it begins. On my mark."

The better part of ShadowClan lined up at the lake, and Darkmoon felt the water lap at her back paws.

"Get set."

Muscles tensed, smiles were exchanged.

" _Go_!" Ivystar's shout echoed over the dark pines, and the Clan snapped into action.

Mudpaw and Darkmoon began at the same time, matching each other stride for stride and feeling the shadows sink into their pelts, lighting a black flame of hidden energy.

Despite the adrenaline-fuelled charge, Darkmoon felt more at ease than she had in awhile. Mudpaw's paws thumped the ground rhythmically and they found a pace together; slower than many of their Clanmates, but instinctively knowing it was just right.

After a few minutes of breathless, blissful running, Darkmoon glanced over at the rest of the Clan.

Most of them were grinning, eyes blazing in the night, though there was a notable exception that sent a chill down Darkmoon's spine.

Lionsun was running, though something was strange about her strides. They weren't as long, fast, or confident as usual. She seemed to be holding back.

 _But… why? Usually she loves demonstrating how physically superior she is,_ some dark part of herself hissed bitterly.

Darkmoon watched her sister as they ran. She instinctively swerved around the pines that thickened as they made it further into the territories. Lionsun seemed oddly wild-eyed, the whites showing around them. _What's wrong with her?_

She half-expected a dry, cryptic response from Ripple, but he was silent.

Well, not only silent, but simply not there.

It was unsettling.

She hated to admit it, but she sort of missed him. He was something reassuringly constant in her life, though he was almost always completely annoying to the point of her wishing she could claw her own ears off.

Darkmoon jerked to the side suddenly, narrowly avoiding a tree that her strong night-vision had only revealed to her at the last second. _That was close. Thank StarClan for ShadowClan's night-vision, or that could have been-_

A loud _thud_ and a shriek of pain cut her off mid-thought.

 _Was that?!_

"Lionsun!" Her own cry ripped free of her throat, involuntary and instinctive.

She wheeled around, not caring if she drew attention to herself. "Lionsun, are you okay?!"

Her sister's form was barely visible in the darkness of the night.

"Darkmoon?" a choked whisper came from her sister. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine-"

The golden she-cat doubled over and threw up, a horrible gagging noise coming from her as she coughed raggedly, then collapsed, unconscious.

"Some cat, help!"

 **So I gave myself mild caffeine poisoning and had to get all the energy out somehow.**

 **Result? Two chapters in one day. I think I'll be okay now though.**

 **I don't really have a QOTC, just hope y'all are okay and I'm here to tell you five cups of coffee is A BAD FUCKING IDEA.**

 **Projected onto Darkmoon for a bit, which helped calm the total and utter devastation that's been raging in my brain for six hours. Hope it's done and good, and I can maybe sleep tonight.**

 **See you next week!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	83. Lightning: After the Storm

**Hello, hello, hello!  
Today, Akila has balanced hormones and a solid seven hours of sleep, so hopefully things will be a little tidier!**

 **RRs:  
An Unnamed Guest: Yeah, you figured it out there; there are two cats with stars for eyes. A she-cat and a tom; so far Darkmoon's 'met' the tom and Wavecrash's had a full conversation with the she-cat, whomst we have now learned goes by the name Lune.**

 **Wintergreen: Yeah, I dunno. I know I hit a lot of cliches in this fanfiction, but I love the over-the-top corniness that some lend themselves to. Hopefully there'll still be surprises later down the line! :P**

 **Oke! Lightningstorm's!**

Chapter 81.

As the final moon of leaf-bare drew to a close, Lightningstorm found herself the only cat in ThunderClan camp dreading it.

Though she would be the last to complain about missing out on empty bellies and green-cough, she felt like something, some part of herself, had been left behind in the long, snowy days. Perhaps it was part of her kithood, now soured by the betrayal and death of her… frenemy.

And yet she realized quickly it didn't matter; time would move on with or without her. All she could do now was learn to live with it.

Whenever Blackpool sent her out on patrol, which was admittedly rare, she found herself steering her Clanmates away from the route she'd taken on that walk with… _him._

Something about the crunch of the snow and the feeling of the slimy, fallen leaves underpaw… It was too familiar and too laden with awful, awful memories.

Whiteshadow did another of her heavy nose-exhales.

 _What,_ Lightningstorm muttered internally, fed up with Whiteshadow's morose sighing.

 _Oh, I'm just… Just thinking about the future and feeling sorry._

 _Sorry for who?_

 _Everyone,_ Whiteshadow said simply, sighing again. _Everything's about to go down the fox's den… I just hope you're strong enough to weather these storms._

 _I've made it through worse,_ Lightningstorm replied silently, her mind flicking back to the white explosion, his wild stare… she winced.

 _You're stronger than any cat I know,_ Whiteshadow agreed, honesty in her words, yet something still made Lightningstorm shift uneasily.

 _Then what? Why are you worried? I can handle it,_ she insisted.

Whiteshadow was silent, save for another sigh.

Lightningstorm's claws slid out irritably, but she took a deep breath and sheathed them again.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather to hear my words!" It was Blackpool, calling the Clan to attention.

 _Oh, Birdtail must've named her kits,_ Lightningstorm realized. _ThunderClan's really flourishing! Well… the kits are anyways. I hope we have enough warriors to train them all. Especially after Heatherclaw's litter, what were their names again…?_

 _Frostkit, Cypresskit, and Hailkit,_ Whiteshadow replied immediately.

Lightningstorm nodded to herself, picturing the white and black she-kit, the brown tabby, and the gray and white tom-kit. Most of the Clan had been lazing around the camp, sharing tongues as it was the midday break between patrols, and all of ThunderClan was assembled within moments.

"As many of you know or heard, Birdtail's kits came _early_ this morning," Blackpool joked, and there were a few groans of agreement from certain warriors unlucky enough to have nests right next to the nursery, "and she has had the opportunity since to rest and name her two she-kits and tom-kit."

Cheers rose from the Clan, many congratulations to Birdtail and couple general ones to the good health of ThunderClan.

"Without further ado," Blackpool teased. "Ashenkit, a gray she-kit with darker gray features, Bluekit, a gray tom with a white underbelly, and Skykit, a silver she-kit."

"Ashenkit! Bluekit! Skykit!" ThunderClan greeted their newest members with energy.

 _That makes…_ Lightningstorm screwed up her face, trying to figure out the total of kits. After a few moments of counting and recounting, concluded, _eleven kits. More once Redstar gives birth, which should be any day now. StarClan above._

Seeming to be thinking the same thing, Blackpool continued his announcement.

"Before every cat disappears, and before the nursery takes over ThunderClan, some kits in particular are six moons old and ready to be apprenticed!" Blackpool called cheerfully.

Lightningstorm's stomach abruptly went bottomless and it became very difficult to swallow.

 _Oh no no no… The litter, the cursed litter, they're really becoming…_ While she was still a fairly young warrior to receive an apprentice, it wasn't out of the question considering there weren't too many warriors to spare. _But Blackpool didn't talk to me personally about getting one, right? So that's a good sign…?_

But it wasn't a far stretch to assume that leadership without being deputy for long and having a pregnant mate on the verge of birth had pulled his attention away from other things enough that he hadn't decided to personally meet with every of the five mentors-to-be.

"Rainbowkit, Sweetkit, Pearlkit, Sunkit, and Cloudykit!" Blackpool called, each name feeling like a pawful of dirt being thrown into her grave.

Each of the five kits bounced up to the bottom of the high rock, their sleek, fluffy leaf-bare pelts shimmering in the pale sunlight. Lightningstorm felt mildly ill.

"First, Cloudykit," Blackpool began, giving a warm smile to the clutzy gray and white tom. "You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Cloudypaw. Your mentor will be Vixenleap. I hope she passes all she knows down to you."

Lightningstorm was feeling more than mildly ill.

Her sister, the exact same age as her and there of the same seniority, wore such a surprised expression that despite Lightningstorm's knowledge of the russet she-cat's excellent acting ability, the dark brown she-cat knew that her sister hadn't been warned by Blackpool.

"Vixenleap, you're ready to take on an apprentice. You received excellent training from Halfear, and have shown yourself to be resourceful and enthusiastic. You'll be Cloudypaw's mentor, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Cloudypaw."

With the ceremonious words, Lightningstorm's sister and half-brother touched noses and the rest of ThunderClan began to cheer for the newly apprenticed, who looked dazed and confused.

"Next, Sunkit," Blackpool continued, oblivious to the terror that his ex-apprentice was currently wrestling with. _Please StarClan, if you give me any of the cursed litter, let it be Sunkit,_ she pleaded silently.

 _I'm sorry,_ Whiteshadow said softly.

"You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sunpaw. Your mentor will be Mallowdrop." Blackpool's blue gaze landed on the gray and white tabby tom much to the distress of Lightningstorm's sinking feeling. "Mallowdrop, I hope you pass on all that Brownwing, may StarClan rest her soul, has taught you. You will be Sunpaw's mentor, and I hope that you pass all you know onto him."

Sunpaw flinched as Blackpool finished.

 _Didn't want Mallowdrop?_ Lightningstorm guessed, sighing heavily. _Yeah, I didn't want him to get Mallowdrop either…_

"Sunpaw! Sunpaw!"

As the cheers of welcome died down, Blackpool beckoned to the last three she-kits.

"Third, Sweetkit." Blackpool gave her an encouraging nod, and she scrambled up on the rock beside him. "You have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sweetpaw. Your mentor will be Daisytail. I hope Daisytail passes down all she knows to you. Daisytail, you received excellent training from Halfear, and you have shown yourself to be skilled, mature, and reliable. You will be the mentor of Sweetpaw and I hope you pass all you know down to her."

Pearlkit was shifting restlessly as she awaited her turn on the high rock, though Lightningstorm's golden gaze was affixed to Rainbowkit's form. _I know I'm going to end up mentoring her,_ she told herself, but it didn't quite feel real enough for her to try to brace herself. _I know it. StarClan has no mercy._

"Pearlkit!" Blackpool called to the fidgeting she-kit, who eagerly bounded up to the rock. "You have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Pearlpaw. Your mentor will be Oakpelt. I hope Oakpelt passes all he knows to you."

Lightningstorm glanced at Oakpelt, who appeared to be trying to catch the eye of Slatecloud and had to be given a little nudge from Rosefire to hurry up to where his apprentice and Blackpool were standing.

"Oakpelt, Owlclaw trained you well and I hope that you pass it all on to Pearlpaw," Blackpool told him briskly, and mentor and apprentice touched noses.

 _Here it comes,_ Lightningstorm thought, sighing heavily and getting to her paws.

"And last, Rainbowkit," Blackpool said, his smile looking a little forced after all this time of it being fixed in place. "You've reached six moons of age and it's time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Rainbowpaw. Your mentor will be Lightningstorm. I hope Lightningstorm will pass all she knows on to you."

Feeling slightly nauseous, she jumped up onto the high rock next to her ex-mentor. _Why me, why me, why me?_ she wailed internally, but met Rainbowpaw's eye coolly and kept as much of the malice out of her gaze as she could.

"Lightningstorm, you are ready to take on an apprentice." _Just not_ this _apprentice._ "I can vouch for you excellent training myself." _Hahaha, please don't do this to me._ "You have shown yourself to be fierce and resilient," _I'm going to resilient this smug little she-cat's face into the ground…_ "and I expect you to pass on all you know to Rainbowpaw."

Holding back the bile that was rising in her throat, Lightningstorm bent forwards and touched her nose lightly to Rainbowpaw's cold one.

Waiting with a fake smile as the rest of the Clan cheered Rainbowpaw's name, as quickly as she could without being impolite, she jumped off the high rock and glanced around hopefully for some task that she could occupy herself with to present itself.

None did.

 _StarClan whyyyy?_

She glanced back to see Rainbowpaw hanging back unsurely.

 _Why isn't she visiting her family? Isn't that what new apprentices do?_ she whined internally.

 _You know the answer to that,_ Whiteshadow reminded her softly.

 _But Leaffur's-_ Lightningstorm protested, but Whiteshadow cut her off.

 _Well, I really wish I didn't have to do this, but it seems that you've left me no choice._ Whiteshadow sighed heavily, and before Lightningstorm could make a snarky comment, continued with a sharp, rebuking tone. _Lightningstorm, these kits have lost as much as you and you're judging them for things they didn't do. Kits aren't born full of hate and evil, they_ learn _it. Kits learn kindness from those around them practicing it. They learn to be bitter and resentful when the cats closest to them_ are _bitter and resentful. Now before you ruin this poor she-cat's life, take your new apprentice on a tour of the territory._

Lightningstorm was briefly shocked into silence by the unequivocal dressing-down Whiteshadow had mercilessly forced her through.

"Uh- so Rainbowpaw, we're going to go see the territory," Lightningstorm stammered, awkwardly turning away from the fluffy calico.

"Great! I can't wait to get out of camp!" Rainbowpaw exclaimed, bouncing up beside her as though all she had been waiting for was Lightningstorm's cue. "Being a kit is frightfully boring. I don't know how every cat manages it, I almost clawed my own ears off."

 _Wanting to claw your own ears off? Can't imagine what that's like,_ Lightningstorm thought sourly, but the real bite behind the words had been taken away by Whiteshadow's accusations. _I guess I have to at least give her a chance._

"Leaffur told me all about the Sky Oak, and the abandoned Twoleg nest, and the greenleaf clearing!" Rainbowpaw chattered cheerfully, chattier than Lightningstorm had heard her in her previous visits to the nursery, which had admittedly been few. "The greenleaf clearing's the one where Ivypool, the Spy of Thunder predicted ShadowClan would attack, right? And that's how Firestar the Great-"

Lightningstorm tuned out her apprentice's eager blabbering, though she couldn't help a little smile. Didn't seem long ago at all that _she_ was an energetic, just-out-of-the-nursery apprentice.

They followed the Old Thunderpath to the mossy clearing where most apprentices trained. Where only a moon ago, Lightningstorm had been perfecting the last battle tactics with Blackpool. How things had changed…

"This is where we'll probably be spending most training sessions," Lightningstorm explained briskly. "For now, we're going to head to the border we share with the non-Clan territories."

"Can we do battle training later?!" Rainbowpaw demanded eagerly.

"We'll see."

…

Once Lightningstorm put aside her deep-set resentment towards the young she-cat, showing her ThunderClan's territory was surprising fun. Rainbowpaw would gasp and laugh at all the right moments, and was surprisingly strong considering she was only six moons old. Lightningstorm honestly thought she would have snapped and returned to camp alone if Rainbowpaw had started whining about being tired halfway into the tour.

"Can we do battle training _now_?" Rainbowpaw asked, none of her enthusiasm having waned over the half-day it took for Lightningstorm to show her approximately half the territory.

There was a heavy feeling in her chest that she abruptly realized was exhaustion, tugging on her paws, and side-eyed Rainbowpaw. _No cat would mind if I hunted quickly, I'm sure…?_

"Just hang on a heartbeat," Lightningstorm told her, and both she-cats stood in the leaf-bare forest, waiting. Soon, the sound of a vole scrabbling in the earth caught the older she-cat's attention.

She crept towards it, the practiced crouch pulling each limb into place naturally.

 _Crack._

The vole darted away.

Certain that she hadn't made any noise, Lightningstorm glanced back for the only other potential source.

Rainbowpaw's paw hung over a cracked stick guiltily.

 _Think before you act,_ Whiteshadow snapped immediately.

 _Now who's judging cats for things they haven't done yet?_ Lightningstorm retorted.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Your hunting crouch was just so good, and I wanted to- I'm sorry." Her apprentice's - _That's a weird thing to get used to,_ she observed offpawedly - blue eyes rounded in shame and a hint of fear.

 _She doesn't actually think I'd get angry, right?_ Lightningstorm thought, feeling a little guilty for inciting the worry and terror in such a young cat.

 _Based on every other interaction you've had with her? StarClan no, what an idea._ Whiteshadow's sarcasm couldn't go unnoticed by a blind, deaf, dead hedgehog.

"Don't worry, there's always more prey in the forest," Lightningstorm reassured her quickly, but privately thought, _Not in the middle of leaf-bare. She's lucky the hardest season is almost over._

 _She'll have plenty of time to get more used to not scaring off prey around her,_ Whiteshadow reminded her. _Twelve moons. She'll practically be an elder by then._

 _Right,_ Lightningstorm snorted, but felt a little bitter that Rainbowpaw would have an apprenticeship through the seasons of new-leaf and green-leaf, and whatever mistakes she made wouldn't have too much of an effect on the overall well-being of the Clan. _I had to scrape by through leaf-fall and leaf-bare. My actions had consequences._

 _Hers will too, just focus on mentoring right now and you can get out your built up anger later,_ Whiteshadow told her dryly.

Sighing, Lightningstorm gave Rainbowpaw another reassuring smile and ignored the protesting rumble of her own belly.

"Just stay still this time," she reminded her apprenticed, who nodded ashamedly.

She quickly located another piece of prey; a mouse this time, nosing around the base of a maple tree, and briskly pounced on it.

"Would you like a bite?" she offered, glancing hungrily at the prey.

"No, no, I'm fine," Rainbowpaw exclaimed. "That's amazing! Wow, Blackpool must have been a good mentor!"

 _Or maybe I'm just naturally talented,_ some irritated, egotistical part of her piped up, but she shushed it. "Yeah; a good mentor can turn a talented but directionless cat into ThunderClan's greatest warriors."

She'd heard Blackpool say that about Halfear, and figured it was the least she could do for Rainbowpaw to pass on a crumb or two of wisdom.

Rainbowpaw nodded solemnly, and Lightningstorm grinned tentatively.

"Let's go do some battle training!"

…

The first noise Lightningstorm heard when she got back to the ThunderClan camp with her panting apprentice in tow was the mewling of kits.

"Um…" she muttered out loud, cocking her head. "Is all that noise coming from just Birdtail's three? Oh StarClan, are all the kits awake?"

She was met by Dawnsplash, who was hurrying out of the nursery with soiled moss.

"Redstar's kits came!" the medicine cat informed her, muffled but cheery. "Two she-cats and two tom-kits, healthy as badgers!"

"And just as loud," Rainbowpaw mumbled to Lightningstorm, who purred in amused agreement. Rainbowpaw looked pleased.

"Get something from the fresh-kill pile, you've been working hard," she directed her apprentice, feeling a little thrill at finally being the one on the other side of the thing Blackpool had told her so many times. _That's right. I decide how hard you worked, and when you eat, and-_

 _Power-trip much?_ Whiteshadow teased.

 _Shush._

When Dawnplash returned from her moss-disposal mission, Lightningstorm stopped her before she re-entered the nursery.

"What- what are they like?" she asked awkwardly.

"See for yourself!" Dawnsplash invited cheerfully.

"Seriously?" Usually the medicine cat didn't let any cat visit new-born kits until the mother and father had at least decided names. Too small, too young, give them privacy, it was usually all the same reasoning.

"Redstar and Blackpool said you could be the first to meet them, after Owlclaw," Dawnsplash informed her. "And there he is now."

Lightningstorm's father padded out of the nursery, a smile on his face and a familiar glint of sorrowful pain in his yellow eyes. _I know why that's there,_ she thought privately.

"Go on!" Dawnsplash exclaimed obliviously.

Shaking off the reminiscence, she padded into the warm, milky nursery and stopped abruptly. All the space was taken up by the three nursing queens and Blackpool's awkward frame.

While her ex-mentor was a rather lithe, sleek cat, he didn't exactly fit in a small den already occupied by three she-cats and their kits.

"Blackpool, Redstar, congratulations," Lightningstorm mumbled, feeling rather out of place. "Did you name them yet?"

"In the grand tradition of naming our family's cats after their pelt colours, she'll be Silverkit," Blackpool told her, flicking a tiny gray-silver tabby.

Redstar purred affectionately, flicking her mate with her tail, then gestured to the miniature copy of Blackpool. "His name will be Sootkit. I already know he'll have blue eyes just like his father."

"He'll take care of his brother. This one'll be trouble, mark my words," Blackpool commented, tapping the other tom-kit gently with his tail, a brown and gray mottled tom. "Already a fierce little fighter. I think Stoatkit would suit him."

"Perfect," Redstar agreed. "And the last one… Blackpool, did you want to name her…"

"No," he muttered. "I'd like to leave the past where it is."

It took Lightningstorm a moment to puzzle that out. The kit they were talking about was the other she-kit, a dark brown one whose pelt was a warmer shade than her own with a lighter brown underbelly. _I think Redstar might've been talking about Brownwing…_

"There's no foul in honouring a family tree," Redstar said lightly.

"One day our family tree will be so broad that we'll start reusing names, but until then, she should be her own, unique self," Blackpool said decisively.

"Broad tree you say…" Redstar broke off, closing her eyes in thought. "What do you say to Acaciakit?"

"I like it!" her mate replied enthusiastically. "It's beautiful. Silverkit, Acaciakit, Sootkit, and Stoatkit."  
The pair looked down at their kits, love brimming in the two pairs of blue and green eyes, and Lightningstorm felt envy so strongly it almost took her breath away.

 _What I wouldn't do to someday stand where Redstar is now… The beloved leader of ThunderClan, my kits and mate by my side…_ she thought dreamily to herself.

 _I think the more important question is…_

 _What_ will _you do?_

Whiteshadow's reply echoed ominously in the silence that followed.

 **Bork bork, kind of a weird ending considering it was a fluffy and sweet chapter.**

 **Hope y'all hate Rainbowpaw** _ **less**_ **(and I mean, c'mon even Lightningstorm herself knew that she was going to be the Cursed Child's mentor LOL), though I do wish I had written things to allow for more Sunpaw, because honestly WRITER'S PET.**

 **As leaf-bare draws to a close in this set, hopefully our protags lives relax a bit-**

 **HAAH just kidding obviously I plan to screw them up beyond repair even more.**

 **Also, (though I don't think anyone wooouuld) don't get on my case about the Ivypool thing, Rainbowpaw's emotionally and physically intelligent. But not like…** _ **smart.**_

 **QOTC: Warrior names for Redstar and Blackpool's kittens? I already have ones picked out, but if anybody's suggestion blows me away, I may change it.**

 **ALSO, Skykit was an OC submitted by a reader just like you! So if you're on the fence about sending one in, I'll remind you that there's a form on my profile! (THOUGH REMEMBER: You have to PM it to me, not put it in a review. If you're a guest reviewer, then you can put it in a review but I'll copy it and delete it so that we all comply with ffn's rules and my story doesn't get reported) Tenks in advance!**

 **MWAH!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	84. Breeze: Doused Flames

**Good morning!**

 **RRs:**

 **Wintergreen: Oooh I like Sootmask.**

 **By the way! If you like looking at things visually (I'm sorry, this is the best I could do XD) I have a deviantart! There are currently two TEOA pieces and couple sketches of random cats (Though Aersolace says one looks like Paledawn) so go check it out!**

 **My username on there is just Akitsune-Lune, so it should be pretty easy to find.**

 **So, back to Breezeswirl's soap opera of a life!**

Chapter 82.

As the moon had progressed, Breezeswirl's headaches had steadily gotten worse until he only felt comfortable when he was asleep or out on the territory with Scarletfire.

The latter was more difficult to access regularly, as Breezeswirl knew his mate Paledawn didn't approve of his friendship with the russet she-cat, and would be even more protesting if he spent all his time with the ex-rogue.

It frustrated both sides of him to no end, knowing that he had to be careful of her view of him despite wishing he could just speak and spend time with any cat he liked, regardless of past history. One half of him, angry and unfamiliar, snapped at him at every opportunity with comments like, _She's pathetic, so pathetically clingy and weak, how dare she speak that way about Scarletfire-_

While the rest of him was simply miserable at being caught in a situation where he couldn't take solace when he needed it most.

 _Why would you even accept that hare-brained kit as a mate to_ you _?!_ the frustrated part demanded.

 _Because… Because of Lightningpaw! I don't want any cat suspecting that I'm interested in a cat from another Clan and that's why I'm not taking a mate; if every cat thinks I have a happy life and relationship, no cat will accuse me…_ he told himself, but he couldn't deny the note of doubt that pinged through him at the thought of the dark brown ThunderClan she-cat. He had barely thought about her in the past moon, all thoughts consumed with the pain of the headaches and the aching need for Scarletfire.

Was it really worth it to tiptoe around Paledawn just for the chance to avoid suspicion in being a little _too_ friendly with a cat from another Clan? _I just don't know anymore,_ he thought helplessly.

He stood again from his nest, knowing he wouldn't be lucky enough to find sleep _again_ that day and tried to take deep breaths to quiet the storm in his mind. Flattening his ears, he padded into the camp. Fighting the urge to pace, he directed his steps towards the nursery.

 _Maybe I can get out some of this energy productively,_ he thought hopefully.

As usual, Icestorm's kits barrelled out to attack him, with the exception of Rufflekit, who sat quietly by the entrance, lost in thought.

Breezeswirl winced as they clambered onto him and tried to look friendly, or at least not openly hostile. _Fluff-brained, useless pieces of-_ something hissed inside him, and he pressed it back.

Rufflekit's head suddenly jerked up and he stared with big, round amber eyes straight at Breezeswirl, expressionless, for a few heartbeats, then dropped his head back down to study the ground intently.

Unsettled, Breezeswirl shook the kits off and nudged them to stand in front of them.

"Have you been listening to your mother?" he asked teasingly.

Warblerkit made a face. "Mostly."

"That's a lie," Dandelionkit informed him with a giggle.

The silver and white tabby she-kit stuck her tongue out at her black and white patched sister. They wrestled for a moment, while Goldenkit looked on with a heavy sigh.

Breezeswirl took in with a bit of surprise how the kits were almost the same size as most of the warriors. He knew that _he_ had broader shoulders and a taller frame and couldn't really compare them to him, but if he looked at Dandelionkit in comparison to say, Swiftclaw, he knew it wouldn't be long before they were apprenticed.

 _Hopefully to me,_ he thought, then winced as a white flash tore through his mind.

 _Unbecoming; mere kits and apprentices, you Clans with your silly titles and formalities,_ something snapped.

An icy cold feeling swept through his fur, and he glanced back at the kits, fighting a lip-curling wave of disgust.

"Sorry kits, I'll play with you later, I have to go," he muttered, trying to hold the growl out of his voice. "I have- a thing- to um, do."

The explanation was mostly unnecessary, for only Goldenkit looked at him with disappointed, wide blue eyes. Warblerkit had pinned her sister, who was now wriggling and trying to knock the air out of the tabby with her back paws. Rufflekit was still absorbed with the dirt.

Breezeswirl whirled around and hurried forwards without even seeing what was in front of him.

And crashed right into Paledawn.

"Whoa, careful!" she teased, shaking her head.

His head pounded with pain as a tiny, shadowy part of him urged him to just shove past her and get out of camp and _for the love of everything go find Scarletfire_ -

"Ouch," he mumbled.

"Are you alright?" When he nodded, giving her the now-familiar look of _don't tell me to go to Morningpoppy, I'm_ fine _okay?!_ she smiled warmly, with altogether too much affection and _no don't think about that_ and said, "You're so good with kits. I hope we have some of our own one day."

He couldn't stop the shocked expression from crossing his face, which quickly morphed into disgust that he tried to hide as best he could.

"Mhm, I have to go," he mumbled, hurrying away from her confused face. _What?! What?! What?! NO!_

It felt like his stomach was full of worms, but he fought to keep his vision from blurring. White, white, white flashes, burning intensity, his head was going to explode-

"Breezeswirl?" a voice filtered into his tortured consciousness, and he snapped back to reality abruptly.

"Leopardheart?" he demanded, seeing the familiar golden, flecked pelt. _That's… about the last cat I expected to see right now…_

"What's wrong? You seem really… distracted," she said, cocking her head.

The words weren't too dissimilar to what Paledawn might say to him, and yet they didn't itch under his fur as much as they normally did when coming from the pale brown she-cat. When Leopardheart said them, they felt… warm and comforting. Familial.

"I _am_ , I've been having these awful headaches," he confessed, wincing as another white flash, albeit slightly less bright, lit his vision.

Suddenly, Leopardheart's expression changed from concerned to intrigued. "With white flashes that are worse during the day?"

Breezeswirl jolted. "Wait, do you-"

"Yeah! I thought I was the only one!" she exclaimed, hope lighting in her green eyes.

It reflected in his. "Misery buddies!"

She chuckled at that. "Have you figured out any way to help stop the- well, _it_?"

"The pain?" He shook his head miserably. "No. Actually, being around… certain cats… sometimes helps."

"Really? I've found that too! For whatever reason, Scarletfire-"

"No way, seriously?!" Breezeswirl was shocked. He had assumed that being around Scarletfire was only helping him because they were quite close friends, yet here was a cat who had no relationship to her other than being Clanmates feeling the same.

"Does she help you too?!" Leopardheart's eyes rounded. "That's so strange! I don't understand it at all. I hope it's not a plague. Do you think this is what blue-cough is?"

" _StarClan_ I hope not," he said, shuddering at the mention of the disease that had wiped out so much of the Clans.

"I haven't gone to Morningpoppy about it, so I wouldn't know," Leopardheart confessed.

"Scarletfire said that she'd had those headaches her whole life and she never found a cure," Breezeswirl replied helplessly. "So if it really _is_ that, then there might be no hope."

Leopardheart laughed miserably, rolling her head back in frustrated anguish. "Well I guess that's it then, hope I have better luck in the next life."

"Not every cat died from blue-cough, and we don't know for sure that that's what it is!" Breezeswirl snapped, unwilling to accept the idea that he might have been struck down by something as mouse-brained as a disease that was supposed to be gone.

"My father died of blue-cough; maybe it gets passed down from your ancestors. If all of the kits of cats with blue-cough die, then there'll be no more blue-cough. I guess I could help the Clans by dying," Leopardheart rambled.

"Who was your father?" Breezeswirl asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Sagebreeze, my mother Spottedstar told me about him," Leopardheart told him briskly, then cocked her head. "Why?"

The name was starkly familiar.

" _Unless it was Sagebreeze, but he and Oatpad weren't exactly friends, and I thought after he recovered from blue-cough he couldn't actually… have kits, but I suppose... You know, I always wondered..."_

Breezeswirl knew where, and more importantly, _from who,_ he'd heard the name before.

 _But… if Sagebreeze was Spottedstar's mate, then that means…_

The last hope at his father actually being a member of WindClan was rapidly extinguishing. He had always known, if he really thought about it. _Broad shoulders, slow runner, I'm not a real WindClan cat…_ But it had been at least a little comforting to think that there had been a _chance_.

"I… I need to go," he muttered, pushing past Leopardheart.

He ignored her confused expression, feeling a twinge of pain. _Well, that settles it. I'm half-Clan._

…

"Get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head."

There was a choked, pained whisper coming from somewhere in the heather.

Breezeswirl pricked his ears, trying to pinpoint the voice. It was Scarletfire's, he knew that much after only listening for a heartbeat, but she sounded so ragged, and scared, and…

"Scarletfire?" he called out.

He crept forwards, feeling worried and slightly afraid as he spotted the ragged lump of russet fur in the centre of the clearing, shivering. He called out her name again, seemingly to no avail.

Then she stirred.

There was a certain, unnamed pressure in his chest, like something was trying to burst out.

"Is… is that you?" Hope was in her hoarse voice. "Ripplesky?"

 _Who?_

"It's Breezeswirl," he corrected, confused. "And… who?"

She looked up at him, and his breath caught in his throat. Shadows were flickering across her pelt, dying it redder and redder until she looked like she was dripping with blood. Her eyes were wide, wild, and flickering star-white every few moments.

"Please," she mumbled, shaking. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I love you!"

He stared at her like she'd lost her mind. _Maybe she did._ Despite the shock, his main feeling overtaking his mind was deep concern. Scarletfire was _not_ acting like herself. And what was wrong with her appearance?

"I thought that she- if she- and you would-" she babble incoherently, choking off sobs. "She's gone, my own sister, my mother, my father, Pondfrost, Whiteshadow, Spiderfall, I'm _sorry_!"

"Who?" he mumbled, but there was a headache, blinding white, building behind his eyes and the pressure in his chest was increasing until he felt like he was going to burst.

 _Is she talking about the rogues? Why… but those are Clan names!_

"I just wanted you to see, and I know," she sobbed, burying her face in her paws. "I know I caused all that pain, but it was her, it was her, I didn't mean to! I love you!"

Breezeswirl had never felt so uncomfortable in his life.

"Scarletfire, try to take deep breaths, you're okay, everything's under control," he reassured her, not at all confident she could even hear him.

"You _don't_ have it under control!" she lashed, replying to an entirely different statement. "You've tried! It's all gone wrong! I don't- it's her! She's making me!"

"Who are you talking about?!" Breezeswirl demanded helplessly. "I want to help you."

Scarletfire had no reply, simply squeezed her eyes shut and shook.

Her eyelids were glowing faintly, as though there were suns behind them. Or stars.

"Flarespark's trying, she's trying, she'll succeed where we failed," Scarletfire murmured.

 _Another rogue?_ Breezeswirl wondered, but he was losing confidence by the heartbeat that this was actually Scarletfire talking. _Is this an effect of the headaches? Is she possessed? What in StarClan's name is happening here._

"She's so strong, my beautiful daughter, I know she can do it."

 _That's not Scarletfire._

The finality of the words shook him to his core. _But if that's not Scarletfire… then what is she?_

Breezeswirl felt rooted to the ground, but he forced his paws to move away from the shaking red she-cat.

"Scarletfire, I'm going to get you some help, okay? Just stay here!" he urged.

"No one can help me now," she murmured.

Breezeswirl prayed to StarClan that wasn't true.

…

When he ran into the camp, every cat was remarkably calm. _That's because no cat knows what's going on,_ some sensible part reasoned. That voice was getting quieter and quieter these days.

"Spottedstar! Morningpoppy!" he shouted raggedly, coughing from his sprint.

"Breezeswirl?" The normally calm and in-command presence of WindClan's leader did nothing to soothe Breezeswirl's current state of complete panic. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but Scarletfire- there's something really, _really_ wrong and you'd better get Morningpoppy fast!" he explained as quickly as he could, scanning the clearing for Morningpoppy when his eyes finally landed on the brown and cream she-cat, whose eyes were ringed with red, he was almost sobbing with panic.

"You'd better take Littleflame," Spottedstar said softly, giving Morningpoppy a sharp nod.

The little ginger and brown tom appeared moments later, and Breezeswirl tried vainly to catch his breath.

"Okay, no time to waste," he said, still wracked with coughs. "She's in one of the heather patches near the border with the twolegsplace."

Spottedstar's eyes narrowed. "Then we'd better bring a warrior escort. Paledawn!"

Breezeswirl fought the urge to claw his own face off. _She's going to be the_ least _helpful in this situation!_ But his mate was rushing over already and there was no time to protest.

"Lead us on Breezeswirl," Spottedstar ordered, and he nodded sharply, shaking his head to dispel the beginnings of another headache.

He headed the charge through WindClan territory, ignoring his screaming lungs, ignoring Paledawn behind him, ignoring the throbbing headache and the white flashes, his entire being focused on preventing whatever terrible thing was happening to Scarletfire.

He had barely even registered the storm, but as he ran he realized the wind was at his back and he was running faster than he ever had before.

The rain lashed.

Lightning flashed over ThunderClan territory.

His time was running out.

The patrol skidded to a halt in the heather patch where Breezeswirl had first found Scarletfire.

The _empty_ heather patch.

"Where is she?" Breezeswirl whispered out loud, his voice familiarly ragged. " _Scarletfire!_ "

His yowl went unanswered, and the whole patrol of Spottedstar, Breezeswirl, Littleflame, and Paledawn stood in the pouring rain for a few moments, before Paledawn spoke.

"Probably went back to the rogues."

 _How dare she how dare she how dare she how dare she-_

His mind was burning at the suggestion, and his claws slid out.

" _She's not a TRAITOR_!" On the last word, he barely stopped himself from leaping onto Paledawn, but it was unnecessary. A huge gust of wind whipped through the air and barrelled into Paledawn, so concentrated and aimed that it was like a sign from StarClan themselves.

The pale brown she-cat flattened her ears and screwed up her eyes, her tail streaming behind her, as the force of the wind pushed her back a few pawsteps, knocking her off balance.

"Scarletfire probably just-" Spottedstar said comfortingly, shooting Breezeswirl a warning glance, but he cut her off before she could finish.

"We have to find her!"

He shot out of the clearing, not caring if the rest of the patrol was following him.

 _I just have to find her, just have to be near her, just… please…_

As he ran, the gust of wind slamming across Paledawn kept running through his mind. A heated moment of anger directed at her, her suddenly being buffeted by a strange gust of air… There was something he was missing.

But what was most important right now was _Scarletfire._

The concern for her had driven him to complete panicked madness, the force of which terrified him. _I can't let her lose herself, I have to save her. I have to._

The storm was steadily worsening, the sky completely covered in black clouds, and rain was lashing down harder than ever. Yet the wind seemed to be pushing on at his back, spurring his pawsteps on faster than ever.

She was close. He could feel it.

Ever since the headaches, he could almost feel something connecting them, no matter how far across the moors she roamed. He knew instinctively.

By the lake.

His patrol wasn't following him. He didn't care. They weren't important. Nothing was important. _Find Scarletfire._

Thunder exploded overhead, but his pace only quickened until he was leaping across the moor, eating up the land in front of him with enormous strides, faith keeping him certain his steps would not fail.

 _Faster. Faster. Faster._

He was almost there, and the pressure in his chest was thrumming with promise. Something large, unnameable, and ancient was hanging in the air. He had a feeling he was close to finding out what.

 _Prepare yourself,_ the voice he'd been wrestling with for the past moon whispered with a chuckle. _She is startling. You'll adjust, and show no weakness. No matter what pretty words the rose uses, she is infinitely more dangerous than you could imagine._

He accepted the advice without questioning it, despite not having any idea if the voice was trustworthy, who it was talking about, or what he meant by _startling._

"Scarletfire!" he shouted into the pelting rain. There was no answer and he was almost at the lakeshore. "SCARLETFIRE!"

And then he was there, staring out across the lashing gray expanse of the lake, and there was absolutely no cat in sight. No Scarletfire. He had failed.

Fighting off a sob of frustration, he sank his claws into the peaty soil covered in pebbles.

 _Turn around._

He obeyed.

There was Scarletfire.

Though it wasn't Scarletfire at all, really.

Because though this she-cat had the same build, frame and dimension as the ex-rogue, her pelt was a thousand swirling colours, green and blue and orange and purple, brighter than he'd ever seen.

And her eyes were…

Bright

white

stars.

 _Not Scarletfire._

"Helixos really hasn't told you anything, I see," she muttered, a voice resounding with a thousand lifetimes to perfect the commanding, charismatic tone.

He stared.

"Hello Breezeswirl, my name is Lune. I believe we need to talk."

 **~Pondfrost**


	85. Wave: Vows and Vitriol

**Hola!  
Had a lot of stuff to deal with in the past week, school etc. but now that I've made it through, I can bring you some fresh TEOA!  
BY THE WAY: I have a deviantart where I post some pretty cool TEOA stuff if you wanna check it out, just go to deviantart and search for Akitsune-Lune!**

 **Also, have a look in my book of challenges, I'll be posting some TEOA vignettes.**

 **RRs:**

 **Wintergreen: Honestly can't blame you for wondering. But I promise things about to get a lot more complicated, but explained.**

 **Stormbreeze: Heheh.**

 **Alrighty!**

 **Wavecrash!**

Chapter 83.

"It didn't work."

Pikepaw sighed heavily as Wavecrash stormed into the medicine den.

"I need something stronger," he insisted.

Pikepaw shook his head pityingly, and Wavecrash fought off a snarl. "I've given you everything I can think of. This might just be a passing sickness. Sometimes _too_ many poppy seeds can cause headaches."

Wavecrash curled his lip. "Then explain why I had headaches before I even touched a poppy seed!"

"I can't." The tom shrugged. "There's nothing to be done, I'm sorry. Have you considered that it might be a sign?"

"It's not a _sign_ , it's a headache, fish-brain," he snapped, then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I don't think it's a sign; if it was, it would've gone to you or Sheepbelly, not _me_."

Pikepaw blinked serenely. "StarClan's ways are mysterious."

Fed up, Wavecrash whirled around and stomped out of the den. _Stupid tom doesn't know what he's talking about, I'll just- I don't-_

He ripped up the peaty soil underpaw, the turmoil in his mind as painful as ever.

 _Have you considered jumping in the lake?_ Pondfrost deadpanned.

 _Oh thank you ever so much,_ he snapped silently. _Really helpful stuff you got there._

 _Seriously. The water might help,_ she coaxed.

 _What are you talking about? The_ lake _?!_ He rolled his eyes.

 _Remember what Lune said. You're still afraid of water,_ she reminded him.

 _So what?! Just because I'm not the most comfortable in water, doesn't mean-_

 _You need to be._ Her voice had taken on an oddly familiar quality of persuasion that reminded Wavecrash of the same creature that Pondfrost had warned him about time and time again.

 _Are you…_ he began slowly, nervously.

 _Am I what?_

 _Nevermind._

…

He made it to the lake almost strangely quickly. It was as though his mind had shut off during the journey and it was only when the icy gray water lapped his paws that he took note of his surroundings.

When he looked down, he realized that Pondfrost was right as the familiar stab of worry brushed his mind. _It's going to pull me under, I'm going to drown, no one will find my body-_

 _Calm down, it's water,_ she snapped.

He shook his pelt out, embarrassed, and stared out onto the lake. His breathing gradually slowed in time with the waves, as they calmed to match his focused breaths.

 _There._

 _Oh_ well _done, you didn't have a panic attack as you looked at_ water _._ Her tone dripped with sarcasm.

Ignoring her, he looked out at the wide expanse of the lake. It was peaceful, though he could clearly see blackened stormclouds advancing on the sky overhead. _Looks like it's going to be a bad one. The Gathering's tonight, what if the moon gets blocked?_

Pondfrost sounded like her breath suddenly caught in her throat. _That is the_ least _of your problems right now. Lune above, we might actually all be dead._

 _Sorry what?_

Pondfrost screamed.

Wavecrash's headeache slammed down on his mind like rock-hard jaws closing around his head and he howled in pain as well, his voice mingling with Pondfrost's silent one.

But…

It wasn't so silent anymore.

Her voice rose above his, the anguished shriek building and echoing in the world around him.

The _real_ world.

 _I can hear her,_ he realized faintly, though it was low on his list of priorities as a fresh wave of agony ripped through him.

"Hah, hah." His pants were all he could manage out of his ragged throat. "Please."

Pondfrost's voice cut out.

Silence reigned once more, and he honestly had no idea if it had happened or a brief burst of hallucination had brought on the screams. But there was a low, burning pain building in his stomach, like something was dragging him into the earth.

 _What's happening?_ Panic began to grip him as his breathing sped up and he was struck with the instinct to flee.

"Pondfrost?" he called out loud, a tremor running through his paws. The lake was picking up, the lashes of water against the shore more frequent and stronger. The storm was coming.

 _She's coming,_ Pondfrost whispered, her voice getting stronger as she spoke, sheer panic choking her tone. _Wavecrash, Wavecrash, she's coming, oh dear StarClan above have mercy, we can't- she's coming!_

But the world was silent once more. It was the silence before an earth-shaking storm, but it was silence.

 _I think it's okay,_ he ventured cautiously.

 _IT IS NOT-_ Pondfrost choked on her own furious scream and breathed out slowly. _Okay. Okay, you know what? I warned you. Good luck._

And then her presence vanished from his mind.

He shrugged helplessly to himself, frustrated with the incomprehensible situation. _What is happening? Why- why did…_

He shook his head exhaustedly and turned away from the lake, where the lashing waves had gradually slowed until they were lapping at the shore as placidly as ever. As though nothing had ever happened.

But something was changing; he could feel it in the air, as tangible as heat or dust.

As the lake faded into the sparse undergrowth of RiverClan territory, he was almost at the camp when another scent caught his attention. Cinnamonheart's unmistakable pelt flashed between the reeds, coming from the direction he had come; by the lake.

Squinting into the reeds, he realized she was headed towards him.

"Cinnamonheart!" he called out in greeting, feeling oddly relieved that it was her and not any of their other Clanmates.

"Wavecrash?" Her tone held an odd note of almost-guilt, but it was quickly replaced with what he already recognized to be feigned surprise.

"Where did you come from?" he asked lightly, but from the scent of two-legs that clung to her thick pelt, he could probably guess.

"Oh, you know, here and there," she replied evasively, glancing around with a hint of nerves like she was worried he would press.

"I know." His eyes narrowed. Had she forgotten that he knew, or was there something _else_ she was covering up. The idea that more lies were being spun by the russet she-cat made him want to bash his head on the dirt.

She seemed to realize that he was waiting for more of an explanation and sighed. "I'm not exactly used to trusting other cats."

He merely cocked an eyebrow.

"Alright! Don't look at me… like that…" she exclaimed, looking ruffled. "I… like I told you, Willy's expecting updates. So I've been feeding him… _semi_ -true information."

"Like?" he asked, trying to fend off the judgemental twist to his expression.

"You know, like there are new kits, and the deputy's probably going to change soon, stuff like that."

Wavecrash felt a little chill down his spine at the idea that Willy was interested in the kits of RiverClan. _I know he's a vile, despicable cat at least. There's no telling what he plans on doing with that information._ Knowing that Willy had stolen Acornkit made his claws slide out protectively on behalf of Poolfur and Flowerpelt's litters. _If any cat touched a whisker on them…_

"And lies?" he pressed, pushing away the thoughts of Willy and kits to worry over another time.

"Well, some," she said delicately.

His eyes narrowed.

"Alright, alright! Look, I try not to lie," she confessed, a gleam of fear in her golden eyes. "Willy has spies… everywhere. There's no telling who might expose me for lying."

"In RiverClan?" Wavecrash demanded, his claws unsheathing once more.

"Maybe!" Cinnamonheart snapped. "I don't know! And I don't want the way that I find out to be being assassinated in the middle of the night!"

With great difficulty, he reined in his anger at the idea that there was a cat who would betray a Clanmate to that kind of scum. As soon as his mind cleared, he thought of something else.

"Is that why…" He mulled his words over, looking for the correct phrasing as Cinnamonheart's face changed into displeased worry. "Is that why you looked so worried when Shadedapple and Goldentail arrived?"

Cinnamonheart's expression twisted in brief confusion, then replied, "No… that was because I thought they would undermine the trust I was building in the Clan."

"Undermine how?" He cocked his head. _More secrets?_

She glanced off into the pale winter sunset. "Well, Shade's ear didn't get nicked on a stray piece of glass, I'll tell you that much."  
"Who's Shade? And what's glass?" He frowned. _She could talk like a normal cat, but I guess that wouldn't work for her enigmatic and scary mystique._

"Willy has a seething hatred for everything to do with the Clans and refused to call them Shadedapple and Goldentail," she explained. "And glass is like… um, not cold ice that two-legs use to put tasty or deadly things in. It's sharp."

He blinked. "Okay… but, going back to Shadedapple…"

"Right; her parents were Clan cats so Willy wanted to prove that he could do whatever he wanted, and uh, asked me to scar one of them." Cinnamonheart's face was almost defiant, as thought she was daring him to tell her that it made her a bad cat for following orders. "I ripped her ear and we never saw their family again."

She swallowed hard.

"What aren't you telling me?"  
"Scarlet killed their parents."

It was his turn to swallow hard.

"So…"

"So I half-expected them to try to kill me on sight," she mumbled, and shook her head, blinking hard.

"Well, they didn't," he supplied.

"Yes, I got that," she snapped back. "Look. This is _not_ the point. They're not the spies, alright? Willy would never go near them unless it was to kill them, and even then, he didn't do the killing."

 _You did._

"But you think that some _other_ Clan cat is the one he deigned to go near and recruit as a spy!" Wavecrash snapped, frustrated by her logic.

"Well, maybe not all of your Clanmates are who you think they are!" Cinnamonheart shot back.

"I trust every single one of my Clanmates with my life!" he snarled, hackles raising at her implication.

"Not all of them."

"Every. Single. One."

"Not me."

"I would fight off all of the order of the rust nights if I thought it could save you from Willy!" he spat, furious that she would assume he didn't trust her. "If… if _I_ could save you."

Cinnamonheart stared at him like she had never seen him in her life.

"You would lose," she mumbled, looking away as though to dismiss what had just passed between them.

Feeling already over-the-line and recklessly going further, he muttered, "I'd try anyways."

"You'd die for me?" Her eyebrows raised doubtfully.

"I'd die for any of my Clanmates," he stated, but a moment after it was out he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Or it wasn't what she wanted to hear, at least.

"I know," she mumbled, looking away again.

"What, you want a declaration of eternal devotion?" he snapped, taking a step towards, fed-up with this little routine of taking tiny steps forwards and then dodging away again the moment they were getting anywhere.

"No! I don't know, maybe?!" she spat back, golden eyes glass-sharp and pained. "Grr! Everything would just be so much easier if you fogged!"

"Fogged?" he repeated. _I'm starting to think she_ likes _that I never know what she's talking about! What, does she enjoy holding knowledge out of reach of other cats?!_

"You know… mellowed. It's hard to deal with you when you go straight to a hundred every two heartbeats," she hissed.

"Yeah well, it's hard to deal with you when you don't give a straight answer, which is, oh right, _always_!" he shouted back.

"You think you're entitled to my whole life story?! I've more to deal with than you could _ever_ understand!"

"How do you know that?! You just assume that I'm some sheltered kit and I've never faced hardship, and I have to tiptoe around you so I don't hurt your precious feelings! Grow a thicker coat, 'cause leaf-bare's coming!"

He whipped around, reading to leave, the blazing fire of anger and passion threatening to consume him and throw him off into a cliff of emotions for the rogue that he didn't want to deal with right now.

"Wait."

Freezing, he glanced back at her.

"I'm sorry. I know you're not the one I need to apologize to most, but… it's a start, I guess," she muttered, golden eyes brightly defiant, though vulnerability glittered beneath. "I know… I know it's been hard for you, knowing that I'm practically a traitor and there's nothing you can do about it."

"You're not a traitor!" he protested, and at her scornful epxression ameliorated, "At least, you're not trying to be. You'd do the right thing if you had a choice. I know sometimes you _don't_ have a choice."

She let out a dry chuckle, but there was no humour in it. "At least you're not going to go all sanctimonious 'there's always a choice!'"

"Self-sacrificial heroes only exist in elders' tales," he replied drearily.

"And yet here you are, promising to fight an army to try to save me. Or were you kidding?" she dared, eyes flashing.

"No, I would still do it, but I can't help you with tooth and claw," he answered, frustrated at the helplessness of her situation.

She nodded, resigned to the reality of the mess. "It's not usually as easy as 'hit it harder'."

"That's the truth," he responded, a bitter laugh crackling out of him. "What if you just disappeared? Ran off, never came back?"

"He'd find me," she told him, sighing. "He'd find me instantly. There's nowhere to go; almost all of the Clans are surrounded by two-legs places and every single one of them knows me. If he sent out orders for me to be killed on sight, I'd be gone within a moon."

"But if…" He furrowed his brow.

"You won't think of anything that I haven't thought of a hundred times," she told him simply. "There's no way out. I have to just hope he gets sick and dies or something."

"Freak accident of nature?" he suggested. "Natural causes, perhaps? Maybe he takes a walk down to the lake and is never heard from again."

"You're kidding, but it's something I've always wondered about," she told him with a dry laugh. "I could use a partner in crime. We lure him down to the lake and drown him, how about it?"

He cocked his head. "Well, what's your fault in that plan?"

She shook her head sadly. "If Willy disappeared while he was supposed to be meeting with me, Sparx'd know that it had something to do with me."

"No trust in their supposed spy?" he asked, surprised. "If a leader or deputy died, I certainly hope the Clan's first assumption wouldn't be that one of their own killed them."

"Fear and loss do strange things to the mind… But Sparx knows, or at least thinks, that I'd seize any chance to be rid of TORN and Willy forever. Assassination is synonymous with the sisters of blood and rust in the two-legs place," she told him.

"No hope then, huh?" he said, sighing.

"Well, if you can kill Sparx, then Embyr, then whoever comes to avenge him after that, then we'll be in the clear," she said sardonically.

"If we killed them first?" he suggested, trying to think up some way out of this seemingly impossible trap.

"Then Willy would be on his guard," Cinnamoneheart filled in, shrugging. "There's no way out."

The beginnings of an idea were starting to burgeon in his mind when a earth-shaking wave of pain shook his mind, so sharp he cried out.

So did Cinnamonheart.

"Did you feel that?" she demanded, a waver in her voice as though she was trying to fight off a whimper.

"Did _you_?" he replied incredulously. "I've been having these weird headaches…"

"Me too! I thought I was the only one!" she exclaimed.

There was a brief respite from the pain as commiseration lifted the agony before a fresh round of pain began.

"More poppy seeds," he grunted, wincing and ducking his head as though he could escape it that way.

"Good plan," she replied, voice hitching on the pain.

Together, they hobbled quickly back to camp and scanned the clearing for Sheepbelly or Pikepaw, though neither produced themselves. Wavecrash took a step towards the medicine den with the intent of harassing them for more poppy seeds.

The entire world was drained of colour.

Wavecrash froze like a rabbit in a hunter's sights, shocked by the sudden shift in the world around him. _Is this a dream?_ But he was still perfectly aware, none of the confused fogginess that covered him in a dream.

"Cinnamonheart?" he called out, but his voice sounded like it was coming from underwater.

"Wavecrash? What just happened? Where… where did the colour go?" The now-gray and darker gray long-furred she-cat glanced around in confused panic. She glanced at him, and he saw that her golden eyes were pale gray.

"You're… gray," he remarked, oddly calm.

"You're still silver; suppose it wouldn't show up," she noted, then immediately switched back into panic. "And why isn't any cat moving?!"

He glanced around and realized she was right. Seednose had been walking out of camp, leading a patrol of Shadedapple, Flameleaf, and Briarhoney, but they had all gone different shades of gray and froze.

"Wavecrash!" Some cat's voice sing-songed. It was low and accented with the precise RiverClan tone. _Pondfrost._

He glanced back towards the centre of camp, where Pondfrost sat, sunning herself in the gray sunshine. Her pelt of gray, darker gray, and silver showed the same colour as they always had been, though the patches seemed like they were almost rippling.

Her eyes.

He inhaled sharply.

Bright white.

Somehow he knew that it wasn't a product of the gray-scale world, as her dark green eyes should be gray by all accounts.

But they weren't.

They were star-light white.

Pondfrost's white gaze flicked to Cinnamonheart then back to him with an ethereal laugh. "Forgot she existed."

She flicked her tail, and Cinnamonheart's gray form went still.

"Alright Wavecrash. You want answers? It's time. Listen up."

 **~Pondfrost**


	86. Dark: Questionable Coping

**Whew! It's been a crazy week for me, but things have once again settled down, so here we are.**

 **Any readers from Ontario, I hope you're all writing letters to Doug Ford about how terrible this sex-ed plan is! Teach love, not hate, don't go back to '98! Also hope the tornado missed y'all! We lost power for a bit there. (Yup, it's been a whack week in my province)**

 **Annnnyways, this is the last of the HELLA cliffhangers chapters, and next we move forth into finding out WHAAAT IS GOING ON?!**

Chapter 84.

It had been the better part of a moon since Lionsun's fateful crash into the tree.

Darkmoon's sister had been confined to the medicine den under the diagnosis of concussion, and was only allowed visitors for a very short period of time each day. None of those visitors had Darkmoon.

Silverpuddle's kits had come a few days ago, two healthy toms and a she-kit with the names Flightkit, Newtkit, and Brownkit.

The nursery had been filling up quickly, no thanks to the fact that Feathermist's kits were also coming within the next few days, according to Ashmask. Other than Feathermist, Darkmoon despised the entire bramble bush of cheerful mothers.

There was something about nursing queens that set her teeth on edge, made a growl rumbled in her throat, let her claws slide out. Perhaps the trauma of her own birth. Maybe just her habit of begrudging others their happiness.

 _At least you're self-aware,_ Ripple muttered.

 _This conversation is familiar,_ she shot back. _Going senile in your old age?_

 _Mm, it's not old age,_ he replied, sounding slightly pained.

Whatever it _was_ , it had been making him act very strange. He would periodically growl for no reason, or rave about the end of the Clans, though she was rather used to both and attributed his bouts of madness to nothing more than ordinary Ripple behaviour.

Darkmoon was sitting in camp staring at the ground as the dawn crept in on feather-light paws, watching the snow melt ever-so-slowly. A wail of pain erupted from the medicine den. _Ugh, can't she just leave us in peace?_ Darkmoon wondered bitterly, then immediately admonished herself for being frustrated at her sister's ostensibly white-hot pain.

 _I guess my being inconvenienced pales in comparison to her pain… but really, how long is it going to take to heal? This far in, and she's still screaming like something's tearing her apart?_

Darkmoon winced as her sister screeched bloody murder again.

 _At this rate, she's going to wake the whole camp up._

"Morning, Darkmoon," Robinwood greeted her, yawning as he stretched in the weak sunlight. "Is… she alright?"

"What does it sound like?" Darkmoon snapped back, then shook her head. "Sorry. Just… tired of her yowling. Shouldn't she be doing better by now? It's been almost a moon!"

"Right you are," he agreed, sounding exhausted. "Woke me up early again."

She faked a weak smile of commiseration. _I like being up early. That is, when it's quiet._

As if cued, Lionsun shrieked again.

" _What_ in StarClan's name is wrong with her?!" she suddenly snapped, then took a deep breath and stormed across the camp, not in the mood for Robinwood's self-pitying monologues today.

Her sister's next wail was muffled, presumably by the moss that some enterprising medicine cat had shoved in her mouth. Darkmoon sighed. _I know what happened the last time I charged out of camp on my own, but surely we're past the worst of leaf-bare and I won't freeze to death on a solo hunting mission? I don't know how much more I can take._

 _Three more screams before you snap,_ Ripple informed her, then as the tree boughs shook once more as Lionsun howled, he added, _that is, two._

Having had enough, Darkmoon decided freezing to death was sounding more appealing by the heartbeat. Storming out of the ShadowClan camp, she flattened her ears as Lionsun's whine began to rise above the treetops.

She seemed to not have been the only one who couldn't stand the noise as she glimpsed a familiar gray tom through the trees.

"Olivewolf?" Her voice quirked up in surprise. _Of all the cats, I'd think he'd be the one who could stand it the longest. He seems to be impervious to… everything._

"Darkmoon? What are you… Couldn't take it either?" he guessed, sighing.

"I'm not in the habit of enjoying the pained screams of others," she told him dryly.

 _It's an acquired taste,_ Ripple informed her.

"'Specially not your sister, I guess," he mumbled, studying his paws. "Me neither. Well, my mate I mean. Kind of weird. My mate. Never thought…"

"Didn't think you were good enough for the beautiful StarClanner that descended to the Clans to bless us all with her radiant presence?" Darkmoon spat, her venomous tone surprising even herself.

Rather than be offended by her malicious mockery, he merely huffed a laugh. "Pretty much. Guess she can't be perfect at everything."

"She certainly seems to try," Darkmoon pursued, curious how far her mate would defend her.

"Some things you're either born with or you're not," Olivewolf said mysteriously.

"How do you figure?" Her brow furrowed. _What, is she really bad at mating?_

 _WOW, you're nasty,_ Ripple exclaimed. _StarClan above, self-worth issues much?_

"You didn't notice?" The gray tom's brow furrowed as well. "Her night-vision. It's practically worthless. Why do you think not a single other cat in the Clan even _grazed_ a tree?"

Darkmoon blinked. _That… actually makes a lot of sense._

"I almost hit it," she pointed out. "Maybe bad night-vision runs in our family."

"It's possible," Olivewolf shrugged. "If so, you definitely got the better descendancy. Yours might not be perfect, but she's practically blind."

"She's also not as energized by the night, have you noticed that?" she said slowly. "I don't have the same problem."

"You two are like night and day," Olivewolf pointed out. "Or the sun and the moon as the case may be. Guess Ivystar noticed it too."

 _Ironic that you're the moon in this metaphor and yet here I am,_ Ripple said sardonically.

 _What?_

"No cat would think we were related, or littermates for that matter," she agreed, and felt a familiar chill on her back as Wildwind's words returned to her. _Like she became a different cat overnight._ "I mean, it would explain a lot."

"Doesn't make sense though; whose kit would she be? I mean, she's amazing, but I wouldn't bet a mouse-tail that she's _actually_ a gift from StarClan," Olivewolf countered, shutting down their theorizing. "She is your sister, she's just got a _very_ interesting combination of traits."

"There's another possibility," Darkmoon said slowly. "Have you ever noticed that Lionsun seems… older?"

"Well, she definitely grew faster, but that can be easily explained by the other perplexing combination of traits," Olivewolf said, shrugging.

 _Except…_ Fighting off an embarrassed waver, she told him boldly, "She had her first heat when were four moons old, and mine only came a couple moons into my _apprenticeship_. Lostbird told me at the time that it was normal for premature kits to get their heats later, but if Lionsun's my littermate, then that's completely illogical, not to mention that she got hers particularly early…"

His initial embarrassment at her unabashed examination of their bodies' timelines faded as he frowned, deep in thought. "Well, it still varies from she-cat to she-cat, right?"

"It's supposed to run in families," she countered. "Now hear me out. This might be totally crazy."

"And the rest of this conversation hasn't been?" he asked dryly, but shrugged. "Let's hear it."

"I think she was born a couple moons before me, and then the queen that gave birth died, so instead of letting Lionkit grow up as an orphan, Ivystar told every cat that she was my sister," Darkmoon proposed.

Olivewolf's eyebrows rose slowly, but after a moment he shook his head.

"That makes no sense. How would every cat just _not_ have noticed that Lionkit was born?" Olivewolf explained. "If it was a ShadowClan queen…"

Darkmoon nodded, sighing. "I guess you're right."

"But wait…" Olivewolf's eyes widened slowly, and he looked sickened. "If…"

 _If it_ wasn't _a ShadowClan queen._

The proposition hung unanswered between them, and neither was willing to state it aloud.

 _Her poor nightvision, her odd physical abilities, her strange maturity despite being ostensibly the same age as the rest of us, 'like she became a different cat overnight', her rush out of Lostbird's den, 'it's not your truth to know'..._

Olivewolf and Darkmoon shared a panicked look.

"That's… mouse-brained, right?" she muttered, unnerved.

"Can't be. We're just blowing everything out of proportion," Olivewolf agreed nervously.

 _She's my sister!_

 _Lostbird flinched._

But more and more was returning to her, buried, seemingly insignificant memories were rising, forming an image that Darkmoon was rapidly realizing may have been the truth all along.

Feeling like she was the one about to vomit and pass out, she turned and ran back to camp.

…

As she made her way back into the camp, she had managed to calm herself down enough that she no longer felt like she was hyperventilating. _I'm just imagining things. I'm just imagining things. There's no big conspiracy. I'm just imagining things._

The sound that alerted her to her arrival in the ShadowClan camp was not Lionsun's wailing, but rather the sound of uncontrollable laughing from her ex-mentor Wildwind.

Perplexed, she padded into the camp and saw the mottled brown tom doubled over and nearly crying with the force of his laughter.

"Uh, Wildwind?" she called to him flatly. "Are you alright…?"

"Oh, oh StarClan," Wildwind wheezed.

Darkmoon blinked. His inscrutable predicament was a welcome distraction, and she couldn't help a little chuckle of her own at his explosive laughter.

A moment later, Patchy emerged from the nursery carrying Firekit on his shoulders, who was kneading his spine insistently.

"Mama, let's play a game!" she squeaked eagerly, setting Wildwind off again.

Darkmoon's brow furrowed in confusion and she glanced around for Shiningsnow, then it dawned on her.

 _She means Patchy._

A surprised yelp of laughter shot from her, and Wildwind's laughing fit made a lot more sense.

She shook her head, still snorting as Patchy and Firekit made their way across the camp, the old rogue limping almost imperceptibly. _Glad he's bonding with her, but that seems… a little much…_

Alerted by Wildwind's howls of hysterics, Lostbird appeared next to him, cocking her head.

"Are you… alright?" Even the prim ginger she-cat couldn't help a chuckle at Wildwind's choking purrs.

"StarClan!" he exclaimed, wiping a tear from his eye with his tail, then glancing at her. "Oh yes, perfectly fine. It's just…" He fought off another round of laughter. "Firekit's decided to call Patchy 'Mama' and neither me nor 'Shiny' can figure out why…"

Lostbird purred, then shook her head. "Don't worry, she'll probably grow out of it and not even remember. The first two moons don't tend to stick in kits' memories."

A vice closed around Darkmoon's stomach at the she-cat's words. Whatever distraction Wildwind had caused her, it was gone now.

 _The first two moons…_

Feeling short of breath, Darkmoon hurried away from Wildwind and Lostbird, vainly trying to latch back onto her certainty that her previous theory was madness.

 _Look, it's totally implausible anyways. What cat from another Clan would willingly give up_ one _kit to_ ShadowClan _?! That makes no sense!_ she reassured herself.

 _Cats will do almost anything if you back them into a corner,_ Ripple said softly.

 _What are you trying to say?!_

Silence.

Darkmoon shook her head, taking slow, deep breaths until the world stopped spinning.

…

"All cats old enough to stay up through the night, gather beneath the hazel branch for a Clan meeting!" Ivystar called, bounding to the top of the branch in question.

 _Can it be?_ In the wild rush of all that had been put into question, Darkmoon had completely forgotten about Mudpaw and Poolpaw's ceremony. _Their night training was almost a moon ago, and if Foxwhisker and Ravenwing gave them their assessments in the past few days… Duskpaw's finally going to be a warrior!_

An excited thrill jumped through her, followed by shame. _Should I have talked to Ivystar about letting her change her name? But… Duskpaw wouldn't want me interfering, would she? I mean… maybe she secretly did want me to and I-_

 _Would you shut up?! Helixos's mercy!_ Ripple snapped. _You're going to give a headache with all this whining!_

 _Who?_

"Mudpaw and Poolpaw!" Ivystar beckoned. "Foxwhisker and Feathermist, in your joint mentorship of Mudpaw, do you believe that she is deserving of a full warrior name?"  
 _She didn't even mention Lionsun,_ Darkmoon thought surprised.

 _Lionsun didn't even train Mudpaw for a day,_ Ripple retorted. _Did you expect Ivystar to recognize her for nothing?_

 _I mean… yeah, isn't that what she always does?_ Darkmoon shot back irritably.

 _She shows Lionsun favoritism because Lionsun is stronger and smarter than most of the cats in ShadowClan, because Ivystar wishes she had kits, and because she feels bad that…_ Ripple trailed off. _There's reasoning; it's not just the world hating you, you pathetically self-hating worm._

The venom in his words took Darkmoon so far aback she nearly fell into the lake. What _is_ wrong _with you?_

There was no answer.

"Then I, Ivystar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice." Ripple's violent reaction had caused her to entirely miss Foxwhisker and Feathermist's responses, and Ivystar swept on undeterred by Darkmoon's silent argument with a possibly non-existent tom. "She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.

"Mudpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Mudpaw looked unfazed by the name and nodded sharply, determination gleaming in her leaf-green eyes. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Mudpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Mudblaze. StarClan honors your drive and passion, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

 _Mudblaze._ Something felt like it was sealed away, inaccessible now that the opportunity had passed. _It should be Duskblaze. I should have said something. It's too late,_ she thought morosely, looking down at her paws.

"Mudblaze! Mudblaze!"

"Duskblaze," she mumbled to herself, then looked up and saw that Mudblaze was urgently staring at her. Darkmoon gave her the most reassuring smile she could and the brown tabby seemed to ease slightly.

"Ravenwing, has Poolpaw learned all she'll need as a full warrior of ShadowClan?" Ivystar's penetrating green gaze turned on her deputy.

"She has," Ravenwing agreed, dipping his head.

"I, Ivystar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Poolpaw."

Mudblaze's sister's blue eyes shone with excitement.

"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Poolpaw spoke through a broad smile. "I swear."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Poolpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Poolsplash. StarClan honors your enthusiasm and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

Poolsplash dipped her head to Ivystar as the black and white patched she-cat rested her muzzle on the new warrior's head.

"Poolsplash! Poolsplash!" The Clan cheered, none louder than Quailwing much to Darkmoon's annoyance.

The littermates hopped down from the branch. Quailwing rushed to Poolsplash, and Darkmoon's claws slid out as she watched the queen completely ignore her other daughter. Fighting a snarl, she turned to see Mudblaze's reaction and instead watched her tabby friend rush to Robinwood's side.

They both spoke at the same time. "Will you be my mate?" "I want to be mates with you!"  
Darkmoon felt something rising in her throat and tried and failed to swallow as the two brown cats pressed together joyfully. _I'm happy for them. I'm happy for them._

Poolsplash seemed to look straight through her mother and was staring at the happy couple with undisguised envy.

Darkmoon barely noticed as she wheeled away blindly. _I'm glad they have each other, I'm happy for them, I don't care that my best friend's forgotten about me, StarClan why couldn't she have stayed an apprentice forever, why did everything have to change?!  
_ She breathed heavily, trying to think of any cat that might have the time of night for her. _Feathermist? I let her rely on me. Will she repay the favour?_

She hadn't even taken two steps towards the nursery before an anguished wail rose out of it. _Her kits. Wonderful. Great. Alright, officially no one needs me._

She spun around and sprinted out of the camp.

…

She was almost at the border between ShadowClan and the twolegs place when she saw them.

At first, it was just the shadows twisting around her, but her night-vision wouldn't let them hide for long. What previously appeared to be benign patches of shade soon revealed themselves to be the scrawny forms of rogues.

There were at least five, all full grown and eyes filled with hatred.

The moment who seemed to be the leader realized she saw them, they all slinked out of the shadows, eyes glittering.

"Look what little mousey wandered into our forest," the one she assumed was the leader, a lean, lanky gray tom with fur that stuck up at odd angles and cruel blue eyes singsonged.

"Your forest?" she repeated, her voice emotionless. _What, should I be scared? Right, like these mangy fleas can hurt me any worse than my own Clanmates._

"What, deaf as well as dumb?" a black and brown mottled she-cat with yellow eyes jeered, and her companions laughed cruelly.

Darkmoon's eyes narrowed. _So they want to pick a fight with_ me _? Now's really not a good day for this. I don't really want to kill them…_

"What do you say, Sully, shall we teach the deaf mousey whose territory this is?" the spiky-furred tom suggested, sneering.

"You don't want to do that," Darkmoon told him placidly. "I'm not in the mood for this, and bad things happen when I get angry."

"Bad things happen when I get angry," a dark gray tom mocked with a squeaky voice that was so far off from Darkmoon's actual tone she almost laughed.

She sighed. "Alright, let's go then."

It was almost a blessing in disguise really. No cat would miss a few mangy rogues, and it might relieve some of her anger. That was her reasoning for slitting the first tom's throat.

Rather than be deterred by his companion's abrupt decease, the leader rumbled a laugh. "Venom was getting annoying anyways. So the mousey has claws. Have you got enough claws for all four of us?"

The leader's casual dismissal of the first tom's death lit a fire inside Darkmoon. _You're obviously some kind of group. And members of a group should have each other's backs. Not backstab each other, or let them down, or_ use _them, or pass them over the moment something better comes along._

It hit too close to home.

As the other four rogues jumped at her, the cold fury roared up inside her and this time, she let it. Almost as though they were moving through water, the rogues' leaps slowed and she ripped open the ground beneath her and jumped backwards.

 _Crack!_

Darkness spilled out of the chasm and into the clearing, and the moment the rogues saw what she'd done, it was too late. A pale gray she-cat was first, then a ginger and brown tom, then their spiky-furred leader. The she-cat named Sully managed to redirect her trajectory in time to avoid the fate of her companions.

The three cats cried out in burning anguish as they tumbled into the crack, the wide split, larger than any she'd produced before. And deep. Deep enough that Darkmoon couldn't even see them as they screamed their final screams.

Their leader managed to grip the edge with his claws, but his grip wasn't strong enough to pull him back up.

Only five of his claws were hooked into the rapidly disintegrating dirt.

Darkmoon stalked over and stabbed a claw into his paw.

He shrieked in pain.

Only two of his claws were hooked into the rapidly disintegrating dirt.

She pressed a paw into the dirt, and structure of it finally gave up and the spiky-furred tom dropped into the darkness, howling all the way.

With an almighty rumble, the crack's two edges slammed back together and the rogues were silenced.

"Saves me the trouble of graves," Darkmoon mused, and the icy anger that had controlled her began to recede, leaving her to grapple with what she had just done.

"Monster…"

Sully, the brown and black she-cat was standing at the edge of the clearing, staring in unmitigated horror at where the crack in the earth had sealed, leaving her companions to their untimely deaths in the ground.

"You… monster!"

With a final scream of fear and anguish, the she-cat whirled around and hared back into the twolegs place.

Darkmoon stared at the nearly invisible seam in the earth where she had just watched three cats die. Three ruthless, cruel, terrible cats, but they were dead nonetheless.

 _It was self-defense._

The sun shifted, a ray suddenly shooting through the trees and blinding her.

She reeled, her vision getting spotty, and tried to blink it away.

When she did, she wasn't alone in the clearing anymore.

"I've been looking forwards to meeting you, and _what_ a way to start."

She squinted, the radiance of the cat in front of her momentarily blinding her.

Darkmoon could only make out his silhouette, and it was very familiar. "Ripple…?" she murmured, squinting.

The painful brightness finally weakened, and she saw the cat in front of her for who, or _what_ it was.

A shimmering, swirling pelt of dark blue, green, purple, orange, drifting like mist across his fur.

Bright white eyes.

Bright white stars.

"Who… _are_ you?" she finally breathed.

"Me? Oh, I'm Helixos. But more importantly, I'm the one who can finally give you some answers."

"That'd be a bloody first."  
He threw his head back and laughed. It was familiar.

 _The cat with stars for eyes. Laughing._

"Alright. Start talking."

 **~Pondfrost**


	87. The End Begins - Part 1

**So this is it. Finally wrapping up something that's been in the works for so long that I'm delighted and relieved to finally unveil it.**

 **The next four chapters will likely be similar. I'll be posting them all at the same time because of this.**

Chapter 85.

Lightningstorm had barely left the nursery before Whiteshadow broke her peace once more.

 _Annnd here we go!_ She sounded so dryly hopeless, Lightningstorm stifled a snort of laughter.

 _What, is the world ending again?_ she asked casually, picking out a mouse from the fresh-kill pile.

 _A few cats are about to learn some_ very _interesting things…_ Whiteshadow muttered. _And this really might be the kicker for the end of it all._

 _Well that's not good,_ she commented, finding a sunny patch to enjoy her meal. _What cats and what things?_

 _Now that's a loaded question_ , Whiteshadow snorted, then added _, but there's not really much that's going to stay hidden, and you might as well be in on the conversation._

 _Is this about a prophecy?_ she asked irritably. _Because those are pointless to get anxious about; they're coming true no matter what._

 _Well, let's hope not,_ Whiteshadow sighed. _But yes. Well, sort of. You overheard Dawnsplash, Redstar, and Blackpool discussing it, I believe?_

 _Yeah. Don't remember much, they thought that the cat mentioned was me, or something,_ she recalled. _Or Stormpaw. Or… well..._

The mouse was almost gone, but Lightningstorm didn't move to bury the bones or walk away. Despite her nonchalance, her muscles were beginning to tense up in preparation.

 _I suppose it's worth telling you the truth so you'll be prepared at least,_ Whiteshadow sighed heavily.

 _The truth? That'd be a first. You only ever give me half-answers,_ Lightningstorm commented.

 _I know, and I'm sorry for it, but it was StarClan's instructions not to overwhelm you. But… StarClan's not exactly in control at the moment, and I need to try to make sure that you can save the other three… somehow…_ Whiteshadow said morosely, not sounding confident.

 _The… other three?_

Whiteshadow took a deep breath. _There… is a prophecy._

 _Oh stellar; I suppose we'll save the Clans from some poorly defined and not-actually-that-dangerous threat,_ Lightningstorm retorted acerbically.

 _Quiet,_ the she-cat commanded. _I'll spare you the mumbo-jumbo. You, Breezeswirl, Wavecrash, and Darkmoon are destined to destroy the Clans._

 _Breezepaw got his warrior name?_ was her first thought.

 _WAIT, WHAT?!_

 _Yes. Okay, is this going to take awhile or can we continue?_ Whiteshadow asked, but the words barely registered. Lightningstorm sucked in a heavy breath, feeling her chest tighten.

 _Destroy… the Clans?_

There was blood in her mouth.

The camp fell in shade as clouds passed across the sun.

She couldn't get enough air in her lungs, she was choking, she was dying-

 _You can do it,_ Whiteshadow snapped, unusually harsh. _You need to be prepared. Show them that you can face this with strength. Don't crumble now._

With a heaving gasp, her lungs filled with air, and she choked out a few harsh coughs. _No… what? Destroy…_

 _Look, this is a prophecy that has been born of interference from greater powers than StarClan knows,_ Whiteshadow told her sharply. _And should those greater powers so choose, the prophecy can be averted._

 _But… you can't…_

 _We have to try._ Whiteshadow was firm, but there was an undeniable waver that caused Lightningstorm's stomach to seize. _Now listen to me!_

 _Okay, okay, okay, prophecy, destruction, greater powers…_ Lightningstorm repeated. _Okay. There's more?!_

 _Well…_

 _Ooooh StarClan,_ she whimpered.

 _Look, do you think it's a coincidence that every time you're upset, the weather gets worse?_ Whiteshadow pressed. _Because that's a_ lot _of coincidences. And as you age, it's only going to be more powerful._

 _But_ why _?! You mean I can control the weather? But..._ she exclaimed. _Powers don't come from nowhere! This isn't fair!_

Whiteshadow took a breath that sounded rather pained. _I know. I know, and I'm sorry. But… you're right; they did come from somewhere, well, some_ one _and two someones. Remember the greater powers?_

 _Uhuh,_ Lightningstorm mumbled, trying to press back the ball in her throat that was starting to threaten tears. _What about them?_

 _Only I and three other cats in this entire world's history know of them,_ she confessed. _My daughters and their mate._

 _Their mate?_ Lightningstorm echoed.

 _At… different times. Look, my family history is something I can explain later, but what's the most important right now is that you hear an unbiased and true account of these monsters,_ Whiteshadow snapped.

 _Monsters?_

 _I believe what Pondfrost referred to them as were 'Celestes', but in essence, monsters. Not two-legs monsters, the variety of immoral and disgusting beings that have no regard for anything living,_ Whiteshadow said coldly.

 _Who? Pondfrost?_ Lightningstorm echoed.

 _My daughter,_ Whiteshadow informed her heavily. _She… she was affected by these Celestes. There are two, known by many names, though to us four as Lune and Helixos._

 _But… what's a Celeste?_ she asked softly, feeling a sudden shiver run over her despite her sunny patch in the camp. It was hare-brained to think that sun-high that day she hadn't been weighed down with such horrible knowledge.

 _We don't know,_ she told her helplessly. _As far as I know, like a StarClan resident, though thousands of times more powerful, and I don't believe they ever died. They're just… eternal._

 _And evil?!_ Lightningstorm demanded.

 _They cause damage you couldn't imagine,_ Whiteshadow murmured.

 _Then I might as well start digging my own grave now! It doesn't bloody matter what I do if I'm up against apparently the most powerful beings in the Clans!_

 _We can't believe that!_ Whiteshadow said fiercely. _They won't destroy the Clans, they can't._

 _Now I only learned about them a few heartbeats ago, but it's certainly sounding like they can!_ Lightningstorm snapped, barely hearing as raindrops began to fall from the sky.

 _They are not motivated by wanting to destroy the Clans,_ Whiteshadow told her.

 _Oh! Obviously not! Since that just seems to be their exact end goal!_ she shouted back.

 _If they wanted to destroy the Clans they would have already,_ she explained calmly, perhaps more than the situation warranted. _No. They have done plenty of things to meddle in the lives of Clan cats, motivated by what I can only assume is perverse amusement._

 _What have they done? And how are you possibly the only one who knows about it? If they're all powerful, why haven't-_

 _StarClan stopped them? They can't. Of course they can't. StarClan could barely get me here,_ Whiteshadow said, frustrated. _Another thing; I was sent by StarClan to try to guide you, and look at how well that's going._

 _But… didn't you say that Breezeswirl, Wavecrash, and Darkmoon are all involved in this too?_ Lightningstorm pointed out. _Why don't they get strange dead cats 'guiding them'?_

 _Well they do, just not… impartial ones. Now this will be confusing; stop me if you don't understand, because it's vital that you do,_ Whiteshadow told her. _Most dead cats can't make it back to the Clans; their spirits, souls, or whatever you want to call them aren't strong enough. StarClan can strengthen them, but weren't strong enough to do it four times._

 _Just once?_

 _Just once. For me. For the other three, they would need cats whose spirits were already strong,_ Whiteshadow said, her voice beginning to shake. _Cats whose spirits had been affected by something more powerful than themselves. Something_ much _more powerful._

 _Like a Celeste._

 _StarClan didn't know. Fools, all of them,_ Whiteshadow said hotly, but took a deep breath and continued. _They just thought, that for some_ inscrutable _reason, three cats just had incredibly powerful souls for no reason at all._

 _I assume there was a reason,_ Lightningstorm inferred perceptively.

 _Well, no point in beating around the bush,_ Whiteshadow did another of her heavy sighs, and continued, _the three cats were my… family, of a sort. My two daughters, and as mentioned, their mate. During their lives, they had all been… possessed, you could say, by the Celestes._

 _Possessed,_ Lightningstorm echoed, dumbfounded.

 _Their souls, in response to the onslaught of unimaginable power, had to adapt, and because of it they were strong enough to return to the Clan without any help from StarClan,_ Whiteshadow said slowly.

 _Why were they being sent back to the Clans?_

 _To guide you four. If you spot the problem with this situation, congratulations, you are smarter than all of StarClan combined!_ Whiteshadow exclaimed, buried anger simmering.

 _They sent cats under the influence of the Celestes to fix a problem the Celestes created,_ Lightningshadow realized. _But…_

 _Lune and Helixos do not appreciate their plans being meddled with. They have plenty of power to exert over Pondfrost, Scarletfire, and Ripplestar. Any time any of them started to try to warn the three against listening to the Celestes or feeding into their own anger, or using their powers, or hurting the Clans…_

 _The Celestes stopped them._ Lightningstorm was beginning to feel sick.

 _That's right. And so those that were supposed to stop them only exacerbated the situation,_ Whiteshadow explained.

 _So long story short there's no hope for any of us and we're all about to die._

 _That's where I come in._ Whiteshadow's tone was helpless. _Or I'm supposed to at least. Since I'm the only one who knows what's going on and am also not being jerked around by the Celestes for their amusement. I'm sure they could find a way to force me not to warn you, but you'd be on your guard now at least, and they haven't had time to perfect pretending to be me the same way they have with the other three._

 _So they didn't just_ stop _them from telling Breezeswirl, Wavecrash, and Darkmoon the truth… they forced them to lie. Or they lied through them._ Lightningstorm's head was starting to hurt.

 _Yes._

 _So it's up to me to tell them not to trust Lune and Helixos…_ she said slowly.

 _Good luck with that,_ Whiteshadow snorted.

 _Excuse me, miss 'we have to try'!_ she snapped back. _You know what? I take back what I said. I don't care if it's pointless. If there's even a sliver of a chance that we can fight back, then it's worth dying for because that's what's going to happen regardless, apparently._

 _There are worse things than dying,_ Whiteshadow informed her, laughing hoarsely. _I outlived the rest of my family, and I can tell you right now I suffered the most._

 _Why were your daughters… possessed?_ Lightningstorm asked suddenly.

 _You'll find out soon enough,_ she replied.

Blackpool had made his way to the top of the highrock.

 _There's a Gathering tonight,_ she realized. _How… how can anything normal be going on when the end of the Clans is approaching? Wait. Is that why you're telling me all this now? So I can warn the other three?_

 _It's too late for that,_ Whiteshadow murmured. _The other three are being poisoned by the Celestes as we speak. Scarletfire and Pondfrost are being possessed by Lune and they're feeding Breezeswirl and Wavecrash lies, or at least the twisted truth to make Lune sound good, and Ripplesky has been taken over by Helixos so he can tell Darkmoon the same sort of thing._

 _Then what am I supposed to do?!_ she demanded.

 _Well, for one, you should start trying to give up on Breezeswirl,_ Whiteshadow recommended.

 _Give up on him? He's the only thing that-_

 _You don't actually love him, the Celestes have instilled feelings in you for their amusement._

 _I'm sorry, come again?_

 _You're not in love. You just think you are because they're forcing you to have feelings for him,_ Whiteshadow repeated unforgivingly.

Lightningstorm was frozen for several moments.

 _I'm sorry. I know that's hard to hear._

She didn't know where to start.

 _But really, you thought you were in love after knowing each other for a night? Might comfort you to know that Breezeswirl basically felt the same way._

 _Bu-_

 _He also has a mate, which may interest you to know,_ Whiteshadow said with a disapproving tone.

 _A mate?!_ She let out a small yelp out loud, drawing the attention of a couple of cats who were beginning to gather beneath the rock.

 _Tried to justify it, but he's really not that great; he's rather touchy and childish, and has sulky tendencies,_ Whiteshadow told her flatly.

It was getting hard to breathe again. She flattened her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the world around her. _What… what… what…_

Whiteshadow seemed to have little sympathy. _I told you the world is practically over and you're more upset about the tom you've been after?_

 _I'm processing!_ she snapped.

"As you know, the Gathering is tonight."

Lightningstorm swallowed hard, but she could barely hear Blackpool over the roar of her own thoughts.

She felt strangely liberated.

 _I didn't love him. I never loved him. Wow, that makes thing easy._

 _There you go, that's the spirit,_ Whiteshadow told her, purring dryly. _Silver lining, right?_

 _But… that's really not important right now._ Lightningstorm took a deep breath, feeling the world slowly stop spinning. _I just have to warn the other three about the Celestes._

 _They may not listen. Be careful._

 _I have to try._

…

RiverClan and ShadowClan's scents hung over the Gathering island when ThunderClan crossed.

As Lightningstorm felt her claws sink into the peaty trunk, she felt an ache of nostalgia. _I wish I could just go back to when my biggest problem was thinking I was in love with another apprentice. Now we've got evil supercats trying to destroy our lives and crazy powers._ She wanted to bury her head in her paws and scream. _What ever happened to being allowed to squeal like a kit whenever you want?_

 _You grew up,_ Whiteshadow told her. _Lightningstorm… I should tell you a few things before you talk to your… friends. First, you know how I told you that they've been guided by biased cats? Wavecrash has been talking to Pondfrost, Breezeswirl has had Scarletfire, and Ripplestar has been influencing Darkmoon. Today, their 'guides' were taken over by the Celestes, and Lune and Helixos told them the stories of Pondfrost and Scarletfire, and Ripplestar._

 _So what?_ She was beginning to feel sick, like she walking into an ambush.

 _It's important that you hear their stories before you try to tell them not to listen to Lune and Helixos, alright? They'll trust you more if they think you have all the information and still think the Celestes are bad news,_ Whiteshadow coached. _And the last thing is… once you start talking to them, I'm going to have to leave your mind._

 _What?! But I need you to help me!_ Lightningstorm exclaimed.

 _I can't, I'm sorry. Lune and Helixos are still partially inside the minds of those three, and if they sense another presence, they'll be on their guards, so I have to let you do this yourself,_ Whiteshadow murmured. _I'm sorry._

Lightningstorm took a deep breath. She hadn't considered the possibility that she would go into this alone. She couldn't even remember the point at which Whiteshadow had begun talking to her. She'd been like… like a mother…

Swallowing hard, she thought with as much conviction as she could muster, _Okay. Go now. I'm ready._

 _Okay. Good luck, I love you._ And then Whiteshadow was gone.

Lightningstorm choked back a tiny whimper. Her mind felt oddly cold, no buzz of the presence of another spirit. It was empty. _Whiteshadow?_

It was time to go.

She tasted the air and scented Darkmoon and Wavecrash, just a few fox-lengths away, deep in conversation. As she padded closer, she heard Wavecrash say, "How much do you know…?"

 _So they've begun to figure it out._

She took a deep breath and interrupted them. "I might be able to answer some of your questions."

Darkmoon and Wavecrash turned to look at her. Wavecrash's mouth quirked into a little smile, but Darkmoon cocked her head and challenged, "You too?"

"Did… everyone?" Wavecrash began, squinting.

Before Lightningstorm could explain, Breezepaw- _swirl, that is,_ she recalled -walked up to the group. "You three, did…"

"Hello Breezepaw," Darkmoon greeted, a rush of air escaping her. Lightningstorm's nostrils flared in the way that they normally did, then remembered what Whiteshadow had told her and looked at Breezeswirl, examining her reaction from some removed part.

 _Hm. My heart starts to beat faster, and I think about how handsome he is. But… is that really what being in love is like? Because I don't care. But that's not important. I have to try to save them all._

"I actually got my warrior name," Breezeswirl was replying to Darkmoon.

"I know, Breezeswirl right? Whiteshadow told me," Lightningstorm cut in. _Might as well demonstrate that Whiteshadow knows what's going on. It's important that they trust her._

"Whiteshadow?" Breezeswirl repeated, but it wasn't the puzzled mew of some cat who had never heard the name before, it was the nervous shake of a cat that _had_.

"Wait, wait, just what does every cat know?" Wavecrash cut in, his brow furrowing. "Because Pondfrost told me that-"

"Pondfrost?" Breezeswirl repeated, his jaw hanging slack, before he cocked his head and repeated, "Like, Scarletfire's sister, Pondfrost? Er, not Scarletfire, Scarletstar."

 _Wait, so Whiteshadow's daughter was leader?!_ Lightningstorm thought, taken off guard.

"Ripple told me about them…" Darkmoon said slowly. _Okay, I know this much,_ she thought, comforted. _Ripplestar told Darkmoon_ his _life story, right?_ "Ripplesky, that is."

Lightningstorm took a deep breath. _Time to take control._

"Okay, let me straighten this out; Whiteshadow told me that all three of you would be visited by three cats, Pondfrost, Scarletfire, and Ripplestar, as you've said. They told you each of their life's stories?"

"Yes," Darkmoon confirmed, then narrowed her eyes. "How…"

"She did," Breezeswirl nodded.

"Yeah," Wavecrash agreed.

Lightningstorm nodded, slowly feeling like she was regaining a modicum of control. _She prepared me, she prepared me, I know what's going on even if they don't. I can help them understand, and then they'll listen to me when I tell them not to trust the Celestes._

"Okay, I've had Whiteshadow talking to me in my head for the past few moons," she confessed, looking each of them in the eye. _She guided me the way Pondfrost, Scarletfire, and Ripplestar guided you. Trust me, trust me, I'm one of you._ It was like being a squirrel in the ThunderClan camp, surrounded by danger and trying to pass off as harmless and trustworthy.

"The same way I've had Pondfrost?" Wavecrash exclaimed, stepping forwards and looking hopeful.

 _There we go, there we go…_

"And Ripple?" Darkmoon added, her eyes widening in thought.

A relieved smile began to break over her face, but first she glanced at Breezeswirl.

He looked puzzled. "Um, no… Scarletfire, not the ex-rogue, the leader, I've never talked to her in my life. I don't know…"

"Okay, but for Ripple and Pondfrost," she tried to salvage, "Whiteshadow's been talking to me the same way. And she's told me plenty about what's going on recently."

Wavecrash huffed a sarcastic laugh that Lightningstorm could only guess at, but continued regardless.

"Listen Wavecrash, Breezeswirl, and Darkmoon." _Make them listen. Make them hear it. Suggest that they shouldn't listen to the Celestes._ "You weren't actually visited by the cat, were you? You were visited by some kind of brightly flashing feline creature."

She saw realization in each of their eyes, but waited for confirmation.

"Yes…" Darkmoon mumbled.

"That's right… she took over rogue-Scarletfire," Breezeswirl mumbled, sounding mountingly freaked-out.

"No?" Wavecrash broke in, and Lightningstorm's heart seized. _Another blip?!_ "It was still Pondfrost."

"What?" It burst out of Lightningstorm before she could stop herself. _Okay, it was a trick though. Whiteshadow told me that the Celestes were the ones who talked to them! It must have been Lune, not Pondfrost, but… how?_ "Really? What was your meeting with her like?"

"The whole world went black and white and she came up," Wavecrash explained, closing his eyes as he recalled.

The phrase 'black and white' made her think of Whiteshadow. _Her pelt was black and white. Even if the world was black and white, she would still- oh great StarClan!_ "What does Pondfrost's pelt look like?" The question burst out of her more urgently than it seemed to warrant, but something had just hit her.

"Gray and silver dappled…?" Wavecrash said.

 _But if she was already gray…_ "Did you pelt change at all when the world was went black and white?"

"Well, it was all in shades of gray and I'm already silver," Wavecrash pointed out.

 _And if the Lune's pelt was a dappled pattern, in a grayscale world…_ "So, if a cat was many bright colours dappled together in a pelt, they would appear as gray dappled instead?"

It seemed to begin to dawn on Wavecrash. "Are you saying…"

"That wasn't Pondfrost," she exclaimed triumphantly. There was a little tug in her mind, like a kit pulling on her ear, but she ignored it. "What did their eyes look like?"

And then, in unison, Darkmoon and Wavecrash and Breezeswirl all murmured, "White."

"Like stars," Wavecrash added quietly.

"Listen… you can't trust them!" she exclaimed suddenly, then snapped her jaws shut. _Damn! I was supposed to hear the stories first!_

"What?!" Darkmoon demanded.

"What do you mean?" Breezeswirl exclaimed.

"She's only ever helped me!" Wavecrash argued.

"He saved my friend's life!" Darkmoon snapped.

 _Wow. They really built up trust. But they can't be trusted! Right?_

"What- _exactly_ -did they tell you?" She was genuinely curious at this point. _The Celestes possessed these cats, right? What were their lives like?_ "Wavecrash, start with Pondfrost."

Wavecrash, his hackles still raised, slowly sat, and shook out his pelt. Closing his eyes, he began to speak in an unsure voice until the story picked up and he spoke quickly and clearly like it was a story he'd memorized. "She… was a normal kit. She liked helping out in the medicine den and listening to the medicine cat explain herbs and illnesses, but she also liked when the apprentice, Ripplepaw, came and taught her sister Scarletpaw and her battle moves."

"Ripple told me that," Darkmoon corroborated.

"One day, just after they were apprenticed, a weird change took over both of them. They had headaches frequently, and complained of strange dreams. They became more violent, and less inclined to listen to their superiors." As Wavecrash said this, Breezeswirl was nodding along.

"Whatever it was, Scarletfire wasn't as strongly affected, because over time the effect waned and she was only prone to violent outbursts and ruthlessness. But… Pondfrost had migraines, usually accompanied by visions of the future, or the present that she shouldn't have known about. She knew the leader had greencough, and sneaked herbs to her when she refused to go to the medicine cat about it." There was an odd note of pride, and Lightningstom realized with an unpleasant jolt that Wavecrash genuinely liked Pondfrost.

"Pondfrost was apprenticed to the medicine cat, and Scarletpaw trained as a warrior apprentice. Though Pondfrost hardly ever listened to her mentor, she had an intuition for the uses of herbs and had such frequent visions that the medicine cat assumed she was somehow favoured by StarClan. Her sister seemed to be recovering from whatever struck them, only having an occasional fainting spell or violent outburst, but Pondfrost had frequent seizures and once slept through two days. About halfway into her apprenticeship, Pondpaw was pushing her mentor to let her become a full medicine cat despite the short amount of time she had been training. One day, Ripplesky was hit by a monster and the medicine cat decided it was in StarClan's paws," Wavecrash said that bitterly, as though he was annoyed on Pondfrost's behalf. "Pondpaw refused to give up and worked without rest through the night. The medicine cat awoke to him stabilized and ascribed it to her prayers. Pondpaw told her angrily that she had healed him, not the medicine cat's _prayers_. The medicine cat finally caved and appointed Pondfrost a full medicine cat.

"Pondfrost started to lose control of herself. Ripplesky was made deputy, and Pondfrost, in her moments of lucidity, noticed that Scarletfire was jealous of her closeness with Ripplesky, who had also undergone a change. He had grown a strange amount, and stood taller than most of the senior warriors. His blows had more power, and his reflexes were faster than a scared mouse. He was brilliantly intelligent too-"

"Is it Pondfrost or you in love with him?" Breezeswirl cut in snidely.

 _I was in love with_ this _tom?_ Lightningstorm thought, the removed part of her deeply amused by the childish jab. _StarClan above. Let Wavecrash continue his story._

But the comment incensed Wavecrash, whose fur rose and he took a threatening step forwards. Growling, Breezeswirl reared up on his hindlegs and used both frontlegs to push him back. Lip curling in a snarl, Wavecrash leapt fowards and wrestled the WindClan tom to the ground.

"Knock it off!" Darkmoon snapped, and Lightningstorm felt her stomach twist at how quickly it had escalated. With a glare at Breezeswirl, Wavecrash stood and shook out his silver pelt.

"A short time after he was made deputy, the leader died and he travelled to the moonstone with Pondfrost to receive his nine lives. They confessed love to each other at the moonpool, but when they returned to camp, Ripplestar appointed Pondfrost's sister Scarletfire deputy. Pondfrost was furiously jealous, but kept it to herself." Wavecrash's lip curled in a snarl and he directed the last part to Breezeswirl.

 _Wavecrash and Breezeswirl's guides hated each other. Is that affecting them now? But wouldn't that mean…_ her eyes darted between Darkmoon and the two toms. _What…?_

"Under the guise of needing counsel from StarClan, they travelled to the moonpool to be together every moon," Wavecrash continued, his mew turning sorrowful. "Pondfrost realized she was with kits, and her apprentice was going to notice. Ripplestar cut things off with her around the same time that she got a prophecy telling her that Ripplestar was in danger from an outside threat. Pondfrost realized it was the vicious rogues that lurked by the twolegs place border, and was going to tell Ripplestar, then realized he was mates with her sister, and decided to withhold it. He was found torn apart by rogues. All nine lives gone. Horrified, Pondfrost ran away and gave birth in a twolegs garden. Her kits were found by the rogues and killed, presumably."

The four were silent, shocked out of speech.

"That's pretty much the same thing I heard… but it continued after Pondfrost disappeared. Scarletfire was deputy and became Scarletstar, heartbroken and furious. She attacked WindClan over and over, and her lives fell one by one in battle, until her third at which point her father, Spiderfall, was killed in battle," Breezeswirl added.

This sparked recognition in Lightningstorm. _Whiteshadow didn't tell me any of this though…_

But a memory was returning to her.

" _Scarletstar! You cannot let this needless bloodshed go on! Your sister, your mate, your father? How many must die before you stop?!" And her daughter's wild, black-amber eyes, furiously pinned on her. "It will never be enough." And the crushing knowledge she could not live in this Clan of death. She ran. She found another. And she lived out the last moons of her twisted, pain-ridden life in relative peace._

"Her mother, Whiteshadow, ran away…" she murmured aloud.

"Scarletstar also had Ripplestar's kits at some point," Breezeswirl told them, though his eyes were fixed on Darkmoon. "Only one made it through kithood, Flarekit, who grew into the warrior Flarespark, and then deputy, and eventually leader once Scarletstar was finally killed."

 _Finally killed… Celeste or no, Scarletstar was a monster,_ Lightningstorm thought viciously. _Pondfrost turned out much better._

"Darkmoon, anything else?" she offered, eager to get to the part where she warned them… about what, again?

"Wavecrash... you know when you said that Ripplesky started to… change? Became stronger, faster, smarter? When he was unconscious, the same tom that told me all this, Helixos-"

A little cry escaped her throat. _Helixos! Helixos and Lune! I- how did I almost forget? I have to warn them, I have to_ warn _them, not to… believe them…_

"Helixos gave him strength to fulfill his ambitions," Darkmoon said, sounding oddly fond.

"Possessed him!" Lightningstorm spat.

"What?!" Darkmoon's head snapped around to stare at Lightningstorm.

"Don't any of you get it? Those two, Lune and Helixos, they're- they're monsters! They don't have any cat's best interests at heart, they just think it's fun to play with mortals!"

"But…" Breezeswirl mumbled.

"Whiteshadow told me!" she snapped, but she was feeling less confident all of a sudden. _Didn't Darkmoon say that Helixos saved her friend's life? And… Lune has only ever helped Wavecrash? I'm sure they're not_ all _bad, I mean really, no cat is all bad…_

"What would she know?" Wavecrash challenged.

"She's not poisoned by the Celestes!" she tried, feeling her conviction slipping away.

"The what?" Breezeswirl echoed, puzzled.

 _See! He doesn't even know what it is, because they've been lying to him!_ she tried to convince herself. "That's what they're called, Lune and Helixos, they're a creature called a Celeste, and they're unimaginably powerful and evil."

"But… they haven't hurt anyone," Darkmoon pointed out.

 _What about Scarletstar!? Then again, maybe she was just naturally violent. Plenty of cats are bad without intervention…_ "But… they…"

"You'd better seriously think about this Scarletfire's only ever helped me," Breezeswirl said confidently.

 _But didn't he say he'd never met her? But… he sounds sure of himself… and I trust him. He's so handsome and kind…_

"So has Ripple," Darkmoon added, sounding nearly protective.

"...and Pondfrost." Wavecrash sounded substantially less sure of himself, but it didn't really matter at that point.

"You're probably right. Maybe Whiteshadow's just some crazy old StarClanner… what would she know?"

 _Exactly,_ something murmured deep inside her soul.

 **~Pondfrost**


	88. The End Begins - Part 2

**So this is it. Finally wrapping up something that's been in the works for so long that I'm delighted and relieved to finally unveil it.**

 **The next four chapters will likely be similar. I'll be posting them all at the same time because of this.**

Chapter 86.

"Wh- who are you?! And where's Scarletfire?!" He demanded, fear mounting in his chest, until it was all suddenly swept away.

She laughed. "One at a time." Her voice was almost like Scarletfire's, but slightly less raspy. Clearer. More enunciated. Like a RiverClanner, almost.

"Uh- okay, who are you?" Scarletfire's disappearance didn't feel as urgent. He could breathe again, at least. The icy scent of the lake was buffeting his fur as the wind picked up.

"I told you, my name is Lune. The rest isn't really important, but Scarletfire and I… know each other very well," Lune told him, half her mouth hitching up in a smile. It was terrifying; her eyes were white and expressionless and when her lips drew back, there was nothing inside her mouth, just black void.

"What- are you?" he asked, his voice trembling in wonder and terror.

"That's not so important, aren't you wondering about Scarletfire?" she exclaimed with another little laugh that made him flinch and feel a wave of guilt. _Right, that's- what happened to her?_

"What _did_ happen to her indeed!" Lune repeated his thoughts. "Well, that's sort of a tricky question, hm? She'll be back, promise." He should trust her, right? _Yes. If Icestorm's rubbed off on me at all, I can judge character._ "She was having some mind troubles, so she's just taking a break from this world for a little bit. I'll let her come back when she's back in control. Your headaches will be gone too, by the way."

 _She knows about the headaches?_

"I know about everything!" she purred, shaking her head as though he was endearingly simple. A prickle of annoyance swept through him before it was replaced with fascination with the creature before him.

"O- okay… um, why…?" he stammered.

This got a full laugh, before she instantly cut herself off and her face went expressionless. "It's time to tell you everything."

"Um. What?" Breezeswirl mumbled. "Everything. What everything?"

She said something under her breath that sounded like, _I forgot how fun they are,_ and then gave him a bright smile. "Well, it's a long story to explain what… hm. Okay, what did she say right before she collapsed?"  
He screwed up his face, trying to call back any recollection of what she'd said and came up mostly empty pawed. "Uh… nonsense. Complete nonsense. She was just babbling. She said some… names. Pondfrost, Whiteshadow, Ripplesky, Spiderfall, and… Flarespark?"

"Hmm," the creature hummed to herself. "You haven't heard those before, have you?"

"I- no. Um, how do you and Scarletfire know each other?" he stuttered, having trouble looking straight at her.

Lune cocked her head, seeming to contemplate the question. "I've helped her through her life. She's… rather an interesting case."

"How come I've never seen you before then?" he countered.

"Oh, not this life!" she exclaimed, shaking her head again as though it was amusing. "Her last life. After all, that's where Pondfrost, Whiteshadow, Ripplesky, Spiderfall, and Flarespark are from!"

Breezeswirl did a double take. The words didn't register correctly for several heartbeats.

"Did… you say… last life? She's… lived before?" he repeated slowly.

Lune nodded with another little knowing smile.

"Have I?" he demanded. "Wait; does she remember things from her past life? Or… because I'm thinking… is the headache caused- how do you know all this?"

"Perhaps you'll understand a little better if I show you…" she murmured, closing her eyes slowly. Despite her eyelids, the white shone through like sunlight through leaves.

He cocked his head. _I don't know if this is a good- great StarClan!_

His heart nearly leapt out of his chest as it felt like he was thrown forwards. Colours flashed past his head, hundreds of landscapes, cats he'd never seen before, white eyes burning into his mind, the infinitesimal stretch of space…

Then it stopped.

He lost his footing and collapsed, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to regain his bearings.

"Open your eyes, Breezeswirl, it's time to see Scarletfire's truth," Lune's voice murmured, echoing around him.

He quivered, then cracked his green gaze open a whisker.

"Get the medicine cat!" It was a sleek white and black patched she-cat with wide green eyes, her belly swelled with kits.

The tom next to her, a black and silver dappled, skinny cat jumped to his paws and hurried out of the den.

Breezeswirl had never seen it before, though as he tasted the air, he realized with a start that it was the RiverClan camp, and most likely the nursery if the milk scent and the she-cat's obvious proximity to giving birth was anything to go by.

"Who…?" he murmured.

"That tom that just left is Spiderfall," Lune explained to him, eyes fixed on the white and black she-cat almost nostalgically. "And this is his mate, Whiteshadow."

"The names… so Scarletfire must remember her past life, at least a bit…" he mused, also watching Whiteshadow.

"Brace yourself," his guide warned him, then a buzz filled Breezeswirl's ears as two cats suddenly rushed back into the den at abnormal speeds, and Whiteshadow twisted on the ground, too quickly to be natural.

It was as though time had sped up.

"It did," Lune told him, flicking her bright tail towards where Whiteshadow was giving birth quickly as Spiderfall and the cat Breezeswirl assumed was the medicine cat rushed around her.

 _Not Sheepbelly,_ he noted. _So this was in the past._

Soon enough, two little kits were mewling on the ground, one gray and silver she-kit that blended naturally with Whiteshadow's black and white pelt and her mate's silver and black pattern, and one kit that stood out.

The tiny cat's pelt clung to her tiny body, starkly red against the soft green and brown of the nursery.

"Scarletfire," he murmured aloud.

"Well, Scarletkit, but yes. And her sister, Pondkit," Lune told him.

"Pondfrost! But then, who's Ripplesky and Flarespark?" he demanded, glancing at the medicine cat.

"You'll see." Lune lifted her muzzle to the sky and then suddenly the world was flashing past once more.

He winced as pain lanced through his head. "Warn me, _please_!"

It was hard to hear over the rush of noise, but it sounded like Lune was laughing.

"Here we are," she murmured, and the world snapped into place around them.

It was mostly the same scene, the RiverClan nursery, though from the outside. Breezeswirl glanced around, gaping. It was the full RiverClan camp, something he doubted many cats in WindClan had seen. _Why is she showing me this?_

"Patience," she chided, and directed his gaze towards just outside the nursery where two cats were playing.

One was Scarletkit, who had grown considerably into a strong little cat, her pelt fluffing out and her eyes going orange-amber.

The other was a long-furred gray cat with silver undertones that he almost thought was Wavecrash at first, but when he caught a glimpse of his eyes, he knew it wasn't. The luminous green was full of warmth and optimism that he was certain had never appeared in Wavecrash's icy blue gaze.

Now that he was looking closer, the tom also had slighter darker gray stripes, and was stockier than Wavecrash's shaggy but lean frame. As the RiverClan tom jumped across the peaty floor, his thick silver, ringed tail streamed out behind him and his fur ruffled as he landed, before falling back into the carelessly sleek pattern of before.

Lune had a hearty laugh, and Breezeswirl hadn't a clue why.

The smaller Scarletfire cheered, and dashed over to where the tom had started and tried her paw at the same leap.

When she tumbled and only made it half the distance of the tom, she shook out her pelt and pouted. "Ripplepaw, show me something with _claws_!"

"Ripplepaw," he repeated, glancing at Lune.

"Exactly."

"Okay, but if you hurt yourself again, Whiteshadow's never going to let me back here," Ripplepaw purred.

Breezeswirl suddenly noticed that there was another kit peering out of the nursery, silver and gray. _Pondkit._

After a few heartbeats of watching, the kit left the nursery without looking at her sister or the apprentice and headed straight for the shaded entrance to another den a fox-length or two away, the entrance laced with ferns and moss.

Ripplepaw paused midswipe, then a few heartbeats after the kit disappeared into the den, continued to show Scarletkit the move.

"And that was basically all of their kithood," Lune commented, having another little knowing purr.

"What does any of this have to do with the Scarletfire _I_ know?" he asked, trying to stay on subject. He couldn't deny that he was curious about this new Scarletfire, especially when it was being shown to him like this. An elder's tale come to life.

"You'll see," she said enigmatically, and then the world was rushing past once more.

It halted quickly, a shorter period than the last journeys.

A ceremony.

Scarletkit went first, touching noses with another cat that Breezeswirl had never seen before, then Pondkit went and touched noses with the medicine cat that had helped her mother give birth.

"Scarletpaw began training as a warrior, while Pondpaw was drawn to the medicine den. Though Scarletpaw thought this would mean Ripplepaw would finally ignore her sister… instead, he became withdrawn and quiet, participating less and losing the sunny charm that had brought Scarletpaw to him in the first place," Lune told him, pointing her muzzle towards where, as Pondpaw touched noses with the medicine cat, Ripplepaw was staring at the stump that Pondpaw stood upon, his green eyes wide and shocked.

Breezeswirl's gaze was fixed on Ripplepaw's betrayed look, feeling it dig too deeply into his own heart. _I can't imagine…_

"Ready?" Lune murmured, and he nodded, just thankful she hadn't thrown him into it again.

When the world began to fly past, he closed his eyes and tried to breathe.

"Here. The moment when it all changed," Lune whispered, her voice echoing and reflecting. "I knew Scarletpaw wouldn't be able to survive alone. She had headaches, seizures, and fainted frequently. I could help her stifle the symptoms."

He nodded, watching as the world slowed and came together in a smoky, blurry world that he recognized as the dreamy, hazy world that cats visited when they were asleep.

"Oh! There I am," Lune observed cheerfully.

Breezeswirl's eyes went wide as he watched another Lune touch noses with the young Scarletpaw.

"I offered her help, and she took it," she said, shrugging as she watched herself smile and rest her muzzle on Scarletpaw's head. Scarletpaw's eyes flashed white, and then the world spun away.

"But- but what happened to her when you… did that?" he asked quietly, nervous on this other Scarletpaw's behalf. From the stories of the Dark Forest, pledging yourself to another being without knowing them was always a bad idea.

"She had less fainting spells, less headaches, fewer seizures, and was stronger, better, smarter, prettier," Lune said warmly, almost lovingly. "I helped her transform into the cat she wanted to be."

Breezeswirl nodded slowly. "But… why?"

Lune's head jerked towards him, almost unnaturally jerky. Her eyes betrayed nothing, cold white and sharp. "Why…?"

"Okay, okay!" he exclaimed, recoiling.

"You didn't ask that," she told him.

"No," he agreed, his head feeling like it was prickling.

"I helped Pondpaw too," Lune told him, shrugging. "Only fair. She wanted so badly to be a medicine cat apprentice, though she lacked the spiritual side. She picked up the herb uses with almost unbelievable speed and had unparallelled intuition for where they could be found on the territory, but she would never be a full medicine cat unless she could receive prophecies and omens."

"So you opened her connection to StarClan?" he guessed.

"Oh, no no, I simply gave her the same abilities they had! She saw everything that was and could be. I'm afraid it made her a little odd, but who isn't?" Lune purred.

His breath caught in his throat. _Pondpaw… could see the future?_

"And then this happened." Lune's voice changed, going cold and hard.

The world exploded into light and colour, then they reappeared in the dark medicine den as the sun set. Shouts and cries were nearing them, and Pondpaw and her mentor were roused as a patrol hurried into camp, carrying the broken body of the silver-gray tom cat.

"Ripplepaw!" Pondpaw burst out with a cry. Breezeswirl started at the sound of her voice. _It… she sounds exactly like Lune… how?_

Lune's white gaze was fixed on the scene.

"There's nothing we can do for him. It is in StarClan's paws now," her mentor told her heavily.

Pondpaw whipped around, eyes green slits of fire and tail lashing. "How can you say that! StarClan has done _nothing_!"

The outburst made Breezeswirl jerk backwards. _A medicine cat, saying that sort of thing…?_

"I'm afraid my influence made her aware that there were things more powerful than StarClan," Lune said with a dry purr. "Guilty as charged."

The medicine cat seemed just as chagrined. "Pondpaw! StarClan are the only ones who can decide whether or not cats survive!"  
"And so? If StarClan gave you the ability to heal, use it!" Pondpaw lashed, furious, then her body went almost limp, her voice going monotone. "I'll need space and herbs. You should sleep in a different den tonight."

The sudden shift seemed to make her mentor fearful. The medicine cat shook her head, anxious, and left the den in a hurry.

Pondpaw took a deep, audible breath and pressed her nose into Ripplepaw's fur. "I'll save you. I know I can. Lune's helped me so much, and now I can help you."

Lune had a little smile, watching the scene. "This goes on for a bit; I won't embarrass her. Suffice to say, RiverClan's old medicine cat did nothing to help and Pondpaw, single-pawed, saved Ripplepaw's life."

The world began to hurry past, though the scene didn't change. Pondpaw darted around Ripplepaw, making splints and administering poultices. Every so often, a cat would come in with more cobweb and other herbs, or she'd call in her Clanmates to tell them to fetch herbs.

Breezeswirl watched in undisguised wonder as light advanced on the floor quickly as the sun rose. Pondpaw was still working.

"He pulled through, and Pondpaw was made a full medicine cat," Lune told him.

"I thought this was about Scarletfire," he said.

"Well, that brings us back to her," Lune said, and the world spun away to stand outside the RiverClan camp again, and they watched as Ripplesky was made a warrior. Scarletpaw went to greet him, and instead he went straight to Pondfrost.

Scarletpaw stared with undisguised fury at her sister.

"For whatever reason, my hold over her weakened, and she began to have more frequent seizures and headaches, and would faint in the middle of training," Lune said heavily, though a note of satisfaction snuck through.

 _Was she pleased that her power over Scarletpaw was weakening?_ A twinge of unease ran across his fur.

"Of course not! I didn't weaken my power over her on purpose, it was a strange and unforeseen glitch," the she-cat told him, and he nodded.

"Right. That must have been hard for both of you," he said pityingly.

"It was," she said sorrowfully, shaking her head and hiding her expression

The scene shifted again, and they watched as Ripplesky and Pondfrost sat together in the shady medicine den, sharing a meal and chatting easily.

"A change took over Ripplesky; he became stronger, faster, better, just like I had done for Scarletpaw all those moons ago," Lune told him softly. "But it wasn't me."

 _Then who…_

"Scarletfire was made a full warrior around the time the leader appointed Ripplesky deputy. The leader was dying; the whole Clan knew it. Rumours began to spread of Ripplesky somehow forcing the leader's paw in appointing him," Lune recounted. "Cats lost faith in Pondfrost as well. She became violent, short-tempered, abnormally intelligent, and no cat knew why."

"But- Scarletfire?" Breezeswirl reminded Lune.

"I'm getting to her," she said, sighing. "The leader finally died, Ripplesky became Ripplestar and appointed Scarletfire deputy. Pondfrost thought this meant he was finally choosing her sister over him. Then this happened."

The world spun away, replaced with the moon-pool where the two silver and gray cats stood, looking like ethereal creatures in the light of the stars.

"They finally told each other the truth and became mates," Lune said, sounding like she was repressing a laugh.

"The leader and the medicine cat?!" Breezeswirl demanded.

"Exactly. They didn't tell any cat, of course. But the secret was becoming harder to hide when Pondfrost realized she was with kits."

"Oh no," Breezeswirl said softly, wincing at the thought of Scarletfire's heartbreak when she inevitably found out. _I know how these things go._

"Ripplestar broke off their relationship," Lune said flatly, the scene changing so quickly it felt like Breezeswirl had been ripped out of the world and thrust into another. Pondfrost's expression was flat and empty as Ripplestar spoke.

"Oh no," he repeated.

"And finally, _finally,_ Ripplestar chose Scarletfire," Lune said softly. "But what he didn't know, what he couldn't have known, was that his life was almost at its end."

"He was going to die? How?" Breezeswirl demanded.

"Well, Pondfrost knew," Lune said, and had a little laugh. "A group of rogues was rising in the twolegs place and had heard of the Clans. They had been infringing on Clan territory and had been chased off every time. They decided to teach a lesson to the Clans, RiverClan specifically, and set an ambush."

"An ambush… for Ripplestar?" Breezeswirl murmured.

The world went black, then light poured in an unnaturally rectangular opening. A hefty tom was silhouetted, silver in the light, and stepped in.

"You wanted to meet with me?"

The light of the opening went out.

A roar of pain, all too familiar, that slowly rose into an unearthly howl, then nothing.

"All nine."

Breezeswirl's fur was on end. "They- they killed him."  
"Pondfrost ran away, disappeared, was never seen again," Lune told him quietly. "Scarletfire became leader and had Ripplestar's kits a few moons later. She was broken-hearted and full of aimless fury and hatred. She threw her Clan into battle again and again, a bloody feud with no end, and her father fell in battle. Her mother disappeared, and eventually, Scarletstar's lives ran out. Her daughter, Flarespark, became leader, and RiverClan had peace."

Breezeswirl was silent for several heartbeats.

In silence, Lune brought them back to the lakeshore.

"I try not to mess with the Clans anymore," she said softly.

He was still trying to absorb everything he'd just seen.

"But… why is Scarletfire back? And is this kind of thing going to happen to her again?" he said fearfully.

"StarClan wanted to give her a second chance," Lune told him with a hint of bitterness. "They thought she deserved a second chance. They don't understand that it's better to just let things go sometimes."

 _Scarletfire… it's hard to imagine that anything could happen to make her like that…_

"That's why I'm trying to help you understand," Lune said, looking out across the lake. "Any cat can be anything if they're pushed far enough. You have to support Scarletfire through this."

"I should get back to camp; the Gathering's tonight," he said softly.

"Ah yes, Lightningstorm," Lune said with a chuckle.

"She got her warrior name?!" he exclaimed, jumping to his paws.

"Indeed. Although… I sense there is a malevolent force trying to control her," Lune whispered, closing her eyes as though she could feel it better that way. "Trying to misguide her and lead her away from the path of light. You must embrace the worst of yourself sometimes rather than try to stifle it. That is the only way you can find control."

He nodded. It made sense; after all, how many times had he tried to suppress anger only for it to burst out of him at the worst of times? "I'll tell her."

"Wavecrash and Darkmoon are in the middle of transformations too," she murmured. "They have been visited. Pondfrost and Ripplesky have been guiding them through life, and only now is the truth coming to light."

With that Lune's outline blurred as though the wind was blowing her away, then shimmered and disappeared.

…

When he returned to camp, he found Scarletfire sleeping in her den. A moment after he came into the den, Littleflame appeared too.

"She staggered back just before you got back," the medicine cat told him. "She seemed fine, just exhausted. "I've been checking on her, but she seems alright. Just a passing sickness I guess."

 _Or Lune helped her through,_ he thought privately and gratefully.

"Thank you," he muttered, and left to join the rest of the Clan in the meeting to hear the Gathering patrol.

As Spottedstar listed names, Breezeswirl felt a strange assurance that his would be among them. _No coincidences when someone as powerful as Lune is involved I suppose._ It was comforting to know that someone with such far-reaching abilities was looking out for him.

WindClan was the last Clan to make it to the Gathering island, the other Clans' scents already strong. Breezeswirl hurried through the crowds of cats, searching for the three familiar scents of Lightningstorm, Wavecrash, and Darkmoon.

 _There!_

He hurried up to them, calling out, "You three, did…"

Darkmoon turned her dark amber gaze on him, her head tilting slightly. "Hello, Breezepaw."

In the whirl of new knowledge about the world, he'd almost forgotten that his warrior ceremony had been in the last moon. "I actually got my warrior name-"

Before he could announce it, Lightningstorm cut in. "I know, it's Breezeswirl, Whiteshadow told me."

 _What?! Lune told me there was a malevolent force controlling her… could it possibly be Scarletfire and Pondfrost's mother,_ "Whiteshadow?" His voice wavered slightly.

"Wait, wait, just what does every cat know?" Wavecrash interrupted, frowning. "Because Pondfrost told me-"

Breezeswirl's mouth dropped open. _Right! Pondfrost is guiding him? I thought… didn't Lune say it was Ripplesky?_ "Pondfrost? Like, Scarletfire's sister Pondfrost? Er, not Scarletfire, Scarletstar." _Things are going to get very confusing very fast if I don't differentiate between the Scarletfire_ I _know, and the RiverClan Scarletfire from the past._

"Ripple told me about them," Darkmoon added slowly. "Ripplesky, that is."

 _So Ripplesky was talking to Darkmoon, and Pondfrost was guiding Wavecrash,_ he figured.

"Okay, let me straighten this out; Whiteshadow told me that all three of you would be visited by three cats, Pondfrost, Scarletfire, and Ripplestar, as you've said. They told you each of their life's stories?

 _Pretty much,_ Breezeswirl nodded. _But how… how does Whiteshadow know that?_

"Yes," Darkmoon nodded.

"She did," Breezeswirl agreed.

"Yeah," Wavecrash contributed.

Lightningstorm nodded, looking a little more confident. "Okay. I've had Whiteshadow talking to me in my head for the past few months." _Hm, maybe that's why things seem to be going well between us and then suddenly get screwed up,_ he thought. _It would make sense if Whiteshadow was trying to sabotage our relationship, right?_

"The same way I've had Pondfrost?" Wavecrash questioned.

"And Ripple?" Darkmoon asked, cocking her head.

Lightningstorm glanced at him expectantly. _Does she think that the old Scarletfire's been talking to me in my head? Uh…_

"Um, no… Scarletfire, not the ex-rogue, the leader, I've never talked to her in my life. I don't know…" Lightningstorm looked caught off guard. _Whiteshadow's not as powerful as Lune. She probably didn't realize that Scarletstar's never spoken to me._ It was actually a little frightening to think of having a conversation with a jaded, violent, heart-broken version of Scarletfire.

"Okay, but for Ripple and Pondfrost, Whiteshadow's been talking to me the same way," Lightningstorm explained quickly. "And she's told me plenty about what's going on just recently." _Does she mean the visit from Lune?_ he wondered, holding his breath. "Listen; Wavecrash, Breezeswirl, and Darkmoon. You weren't actually visited by the cat, were you? You were visited by some kind of brightly flashing feline creature?"

 _So Whiteshadow knows that, at least. No harm in confirming it, I hope,_ he thought.

"Yes," Darkmoon agreed.

"That's right, she took over rogue-Scarletfire," Breezeswirl said, his voice wavering slightly as his confidence began to wane. _But if I confirm that Whiteshadow told her the truth, she'll believe Whiteshadow more, right? But I shouldn't have to lie and say that it didn't happen, because Whiteshadow's done other evil things probably that I can tell her..._  
"No? It was still Pondfrost," Wavecrash interrupted his thought process.

"What?!" Lightningstorm exclaimed, then shook her pelt out as though she was trying to get a hold of herself. "Really? What was your meeting with her like?"

"The whole world went black and white and she came up," he recounted.

Lightningstorm's eyes narrowed, and she looked like she was deep in thought, before exclaiming, "What does Pondfrost's pelt look like?!"  
Wavecrash looked caught off guard by her urgent tone, but replied, "Gray and silver dappled."

 _So it is the same cat. Lune was right._

Lightningstorm was still caught up in whatever theory she had concocted. "Did _your_ pelt change at all when the world went black and white?"  
"It was all in shades of gray, and I'm already silver," he pointed out.

Lightningstorm looked triumphant. "So, if a cat was many bright colours dappled together in a pelt, they would appear as gray dappled instead?"

 _Well, so what? Lune probably did it just so Wavecrash wouldn't get freaked out like he always does._ The venom towards the silver tom wasn't altogether unfamiliar, although the speed with which it had risen wasn't.

"Are… you saying…"

"That wasn't Pondfrost," she exclaimed, and suddenly her eyes caught the reflection of the moon and sparked white. "What did their eyes look like?"

"White," Breezeswirl said softly, and at the exact same time, heard Wavecrash and Darkmoon speak the same words.

"Like stars," Wavecrash said quietly.

"Listen… you can't trust them!" Lightningstorm suddenly snapped.

 _There it is. She's trying to make us lose faith in the only cats that can help us now,_ he thought angrily. _How can Whiteshadow manipulate her like this?_

"What?!" Darkmoon spat.

"What do you mean?" he demanded. _Why not?_

"She's only ever helped me!" Wavecrash retorted.

"He saved my friend's life!" Darkmoon added, her eyes going dark and slitted. _Wait, he?_

Lightningstorm recoiled, then took a deep breath and looked each of them in the eye. "What - _exactly_ \- did they tell you? Wavecrash, start with Pondfrost."

Wavecrash slowly lowered his fur, and shook out his pelt, closing his eyes as he began.

 _This'll just be the same thing Lune told me, right?_

"She… was a normal kit. She liked helping out in the medicine den and listening to the medicine cat explain herbs and sicknesses, but she also liked when the apprentice, Ripplepaw, came and taught her sister Scarletkit and her battle moves…" Wavecrash told them.

 _But didn't he_ just _teach Scarletkit, and then Pondkit tried to steal his attention?_

"Ripple told me that," Darkmoon confirmed.

"One day, just after they were apprenticed, a weird change took over both of them. They had headaches frequently, and complained of strange dreams. They became more violent, and less inclined to listen to their superiors. Whatever it was, Scarletfire wasn't as strongly affected, because over time the effect waned and she was only prone to violent outbursts and ruthlessness," Wavecrash recounted. "But… Pondfrost had migraines, usually accompanied by visions of the future, or the present that she shouldn't have known about. She knew the leader had greencough, and sneaked herbs to her when she refused to go to the medicine cat about it. Pondfrost was apprenticed to the medicine cat, and Scarletpaw trained as a warrior apprentice. Though Pondfrost hardly ever listened to her mentor, she had an intuition for the uses of herbs and had such frequent visions that the medicine cat assumed she was somehow favoured by StarClan.

"Her sister seemed to be recovering from whatever struck them, only having an occasional fainting spell or violent outburst, but Pondfrost had frequent seizures and once slept through two days," Wavecrash said heavily.

 _But didn't Lune stop Scarletpaw's seizures?_

"About halfway into her apprenticeship, Pondpaw was pushing her mentor to let her become a full medicine cat despite the short amount of time she had been training. One day, Ripplesky was hit by a monster and the medicine cat decided it was in StarClan's paws. Pondpaw refused to give up and worked without rest through the night. The medicine cat awoke to him stabilized and ascribed it to her prayers. Pondpaw told her angrily that she had healed him, not the medicine cat's _prayers_. The medicine cat finally caved and appointed Pondfrost a full medicine cat. Pondfrost started to lose control of herself. Ripplesky was made deputy, and Pondfrost, in her moments of lucidity, noticed that Scarletfire was jealous of her closeness with Ripplesky, who had also undergone a change. He had grown a strange amount, and stood taller than most of the senior warriors. His blows had more power, and his reflexes were faster than a scared mouse. He was brilliantly intelligent too-"

Something simmered in his mind. _I'm sure Pondfrost made it sound like it was all her help that made him like that._ "Is it Pondfrost or you in love with him?" Breezeswirl snarled, feeling defensive on Scarletstar's behalf.

Wavecrash's hackles rose and he took a step towards Breezeswirl, squaring his shoulders in an obvious attempt at intimidation. _Just like every other bully,_ and his mind flashed back to kithood, when Rabbitkit would use his larger frame as a tool to scare him. _But now I'm big too._

He pushed off the ground, and balancing on his back paws, he used his forepaws to press his full weight against Wavecrash and shove him back. As they both fought for balance, Wavecrash jumped forwards and tackled him.

Something reared up inside him, and he felt the air around him acutely. _I could just send him blasting away._ And it was going to happen if Wavecrash didn't let go in _three, two-_

"Knock it off!" Darkmoon spat, her voice resonating with authority, and Wavecrash immediately stepped off him.

He sent a blazing green glare at the other tom as the silver warrior shook out his pelt, tossing his head arrogantly. As though it hadn't even fazed him, he continued.

"A short time after he was made deputy, the leader died and he travelled to the moonstone with Pondfrost to receive his nine lives. They confessed love to each other at the moonpool, but when they returned to camp, Ripplestar appointed Pondfrost's sister Scarletfire deputy. Pondfrost was furiously jealous, but kept it to herself." Breezeswirl didn't miss the ice blue glare that Wavecrash sent him. Satisfaction warmed his pelt. _Even if he had feelings for Pondfrost, he still favoured me in some ways._

"Under the guise of needing counsel from StarClan, they travelled to the moonpool to be together every moon. Pondfrost realized she was with kits, and her apprentice was going to notice. Ripplestar cut things off with her around the same time that she got a prophecy telling her that Ripplestar was in danger from an outside threat. Pondfrost realized it was the vicious rogues that lurked by the twolegsplace border, and was going to tell Ripplestar, then realized he was mates with her sister, and decided to withhold it. He was found torn apart by rogues," Wavecrash's voice went low and cold. "All nine lives gone. Horrified, Pondfrost ran away and gave birth in a twolegs garden. Her kits were found by the rogues and killed, presumably."

They all sat in silence for several heartbeats.

 _So he doesn't quite know the whole story._

"That's pretty much the same thing I heard… but it continued after Pondfrost disappeared," Breezeswirl told them, fighting a smile at how Lightningstorm and Darkmoon's luminous gazes immediately swivelled to fixate on him. "Scarletfire was deputy and became Scarletstar, heartbroken and furious. She attacked WindClan over and over, and her lives fell one by one in battle, until her third at which point her father, Spiderfall, was killed in battle."

"Her mother Whiteshadow ran away," Lightningstorm added quietly after a moment.

Feeling a tug in his chest, as old as time, he gazed at Darkmoon as he recounted the next events.

"She also had Ripplestar's kits at some point. Only one made it through kithood, Flarekit, who grew into the warrior Flarespark, and then deputy, and eventually leader once Scarletstar was finally killed."

"Darkmoon, anything else?" Lightningstorm questioned, sounding a little more relaxed than she had during her fearful outburst.

"Wavecrash, you know when you said that Ripplesky started to… change?" As Darkmoon directed her attention towards Wavecrash, Breezeswirl felt an angry roar inside him. _What does she have that I don't why isn't he looking at me why does he pay attention to her, she's a medicine cat it isn't fair, it isn't fair._ "Became, stronger, faster, smarter? When he was unconscious, the same tom that told me all this, Helixos-"

Lightningstorm yelped slightly.

 _Helixos? Is that another name for Lune? But she said 'tom'. Is there another cat like Lune?_

"-Gave him strength, to fulfill his ambitions," Darkmoon explained.

 _Just like Scarletfire,_ he thought, recalling what Lune had said. _She had less fainting spells, less headaches, fewer seizures, and was stronger, better, smarter, prettier. I helped her transform into the cat she wanted to be._

"Possessed him!" Lightningstorm finally shouted.

 _Why is she interrupting Darkmoon? And what is she talking about?_

"What?" Darkmoon sounded just as confused as Breezeswirl felt.

"Don't any of you get it? Those two, Lune and Helixos, they're- they're monsters!"

 _So there are two of them. But Lune's- Lune's only tried to help! Maybe Helixos is evil? But if he's like Lune, then he couldn't possibly be…_

"They don't have any cat's best interests at heart, they just think it's fun to play with mortals!" She sounded like she had bees in her brain.  
 _Lune just made a mistake and accidentally hurt more than she helped! She wasn't_ evil _!_

"But-" he tried to intervene.

"Whiteshadow told me!" Lightningstorm snapped.

 _That proves nothing! Why would Whiteshadow be more reliable than Lune and Helixos!?_

"What would she know?" Wavecrash demanded. Though Breezeswirl hated to agree with her sister, she had a point.

"She's not poisoned by the Celestes!" Lightningstorm snapped, sounding nuttier by the heartbeat.

"The what?" he asked, puzzled.

Lightningstorm took a gulp of air and then began to explain quickly, "That's what they're called, Lune and Helixos. They're a creature called a Celeste and they're unimaginably powerful and evil."

"But… they haven't hurt anyone," Darkmoon pointed out, and Breezeswirl nodded. _Not on purpose, at least._

"But… they…" Lightningstorm said weakly, seemingly having run out of steam. Her eyes caught the reflection of the moon and flashed white again.

"You'd better seriously think about this," he warned. _How do I convince her?_ "Scarletfire's only ever helped me."

"So has Ripple," Darkmoon said firmly.

After a beat, Wavecrash said, "And Pondfrost."

Lightningstorm seemed to take a deeper breath. "You're probably right. Maybe Whiteshadow's just some crazy old StarClanner… what would she know?"

 _We saved her,_ Breezeswirl thought, sighing in relief. _She understands. Everything will be alright._

 **~Pondfrost**


	89. The End Begins - Part 3

**So this is it. Finally wrapping up something that's been in the works for so long that I'm delighted and relieved to finally unveil it.**

 **The next four chapters will likely be similar. I'll be posting them all at the same time because of this.**

Chapter 87.

"Whaaaat did you do," he choked out, fear crashing against him.

"Well, we need to talk, and it's not going to happen with all these insignificant minnows interrupting us, now is it?" Pondfrost said matter-of-factly, flicking her tail around at his frozen Clanmates.

"Insigni- don't talk about my Clanmates like that!" he snapped.

Pondfrost rolled her star-white eyes. "Oh come now, you feel the disgust too. The only reason such low beings exist is so that higher ones like us can rule over them."

It hit all the notes that he had been screaming silently for the past moon, and he hated it. "But- but that's- they're still my Clanmates!"

"They're all lifeless pieces of fox-dung," she deadpanned. "And one day you'll take your rightful place above them, but first, you're going to need to know what's going on."

He stared at her.

"Does this have anything to do with the headaches?" he finally questioned.

"Correct. Once you know the truth, they'll be gone, promise," she told him, winking as though they were sharing a joke.

"Really?" He couldn't disguise the hope in his voice. Having constant white-hot pain in his mind had put a bit of a damper on his day to day life.

"Cinnamonheart's too," Pondfrost promised. "Though she won't get to know why. That's just for you."

Though it was a blatant play to make him feel special, he'd be damned it if hadn't worked. _I get to know?_

She seemed to acknowledge that as well and laughed. "Alright, look. I know that a lot of things I've said to you have been lies, and that you don't exactly trust me right now, but I want to shoot straight with you."

"The exact reason I don't trust you is because you never do," Wavecrash countered, distrustful of an instantaneous supposed change of heart.

"Fair," she nodded. "Just so we're clear on what I lied about and what I didn't; I'm not your sister. That stillborn kit would've been named Pondkit had she survived, which would be a funny coincidence, but my spirit wasn't inside her to start with. The world won't end if you don't become mates with Lightningstorm. She's a warrior by the way. I'm not being possessed by some monster, there's no big conspiracy, Snowstar is only scared of you because of a fake prophecy, et cetera."

He stared. "Fake prophecy?"

"Those powers aren't going to hurt anyone," she reassured him. "What, you think you're going to make a wave big enough to kill a cat? Fat chance, good luck with that."

He released a breath he'd been holding for awhile. The strange behaviour of the waves had unnerved him, sure, but he'd never put into words the deep fear that he didn't know just how far he could push these powers.

"I still don't…" he trailed off, shrugging uncomfortably.

"Understandable," she purred, flicking her tail. "Here. Ask me _anything_ ; I'll answer honestly. Although if it's about the future, I must warn you that there are several possibilities."

 _Anything_. The idea was almost dizzying. He had no idea how far Pondfrost's power extended; she'd given him the strength to swim across a lake, she sometimes knew the future, she could talk to him inside his mind or appear to him in dreams, she was from StarClan but not really… _Anything._

What was most important to him?

 _If I can rule out the prophecy and the destruction of the Clans, the other thing that's on my mind… will I ever be leader? But that's part of the future. I'd bet the rest of my life that she'll say 'maybe, maybe not' with a smug look. Something about the present. Something about this world, my world, my life?_

Taking a deep breath, he looked her straight in her starry white eyes that were devoid of emotion.

"Who am I in love with?"

Pondfrost let out a shout of laughter.

Rather than back down, he held his gaze steady. _Please clear this up for me,_ he willed her, _I'm dying over here._

"Well, you love your family, but _in love_ with?" she purred, cocking her head thoughtfully. "Your giant ice-cold heart is split so many ways it's almost hard to keep track of."

He stayed silent, staring her down.

"Agh, fine, alright let's see. You're irrationally infatuated beyond belief with Lightningstorm of ThunderClan. You care deeply about Cinnamonheart, which is slowly beginning to turn into more than caring. I think you had a kithood crush on Crowstrike, though that didn't go _great_. And… ooh. You have a weird and unconscious fixation on Darkmoon of ShadowClan."

Wavecrash instantly recoiled. "What? Do not!"

"Do too!" she mocked with a white-fanged grin. "Don't sit in the sun if you can't take the heat! You asked!"

 _Okay maybe I kind of like that Darkmoon understands me a bit but that definitely doesn't mean-_

"Forget I asked," he grunted, immediately and violently shoving every thought of the ShadowClan calico straight out of his mind. _She's a tiny ball of hate, who would love her?_

"I didn't say you _loved_ her, I said-"

"I know what you bloody said," he snapped, his fur feeling too hot in the gray sunlight. "Let's just move on."

"Fine by me," she said too cheerfully.

"So… why are you here?" he asked a little more aggressively than he meant to.

"To explain everything to you so your whole brain doesn't explode tonight," she told him happily. "I'm Pondfrost of RiverClan, and you don't know who I am."

He frowned. "You literally just-"

"Know how I said I was from StarClan?" she asked, then without waiting for a reply, said, "Well, that wasn't _totally_ a lie; I was in StarClan at one point. Which means I died. Which means…?"

She seemed to be waiting for him to jump in.

"Which means… you lived," he guessed.

"You got it! I lived, and I gotta tell you, I wouldn't recommend it; it went pretty poorly for me," she told him cavalierly.

He cocked his head. "Your life? How did you die, then?"

"Starting at the end? I like it, okay," she purred in amusement. "I died while giving birth."

"So you died young?" he guessed.

"Hm." She thought about it for a moment. "Young for a cat, yes."  
"Were you not a cat?!" he demanded, puzzled by her turn of phrase.

"What?! Of course I was!" she exclaimed instantly. "Of course, what else would I have been?"  
"Sure, okay. Alright, let's not start at the end, I'm just going to get confused," he said, sighing. "Just… tell me everything so I can figure out what went wrong in your brain."

She cackled.

"Alright!" She swept her tail over the dirt, and as the feathery silver and gray tail passed over the dirt, lines appeared in the ground, cut into the shape of cats and covered in powders of different colours.

"How did you… nevermind," he muttered, staring at the scene she had created in the ground.

It was a white and black cat curled around two smaller cats, one silver and gray and one bright red. "This was my mother and my sister," Pondfrost murmured, her tone more sorrowful and vulnerable than he'd heard.

Her tail swept across once more, changing it.

"This was the apprentice Ripplepaw. He used to teach me and Scarletkit battle moves," she said softly. "I just liked being around him, but Scarletkit was really committed to learning anything that would give her an advantage in training."

He nodded, staring at the grinning form of the silver and dark gray tom showing the two kits battle moves.

"If I wasn't learning battle moves from him, I was in the medicine den, learning the herbs," she told him. "I saved the leader while I was still a kit; the leader refused to take catmint until I left some outside the den."

"You were a medicine cat?" he realized.

"Well, I certainly wanted to be," she laughed, a bitter note in her voice. "I had a brilliant mind; I'd memorized the herbs before I left the nursery. I was apprenticed to the medicine cat, and Scarletkit was apprenticed to a warrior."

Her tail pushed the dirt into a new scene. The sisters stood on a stump and in the crowd of cats stood the apprentice, Ripplepaw.

"Ripplepaw was angry and hurt. We'd grown close during our time in the nursery," she confessed, staring at the little image of the gray-silver tom. "Scarletpaw was insanely jealous, too, and obviously thought that now that I was training to be a medicine cat Ripplepaw would be 'hers' or something, but he pretty much shut down."

"Did you-"

"I had feelings for Ripplepaw, but I thought I was certain that my destiny was to be a medicine cat." She shook her head with a laugh. "I had no connection with StarClan. None."

"But you were a medicine cat!" he exclaimed.

"So? My mentor was pushing me to reconsider my apprenticeship, and was on the verge of going to the leader to say that I couldn't train as a medicine cat." Pondfrost sounded smug. "Then I was visited by Lune."

"Lune? Isn't she…" Wavecrash said slowly.

"Forget everything I've told you," she said persuasively. "That was just a crazy bunch of lies that StarClan wanted to feed you to keep you dependent on them."

His eyes widened. "Really?"  
"She gave me part of herself," Pondfrost told him, sweeping her tail across the scene to reveal a gray world where a smaller version of Pondfrost was touching noses with a larger copy of herself that was brightly coloured with white eyes. "She gave me unimaginable powers. My already quick mind became claw-tip sharp, I had visions, I could see all possible futures… there were side effects, but the incredible power was worth it."

 _Side effects?_

Either she hadn't heard his thought or she didn't care.

"My mentor thought it was a sign from StarClan that I was _favoured_ ," she said, spitting the word with another dry laugh. "How could she have known that it was so much more? What cat could depend on StarClan with the existence of Lune?"

She sounded so delighted by the memory that it unnerved him. _She lost all faith in StarClan and became utterly dependent on this 'Lune'?_

"What were the side effects?" he asked quietly.

"Seizures, fainting, exhaustion or bursts of adrenaline, strange dreams, headaches, violent tendencies, narcissism, hallucinations, and more," she rattled off. "Scarletpaw was affected too. I think Lune helped her the same way, but favoured me more and I had stronger results because of it."

"And then…?"

"Then Ripplepaw was almost killed."

"He _what_?"

She swept her tail to reveal the twisted body of the apprentice lying in a pool of deep red. "Hit by a monster. He was barely breathing."

 _Wavecrash_ was barely breathing. It was like an elder's tale, but unfolding right in front of his eyes.

"My foolish, foolish mentor thought it was 'in StarClan's paws'," she hissed. "She decided to pray and then go sleep."

He felt anger on Pondfrost's behalf. _A medicine cat that decides to say some words in her head and then go sleep when there's a cat in need?_

"I stayed up all night. I asked Lune for help, and she helped me through it," Pondfrost murmured.

"Lune helped?" He couldn't disguise the doubt. _Maybe praying comforted her, but I don't think-_

"Ooh! Hey! I can do something to help you get it," Pondfrost said, almost maliciously pleased.

"What…" he said nervously.

His whole body was flung through the air like a leaf.

He probably threw up.

Then he was blinking open his eyes. He glanced down and saw that his paws and legs were covered in the shaggy silver fur he was used to, but it had rivulets of gray running through it that were utterly unfamiliar. He tentatively took a step forwards in the dark den.

 _Great StarClan, I'm a she-cat!_

It felt almost exactly the same, but just slightly off. _More importantly, who is that?_ But the question was barely in his mind before he knew, _Ripplepaw._

The cat, of course, was a large silver-gray tom in front of him - her, whose limbs hung at wrong angles and whose face was twisted in pain despite him being unconscious.

Love and fear for him swelled inside her, threatening to choke her completely, but within it she found steely determination. _I have to help him. I have to save him._

Though Wavecrash didn't have the faintest idea of where to begin with saving the tom in front of her- him, Pondpaw did. Her muscle memory led her through the quick fabrication of reed splints to set his bones.

He cried out in his sleep as she straightened his bones. Wavecrash was revolted and terrified, but Pondpaw didn't waver. _Hurt to help, trade-off, I can do it._

But as she went to work, it was becoming clear that no amount of poultices would save him. _Then there's only one thing to do._ It was as though he was just a visitor in her mind. He was still seeing through her eyes and feeling the world around her, but her- his? -movements were uncontrolled.

 _I can help you…_

It was Pondfrost's voice, inside his mind, though the Pondpaw of this world replied, _Lune? Please. I can't lose him._

 _Lune and Pondfrost have the same voice?_

 _I can help you. But it… it will have consequences. Are you sure?_

He would die if she didn't, she knew that much.

 _Anything._

And the he was ripped out of her head and was back in the gray RiverClan camp, staring at Pondfrost.

"What consequences?" he whispered.

"His survival," she laughed. "Our lives were destroyed. We fell so far, so deep, so fast."

Her tail swept over and the dirt revealed Ripplepaw becoming a warrior. "Ripplesky. After that night, he was never the same. Smarter, faster, stronger, bigger. Can't say that it bothered me at the time." She purred dryly. "My mentor knew that I'd been the one to save him and made me a full medicine cat. Things… changed between us. We'd always had feelings for each other… but it was different. It's like we were intertwined somehow. We couldn't be apart for long, we were only happy around each other… and Scarletfire was the same way, though not quite as much."

He nodded slowly. _So somehow Lune's influence made her fall in love more than before with Ripplesky?_

"He was made deputy, then became leader. We went to the moonpool together and finally accepted the truth. When we returned, he appointed Scarletfire deputy. I thought it meant that he'd decided I wasn't worth it, but we began to go to the moonpool together every moon," she said softly, sweeping her tail over the scene once more. "I didn't need to consult StarClan, of course, I could already see everything they would tell me, so we just used it as an excuse to be together."

He sat, silent.

"And then I realized I was going to have kits and Ripplestar broke it off," she spat, the injury obviously still fresh. "To rub salt into the wound, he and Scarletfire became mates."

 _That destroyed her life? But how then was Ripplestar's life…_

"A future that had always been there, lingering at the edge, was drawing closer every day. As the other possible futures began to fade away, the world where he was ambushed by rogues and killed nine times was about to become reality."

"And you saved him." Wavecrash's mew was low and hushed.

"And I said nothing, and he was viciously murdered," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I ran away, had the kits, and my own life faded. The rogues that killed him probably got my kits as well."

Wavecrash was taken aback and horrified.

 _Nine lives. Gone._

 _Ten._

His heart seized in his chest.

 _How could any cat let that happen._

"It wasn't Lune's fault. She warned me, but my path had already been chosen," she murmured. "It was my own stupid selfishness. And now we're all dead."

…

Pondfrost and Wavecrash sat in silence in the gray world for several heartbeats, before he finally worked up the courage to ask,

"So I've been having these headaches because part of Lune is inside me?"

"Well, that's kind of an exaggeration," she said. "Part of her was inside Scarletstar, and you're descended from her."

He was taken aback by that. "Oh! I am?"

"Yeah. Her daughter, her daughter's daughters, one of which was your mother. I won't get into the amounts, but you're descended from a cat who had a part of Lune inside her, and because of it when Lune's presence in the Clans began to increase, you were affected," Pondfrost said matter-of-factly. "But Lune's about to go again, so it's almost over."

He sighed. Then something occurred to him. "Cinnamonheart's been having the same headaches. Does that…"

Pondfrost sighed. "I'm less sure than I used to be that my kits were all killed by the rogues."

His eyes widened.

"But who really knows?" she said, shrugging. "By the way, Breezeswirl, Lightningstorm, and Darkmoon are all getting similar talks."  
" _What_? What do they all have to do with this!?" he demanded. "I thought you said the prophecy was fake!"

"It- well, it is, but you four are still special," she ventured carefully, "Scarletstar, Ripplestar, Whiteshadow, and I have returned to the Clans to help you. Lightningstorm has been talking to Whiteshadow, Ripplesky has been talking to Darkmoon, and… a version… of Scarletfire has been with Breezeswirl."

"A version?" he repeated.

"It's complicated, I'd rather not get into it all right now," Pondfrost said, letting out her breath heavily. "Basically, she's living another life. StarClan is hopeful that her presence alone will be enough to dissuade Breezeswirl from exploring his powers."

"His powers?" He was beginning to feel like an apprentice that only repeated what his mentor said.

"You four are special, as I said, and StarClan doesn't realize. They want you to stifle the power, to shut it away," Pondfrost's voice began to get lower with anger, "because if they don't understand something, they want to destroy it. This is why it's important you put your faith in Lune."

He nodded. It was all beginning to make sense.

"After all, have I ever lied to you?" She laughed to herself.

 _Yes, all the time,_ he thought.

She closed her starry white eyes for a moment and flicked her tail.

The world lit into colour and movement, and she was gone. But… not before she flickered into colour too and he saw that she was not gray and silver, but swirling with numerous bright colours.

 _Probably a trick of the light._

…

As Snowstar listed the cats that would attend the Gathering, Wavecrash studied him intently.

 _Pondfrost said he was scared of me because of the fake prophecy, right?_

It made his fur prickle uncomfortably. _So if he thinks a cat in RiverClan is a threat to the rest of the Clan, his procedure is do nothing and act like a spooked mouse?_ It wasn't exactly comforting.

"Wavecrash, Flowerpelt, Shadedapple, and Flintwhisker," Snowstar finished, jumping down and retreating to his den with Mistcloud.

Wavecrash passed the time until sundown nibbling a trout and wondering where Cinnamonheart was. _She saw Pondfrost. She saw the world go gray. She must be wondering… But where is she?_

At last, the sun settled onto the horizon, the orange blaze softening to a glow.

RiverClan set out for the Gathering island. As Wavecrash crossed the log, he noticed the ice that had previously covered the lake completely was only fringing the edges. _I guess leaf-bare really is almost over._

ShadowClan was already on the island, and the two Clans began to slowly meld. _Now that leaf-bare's drawing to a close, every cat's a little more at ease I suppose. New-leaf makes us hopeful._

For his part, he was scenting the air, hoping to find Darkmoon. _If she supposedly was also visited by some cat, it might be good to find out what… Pondfrost said it was Ripplesky, right? To find out what Ripplesky told her._

"Darkmoon!" he called out cautiously, then cleared his throat and tried for a more natural tone. "Er, Darkmoon?"

"You could look for me like a normal tom instead of yowling my name until I deign to show up." The familiar sarcastic, raspy voice of the ShadowClan warrior did nothing to set him at ease.

"Had any interesting conversations recently?" he asked bluntly, figuring subtlety would only take longer.

She gave him a long, considering look.

"Have you heard the name Pondfrost before by any chance?" she finally asked, raising her chin a little in a challenge.

"So it was true," he replied, amused. _Huh. I guess I kind of expected Pondfrost to still be full of strange, confusing fox-dung._

"Apparently," Darkmoon commented, giving him an appraising look.

"How much do you know…?" he ventured.

Another presence alerted him, and he swung his head around to see Lightningstorm walk up to them. "I might be able to answer some of your questions."

He couldn't resist a little smile at the sight of her, though Darkmoon was hardly so inclined and merely cocked her head. "You too?"

"Did everyone…" he began, but Breezeswirl's arrival interrupted him.

"You three, did…" the WindClan tom said, though he didn't seem to have the rest of a sentence in mind.

"Hello Breezepaw," Darkmoon said slightly breathlessly. Wavecrash's claws slid out involuntarily, but he forced them back in. _I don't care what Pondfrost said. I'm not jealous. I'm not._

"I actually got my warrior name-"

"I know, it's Breezeswirl, Whiteshadow told me," Lightningstorm interjected. _So that's true as well. I've seen Scarletpaw in WindClan before, so it seems Pondfrost was actually right…_ Wavecrash mused.

"Whiteshadow?" Breezeswirl's voice shook slightly.

 _He knows who Whiteshadow is?_ Wavecrash's brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait, wait, just what does everybody know? Because Pondfrost told me-"

"Pondfrost?" Breezeswirl interrupte him again, jaw dropping. "Like, Scarletfire's sister Pondfrost? Er, not Scarletfire, Scarletstar."

 _So WindClan lets new warriors be leader now?_ Wavecrash wondered. _What is he on about?!_

"Ripple told me about them," Darkmoon commented. "Ripplesky, that is."

"Okay, let me straighten this out;" Lightningstorm said firmly, "Whiteshadow told me that all three of you would be visited by three cats, Pondfrost, Scarletfire, and Ripplestar, as you've said. They told you each of their life's stories?"  
"Yes," Darkmoon replied.

"She did," Breezeswirl added.

"Yeah," Wavecrash answered, interested in where she was going with this.

"Okay. I've had Whiteshadow talking to me in my head for the past few moons," Lightningstorm told them.

 _So I wasn't the only one, all along._

"The same way I've had Pondfrost?" he wondered aloud, then realized she probably wouldn't be able to answer that.

"And Ripple?" Darkmoon's eyes widened pensively.

Breezeswirl was silent. Wavecrash glanced at him, and his face was lined with worry. "Um, no… Scarletfire, not the ex-rogue, the leader, I've never talked to her in my life, I don't know…"

 _That must be what Pondfrost meant when she was talking about Scarletfire living again…_

"Okay, but for Ripple and Pondfrost," Lightningstorm said quickly, "Whiteshadow's been talking to me the same way… and she's told me plenty about what's going on just recently."

Wavecrash let out a sarcastic bout of laughter. _Of course she got the useful one and not the one that screams abuse and threats._

"Listen; Wavescrash, Breezeswirl, and Darkmoon." Lightningstorm's mew turned dark. "You weren't actually visited by the cat, were you? You were visited by some kind of brightly flashing feline creature?"  
"Yes," Darkmoon replied slowly.

"That's right… she took over rogue-Scarletfire…" Breezeswirl answered nervously.

 _What are they talking about?_ "No? It was still Pondfrost." _Were they visited by Lune?_

"What?" Lightningstorm sounded shocked, like this was something she had not prepared for. "Really? What was your meeting with her like?"

 _Is this a trick?_ "The whole world went black and white and she came up," he said slowly.

"What does Pondfrost's pelt look like?" She sounded like she was excited to reveal something. It put him on guard for some reason. _Do I really trust her?_

"Gray and silver dappled," he answered.

"Did your pelt change at all when the world went black and white?" she demanded.

 _Is she saying that the bright cat I saw when the world went back to normal was the cat all along?_ "It was all in shades of gray and I'm already silver."

"So, if a cat was many bright colours dappled together in a pelt, they would appear as gray dappled instead?" she challenged.

 _Does she…_ "Are you saying…"

"That wasn't Pondfrost," she said triumphantly, and her eyes flickered white for the briefest moment, as though the moon had shifted and reflected its light in her eyes.

 _Even if it wasn't! She's the only one who's bothered to tell me the truth about anything, I understand that for me to trust her she had to use a familiar shape. So it was Lune? Wow, I was talking to_ her _? The real her?_

"What did their eyes look like?" Lightningstorm continued.

"White," he said uneasily, and his fur rose slightly when the other two replied in unison.

"Like stars," he added quietly.

"Listen…" Lightningstorm said urgently. "You can't trust them."

 _What?! She can't tell me who and who not to trust! What does she think she knows that we don't? Did Whiteshadow tell her something? Lune wouldn't lie; what motivation would she have for manipulating me into trusting her?_

"What?!" Darkmoon's tone conveyed all the incredulous anger that Wavecrash felt. _All three of us trust them, it's just her that doesn't._

"What do you mean?" For once, Wavecrash agreed completely with Breezeswirl.

"She's only ever helped me," he argued, remembering the night as he fought the waves across the lake.

"He saved my friend's life!" Darkmoon spat.

 _He? Lune must be incredibly powerful._

"What - _exactly_ \- did they tell you?" Lightningstorm asked, her conviction wavering under the force of the disagreement. "Wavecrash, start with Pondfrost."

He let his fur lower, and tried to relax. He sat and began recounting as much of the story as he could manage. "She… was a normal kit. She liked helping out in the medicine den and listening to the medicine cat explain herbs and sicknesses, but she also liked when the apprentice, Ripplepaw, came and taught her sister Scarletpaw and her battle moves…"

"Ripple told me that," Darkmoon confirmed.

"One day, just after they were apprenticed, a weird change took over both of them. They had headaches frequently, and complained of strange dreams. They became more violent, and less inclined to listen to their superiors. Whatever it was, Scarletfire wasn't as strongly affected, because over time the effect waned and she was only prone to violent outbursts and ruthlessness. But… Pondfrost had migraines, usually accompanied by visions of the future, or the present that she shouldn't have known about. She knew the leader had greencough, and sneaked herbs to her when she refused to go to the medicine cat about it." He couldn't help the pride. Even as a kit, she was doing more good for the Clan than many cats ever did.

"Pondfrost was apprenticed to the medicine cat, and Scarletpaw trained as a warrior apprentice. Though Pondfrost hardly ever listened to her mentor, she had an intuition for the uses of herbs and had such frequent visions that the medicine cat assumed she was somehow favoured by StarClan. Her sister seemed to be recovering from whatever struck them, only having an occasional fainting spell or violent outburst, but Pondfrost had frequent seizures and once slept through two days. About halfway into her apprenticeship, Pondpaw was pushing her mentor to let her become a full medicine cat despite the short amount of time she had been training. One day, Ripplesky was hit by a monster and the medicine cat decided it was in StarClan's paws." A note of a growl entered his tone unconsciously. _I mean, seriously, what sort of awful medicine cat just decides that they're not going to try to save a cat for no reason?_

"Pondpaw refused to give up and worked without rest through the night." He shivered, remembering the heartbeats he had spent inside the mind of Pondpaw, feeling the love and terror and hope and fear. "The medicine cat awoke to him stabilized and ascribed it to her prayers. Pondpaw told her angrily that she had healed him, not the medicine cat's _prayers_. The medicine cat finally caved and appointed Pondfrost a full medicine cat. Pondfrost started to lose control of herself. Ripplesky was made deputy, and Pondfrost, in her moments of lucidity, noticed that Scarletfire was jealous of her closeness with Ripplesky, who had also undergone a change. He had grown a strange amount, and stood taller than most of the senior warriors." Wavecrash remembered with an involuntary smile Pondfrost's dreamy tone. "His blows had more power, and his reflexes were faster than a scared mouse. He was brilliantly intelligent too-"

"Is it Pondfrost or you in love with him?" Breezeswirl interrupted with a sneer.

 _Picking a fight? Really? Now?_ He let his fur rise and he squared his shoulders, taking a step forwards. _Maybe he's forgotten who's in control._

Breezeswirl bared his teeth, flattening his black-tipped ears and reared up, thrusting both front paws into Wavecrash's shoulders in an attempt to push him backwards. While the WindClan tom was off balance, the long-furred silver RiverClanner took the chance to wrestle him to the grassy floor of the island.

"Knock it off!" Darkmoon ordered, and almost unconsciously, he obeyed, releasing Breezeswirl and ducking his head to the ShadowClan she-cat deferentially.

He shook out his pelt and continued. "A short time after he was made deputy, the leader died and he travelled to the moonstone with Pondfrost to receive his nine lives. They confessed love to each other at the moonpool, but when they returned to camp, Ripplestar appointed Pondfrost's sister Scarletfire deputy. Pondfrost was furiously jealous, but kept it to herself," he growled, glaring at Breezeswirl. _It's kind of his fault; I mean, Scarletfire's the one StarClan sent for him, so they must think they have_ something _in common._ "Under the guise of needing counsel from StarClan, they travelled to the moonpool to be together every moon. Pondfrost realized she was with kits, and her apprentice was going to notice. Ripplestar cut things off with her around the same time that she got a prophecy telling her that Ripplestar was in danger from an outside threat." His gaze pinned itself to Darkmoon, and he found himself unable to break contact with her dark gaze. "Pondfrost realized it was the vicious rogues that lurked by the twolegsplace border, and was going to tell Ripplestar, then realized he was mates with her sister, and decided to withhold it. He was found torn apart by rogues. All nine lives gone. Horrified, Pondfrost ran away and gave birth in a twolegs garden. Her kits were found by the rogues and killed, presumably."

Breezeswirl and Lightningstorm fell silent, but something passed between him and Darkmoon, that he couldn't quite place. He wanted to apologize, but for what? She seemed to be repentant as well.

"That's pretty much the same thing I heard…" Breezeswirl said, interrupting their silent exchange. "But it continued after Pondfrost disappeared. Scarletfire was deputy and became Scarletstar, heartbroken and furious. She attacked WindClan over and over, and her lives fell one by one in battle, until her third at which point her father, Spiderfall, was killed in battle.

Wavecrash felt the fur on his spine raise slightly. _I can't believe my own sister would do this to our family…_

"Her mother, Whiteshadow, ran away," Lightningstorm contributed quietly.

There was a pricking behind his eyes. _Don't cry, not now…_

"She also had Ripplestar's kits at some point," Breezeswirl said, her eyes fixed on Ripplesky. "Only one made it through kithood, Flarekit, who grew into the warrior Flarespark, and then deputy, and eventually leader once Scarletstar was finally killed."

 _Finally. My poor sister, I can't understand how she would tear our family apart like this, all because he chose me…_

"Darkmoon, anything else?" Lightningstorm broke through the odd shift in his reality, and he shook his head, trying to clear it.

"Wavecrash, you know when you said that Ripplesky started to… change?" His blue eyes fixed on her as she spoke. "Became stronger, faster, smarter? When he was unconscious, the same tom that told me all this, Helixos-"

Lightningstorm choked out a tiny cry. _Shh, I'm trying to listen to…_ he thought. _Helixos? Is he- is that, another Lune or something?_

"Gave him strength to fulfill his ambitions," Darkmoon finished with uncharacteristic warmth in her voice, still staring at Wavecrash.

"Possessed him!" The ThunderClan she-cat finally spat.

"What?!" Darkmoon spun to face off with Lightningstorm, curling her lip protectively. _What is she talking about? Possessed Ripplesky? But he was still a cat, just stronger and better._

"Don't any of you get it?" Lightningstorm's contemptuous mew made his fur rise. _Careful she-cat, I have more power than you know and do not take kindly to such slights._ "Those two, Lune and Helixos, they're- they're monsters! They don't have any cat's best interests at heart, they just think it's fun to play with mortals!"

 _She's wrong. They might have made some mistakes, but they're trying to do what's best._

"But-" Breezeswirl interjected angrily.

"Whiteshadow told me!" Lightningstorm exclaimed before the WindClan tom could finish his thought.

 _Whiteshadow Whiteshadow Whiteshadow, that's all she says! Why is Whiteshadow so reliable and Lune is so evil?_  
"What would she know?" Wavecrash countered.

"She's not poisoned by the Celestes!" Lightningstorm was on the verge of exasperation.

"The what?" Breezeswirl sounded genuinely puzzled.

 _Does she have bees in her brain? Did Whiteshadow do this to her? What's going on?_

"That's what they're called, Lune and Helixos. They're a creature called a Celeste, and they're unimaginably powerful and evil." Lightningstorm didn't sound sure of herself.

"But… they haven't hurt anyone," Darkmoon pointed out as Breezeswirl nodded along with what she said.

"But... they…" Lightningstorm's voice weakened and her eyes flashed white again.

"You'd better seriously think about this, Scarletfire's only ever helped me," Breezeswirl said, and Wavecrash nodded, flicking her ear in agreement with what her sister said.

"So has Ripple," Darkmoon agreed, his green eyes burning with conviction.

"...and Pondfrost," he reluctantly agreed. _Even though she was at fault for the battle between the four Clans, has only ever confused and lied to me, I trust her._

Lightningstorm's eyes finally lost the white shine and reverted to dull yellow.

"You're probably right. Maybe Whiteshadow's just some crazy old StarClanner… what would she know?"

 _Thank you for helping her,_ Lune murmured to him.

 **~Pondfrost**


	90. The End Begins - Part 4

**So this is it. Finally wrapping up something that's been in the works for so long that I'm delighted and relieved to finally unveil it.**

 **The next four chapters will likely be similar. I'll be posting them all at the same time because of this.**

Chapter 88.

"Alright. Start talking."

"What, no introductions? Not even a hi?" the strange tom, Helixos teased.

"Hi. I'm Darkmoon. Start talking," she snapped, not in the mood for games. _Look I just murdered four cats, can we not banter?_

He tossed his head in a manner that reminded her of another tom she knew. "Have it your way."

"But- like, can we maybe go somewhere else?" she stammered, glancing around. _Keep it aggressive, loud, don't let it in…_ but the feeling of the tom's blood spattering across her chest, the roar of the earth as it ripped open was creeping back in…

He narrowed his eyes then gave her a pitying smile. "I didn't consider that. Of course." He dipped his head, then with a swish of his tail the ground fell away beneath them and they reappeared in the green-leaf twolegs place that was currently deserted, the odd lumps of melting snow sprinkled across the clearing.

"Who are you and why are you here?" she asked bluntly, trying not to be fazed by the demonstration of power. _I knew there was_ something _up with him, but this is straight-up Dovewing teleportation..._

"As I said, I'm Helixos, and I'm here to explain to you the history of… what did he tell you he was called?" The tom tilted his swirling head upwards in thought.

"Do you mean Ripple?"

"Oh, that makes it rather easy, then. The history of Ripplestar."

 _So he was leader,_ she thought. _Of ShadowClan?_

"N- He was leader of RiverClan," Helixos began. "But the story truly starts when he was an apprentice, Ripplepaw of RiverClan, with big dreams and a bigger ego."

She stifled a snort. _I will not be charmed. I will be on guard and skeptical._

"There were two she-kits in the nursery he particularly liked to spend time with." Helixos's mew was amused. "Pondkit and Scarletkit of RiverClan. Scarletkit was feisty and energetic, and clung to him every heartbeat that he was in camp."

 _Who do I know like that?_ Pressing back another sarcastic snort, she nodded for him to continue.

"While Pondkit preferred to sit in the medicine den, learning remedies." His mew quieted a whisker. Clearing his throat, he continued, "When they were apprenticed, Ripplepaw was heartbroken to see Pondkit choose the path of a medicine cat over him."

Darkmoon searched his face carefully. _So he knows the story of Ripple, is somehow linked to him, potentially damaged him beyond repair, but also cares about him?_

Helixos gave her an equally inscrutable look and continued his story. "About five moons into his apprenticeship, he was hit by a c- monster, and almost died. Pondpaw worked through the night and brought him back, though what happened during that night would change his life forever."

She cocked her head. "What happened?" It escaped before she had considered the possibility that she shouldn't let him know that she had become genuinely curious about what would happen next. _I mean, this doesn't really have… anything to do with me… but think about how mad Ripple would be if he knew that I knew about his life. Can't be mysterious and annoying anymore!_

"Well… what happened? I happened," Helixos said, with a little amused hum to himself. "I came to him, in a dream as all the best things do…" He winked at her and she frowned. "He had big dreams and a big ego, but he wouldn't get there without a little… push."

She narrowed her eyes. _This is… is he saying?_

"So I… gave him some of myself, I suppose one might say," he hedged. "As, of course you may have realized, I am incredibly powerful."

She did her best not to make a doubtful face.

He raised an eyebrow, a wisp of dark green flickering across his head and mixing with the navy blue. "Perhaps a demonstration would help. But for now, let me finish. I gave him some of my life, and he recovered thanks to Pondpaw and… me of course. He was made a warrior, and Pondpaw received her full medicine name despite only having trained for a few moons."

 _Only a few moons?_ Something didn't sit well with her. _That… could she possibly have all the training required? How could she serve as a medicine cat after a few moons? At most, 'a few' means_ maybe _four! Medicine cats train for eight or more!_

"Her sister was still chasing him, of course," Helixos said, sighing. "Pondfrost and Ripplesky grew closer, and the aging leader appointed Ripplesky deputy."

Her breath caught in her throat. "How long after he was made a warrior?"

"Not long enough for many cats," Helixos said, amused. "There were… murmurs. Rumours. Fear-mongering would be apt."

She narrowed her eyes. _Fear-mongering? Is he saying that cats were nervous about the fact that their deputy had only been a warrior for a few moons and that their leader was old and it was possible that in a few moons they might have a fifteen-moons old leader? Because that's not fear-mongering, that's perfectly understandable! In fact, they probably didn't get far enough if they hadn't been able to get the leader to renounce their decision!_

"Even a tiny fraction of me in a cat would be enough to qualify them as supreme leader of all four Clans," he said, almost a hint of defensiveness in his tone. "He understood more about the world than the cats in his Clan and all the others combined. Despite him being young, _I_ am no such thing."

She squinted at him. "How… old are you…?"

Sweeping on, ignoring her question entirely, he continued, "Pondfrost was having trouble as well. She was a gifted medicine cat, undoubtedly, and yet it came at a cost. She was so tightly connected to… StarClan, she began to lose the distinction between visions, reality, what she'd heard, what she knew to be the future…"

Darkmoon felt a cold breath of wind run across her pelt. _She couldn't… their medicine cat was mad?_

"She wasn't mad!" he snapped, seeming to lose his suave composure in an instant.

"Can you read my mind?" she retorted instantly.

He stared at her, cold white stars giving away nothing. After several moments… "Yes."

"What happened between Ripplesky and Pondfrost?" she asked quietly.

He took a deep breath and seemed to ease. It was difficult to tell, his outline did not stay still, his eyes betrayed nothing, and his mouth was still fixed in the half-smirk. "They fell in love. Well… they were already in love. But they… things changed. They were unable to be away from each other for long. Eventually the leader died and Ripplesky became Ripplestar. Pondfrost and Ripplestar travelled to the moonpool together and finally told each other what they'd needed to say all along."

She fought off a yawn. _Elders tale stuff._

"And then he appointed her sister deputy," Helixos said dryly. "Honestly, that tom… Pondfrost was not pleased to say the least. Her furious jealousy was only staunched when they began to go to the moonpool together often. She didn't need guidance from StarClan; instead of wasting time there, they spent a night every moon together."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Pondfrost realized she was with kits and Ripplestar broke it off," Helixos said heavily, and Darkmoon sighed, having predicted it. "She was furious, and the situation was exacerbated when he became mates with her sister Scarletfire, the deputy."

Darkmoon winced. _I know this happened in the past, but how incredibly mouse-brained do you have to be to not realize that's a bad idea?_

Helixos took a deep breath, like what happened next had affected him deeply. "Pondfrost… saw a future. It was coming closer every day. Ripplestar was doomed to be killed at the claws of vicious rogues."

"But he was leader, why didn't he have nine lives?" she interjected.

He looked at her, inscrutable white eyes shining.

"He did."

A howl of anguished agony tore through the area, ringing.

Darkmoon leapt backwards, startled and terrified.

"Sorry, shouldn't have done that without warning you," he admitted, tossing his head and purring in amusement.

She fluffed out her pelt and frowned at him. "Ripplestar died then? But you said Pondfrost saw the future. Why didn't she warn him?"

"Oh, because she wanted him to die!" he exclaimed. "He had betrayed her and she was hurt enough to want him gone forever."

"And her kits?" Darkmoon wanted to know.

He shrugged, sending ribbons of orange and green across his shoulders. "I don't know. Ripplesky was my sight into this world, and when he was killed, I was cut off."

"And you're back because he's back," she guessed, narrowing her eyes. "Why is he back? What's the point of all this?"

He hummed to himself like he was contemplating the question, though she didn't trust that impression and suspected he had already planned this entire conversation.

"Well, he was there to help you, just like Pondfrost is helping Wavecrash, Scarletfire is… uh, _affecting_ Breezeswirl, and Whiteshadow, the mother of Pondfrost and Scarletfire, is speaking to Lightningstorm," he said nonchalantly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up." She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "Are you telling me that the bee-brained, future-seeing murderer has been… 'helping' Wavecrash…? Honestly, that would explain a lot."

Helixos gave her a wry look. Or at least, she was fairly sure he did. "Indeed. She is… zealous."

"But… Scarletfire and Whiteshadow? When you say, like, helping and 'affecting' or whatever… do you mean talking to them in their heads the same way Ripple- Ripplesky, I guess, talks to me?" she said slowly.

"Hm." He cocked his head. "Whiteshadow and Pondfrost, yes, Scarletfire took… a different path."

"What do you mean?" she pressed.

"She chose to be reincarnated and lose her silver memories," he said simply. "Ah yes; silver memories was a term StarClan began to use and we picked up that refers to memories of past lives. Few cats possess silver memories."

"So… Pondfrost and Whiteshadow and Ripple all remember what happened between them, but Scarletfire's forgotten?" Darkmoon attempted to straighten it out. "Because she's alive… again?"

He shrugged. "Something like that."

The lack of a straight answer made her fur itch, but she reminded herself that he was the one tom who had bothered to tell her what was going on.

"Well, how does that set _you_ apart? Every StarClan resident remembers what happened in their past life," she challenged.

"It's worth remembering that I'm not Ripplestar. We are… similar, I suppose you could say. I initially favoured him because of the potential I saw, and so a piece of me is within him," he explained. "I am infinitely-"

"Yeah, yeah," she snorted. "So you can jump around and you look weird. So what? This is probably just a weird dream."

His head slowly tilted. "It isn't."

"Prove it."

"How am I supposed to simultaneously prove that this is the waking world and that I am capable of bending it to my will?" he challenged, his tone even.

"Bring us to Lionsun in the medicine den," she commanded.

He frowned at her tone, then shrugged. "Very well. We'll have to be invisible so as not to upset her."

With a flick of his orange and blue tail, the world spun away and reappeared in the familiar dark alcove of the ShadowClan medicine den. The dark golden form of Darkmoon's sister was curled around herself in a moss den.

"She has a concussion," Helixos offered. She signalled for him to shut up.

"Lionsun?" she murmured.

"We can't affect the world at the moment; otherwise she'd scent us and hear us and so forth," he informed her.

Glancing back irritably at him, she returned to her sister and stared at her for a few moments, then murmured, "If you know that she has a concussion, do you also know why it's not healing?"

His expression quirked and the tiniest smirk flickered across his mouth. "Hm, hm, hm, why indeed? Well, usually a migraine and a concussion coinciding result in incredible pain, and that was rather more than a migraine for her."

She fought off the urge to bare her teeth at him as he continued with the vague and mysterious proclamations. _You're not Ripplestar, my tail._

"Why. Isn't. It. Healing," she spat.

He paused and gave her what she could best describe as a wounded look. "My arrival caused unfortunate effects upon all those that are descended from cats that had pieces of my soul within them."

She nodded. _So Lionsun must be descended somehow from a RiverClan cat?_ Her conversation with Olivewolf was creeping back and she shut it out immediately. _No. No. There was probably just some inter-Clan that resu-_

Her mind halted mid-thought as it came upon an essential impossibility.

"But I never had any 'effect' from your arrival," she murmured.

"Some feel it more strongly than others," he said lightly, but his star-white eyes narrowed a hair.

"If we're littermates, we're descended from the same cats," she said slowly. "So we should have the same strength in effect… Are you saying-"

Darkmoon lost her balance as her body went limp and collapsed sideways.

The world went black.

…

When Darkmoon awoke, her head ached.

"Wake up," a low urgent voice pleaded, familiar.

"Helixos?" she mumbled.

"Darkmoon, do you remember the badger?" the brightly coloured tom asked slowly.

"Badger?" She squinted at him.

The last thing she remembered before the darkness ate it up was asking Helixos why Lionsun's concussion wasn't healing. After that… nothing. It was like the memory had been shredded.

"What happened?" she murmured groggily. "There was a badger?"

Helixos stared at her, puzzled, then said, "We heard a scream, so we went to investigate and found Mudblaze being attacked by a badger. I destroyed the badger and erased her memory of the encounter. The moment after she'd left, thinking she was just patrolling as normal, you collapsed."

She lay there shocked for several heartbeats before trying to get to her paws. With a dull, final thump, her headache retreated and she blinked the world clear.

"You… erased her memories?" she repeated.

"I didn't want to have to explain everything to her as well," he replied, shrugging. "But you truly don't remember… anything?"

"I…" she frowned. "I asked you why Lionsun's concussion wasn't healing properly. Then I don't remember anything, no."

"That was when we heard the scream," he said quickly, then cocked his head. "Maybe when I changed Mudblaze's memories, I messed up yours too."

She absorbed that. _I saw her almost die_ again _? She's gotta have the worst luck in the four Clans._ In spite of herself, she began to laugh with a touch of hysteria. _StarClan. Foxes, lakes, now badgers, she's not safe anywhere._

"Why are you laughing?" he said, almost concerned.

"I just- it's nothing," she replied, shaking her head. "Well, at least there's no explaining to have to do. Thanks for getting rid of the badger."

"Not a problem," he assured her. "That could have been an excellent test of my power if you hadn't forgotten, just like that."

"But Duskblaze won't remember it either, so that would prove something," she reasoned. _Unless he's making the entire thing up,_ some tiny voice piped up, before squealing as it was forcibly quieted by something.

"I don't suppose there's another test you require me to pass?" he asked dryly.

"...No. I think that's enough," she relented. "But… what do I do now? I should probably go back to camp… will Duskblaze even remember seeing me here?"

"Probably not," he replied. "Unless something else went wrong besides you also being affected by the memory change."

"All powerful and can't manage one cat's memories," she muttered sardonically, knowing at this point that it was easy to get under his fur by insinuating lack of power.

He chuckled, but it was low enough to give her a little shiver. _Okay, so maybe don't provoke the immensely powerful tom._

"What am I supposed to do with all this information," she challenged.

"Help Wavecrash, Breezeswirl, and Lightningstorm," he said simply. "They've all been receiving similar information. You have missing pieces to help the full picture come together."

"And when am I going to do this?"

"The Gathering tonight. You'll all be there."

…

ShadowClan was the first to the Gathering island.

Darkmoon shifted uncomfortably, her Clanmates chattering around her, oblivious to the turmoil she was in. _If I mention it but he was wrong, I'm going to look like I'm crazy. But is it worth the risk? He said I have the missing pieces… does that mean they already know part of it? If Wavecrash has been talking to Pondfrost in his head all along, he probably knows…_

"Darkmoon!"

 _Great StarClan._

Rolling her eyes, she appeared beside the silver tom who apparently had decided to shout her name at the two Clans. "You could look for me like a normal tom instead of yowling my name until I deign to show up," she told him dryly.

"Had any interesting conversations lately?" he asked her bluntly.

Narrowly avoiding rolling her eyes at him again, she merely stared him down, searching his blue eyes for a hint about Pondfrost. _Might as well face the badger head-on._

"Have you heard the name Pondfrost before by any chance?" She jutted her chin out, waiting for his answer.

"So it was true." A gleam of amusement glittered in the icy blue depths of his eyes.

"Apparently," she replied evenly, trying to assess how much he knew. _I mean, he couldn't have gotten much information out of her if she was a total nut._

"How much do you know?" he began, but they were interrupted as another she-cat strolled up.

 _Lightningstorm._ She avoided a hiss by a whisker.

"I might be able to answer some of your questions," she declared self-importantly.

 _Really? What would Whiteshadow know? Their mother had nothing to do with any of this._ She stifled a snort. "You too?"

Wavecrash squinted at her. "Did everyone…"

The scent of WindClan rolled over the island. _Breezeswirl._ Her heart slowed a little and she took a deep breath.

"You three," the golden tom called out.

"Hello Breezepaw," she greeted him out of habit. _Oh right, his warrior name._

"I actually got my warrior name," he informed her redundantly.

"I know, it's Breezeswirl, Whiteshadow told me," Lightningstorm cut in.

 _You were_ super _not part of that conversation,_ she thought irritably. _Why does she always have to-_

"Whiteshadow?" The tremble in Breezeswirl voice made Darkmoon cock her head. _Wait. Wasn't Scarletfire the one with him, but without her memories? So how in StarClan's name does_ he _know anything about what's going on?_

"Wait, wait, just what does every cat know? Because Pondfrost told me-" Wavecrash began before Breezeswirl cut him off.

"Pondfrost? Like, Scarletfire's sister, Pondfrost?" Breezeswirl's jaw dropped as he spoke. _What?! So he_ does _know who Pondfrost is. But how? Scarletfire shouldn't have any of her silver memories!_ Darkmoon's head hurt just trying to sort through it. "Er, not Scarletfire, Scarletstar."

"Ripple told me about them. Ripplesky, that is," she added. _I know what's going on, I'm part of this._  
"Okay, let me straighten this out," Lightningstorm cut in again. Darkmoon dug her claws into the ground. _You're not involved!_ "Whiteshadow told me that all three of you would be visited by three cats, Pondfrost, Scarletfire, and Ripplestar, as you've said. They told you each of their life's stories?"

"Yes," she replied. _Well, Helixos visited me. But she wouldn't understand about him._

"She did," Breezeswirl agreed.

"Yeah," Wavecrash finished.

"Okay, I've had Whiteshadow talking to me in my head for the past few moons," she revealed.

"The same way I've had Pondfrost?" Wavecrash sounded surprised, but Darkmoon merely nodded.

 _I knew this already. I knew this._ "And Ripple?" She feigned a note of surprise and suppressed her amusement. _So none of them know the truth. Then I suppose it's up to me to enlighten them._

Breezeswirl's face was scrunched in confusion.

 _Scarletfire was reincarnated, not in his head. They also don't know that,_ she remembered. _I suppose I was lucky to get Ripple, who had a connection to someone actually useful._

"Um, no…" Breezeswirl said slowly. "Scarletfire, not the ex-rogue, the leader, I've never talked to her in my life. I don't know…"

 _Breezeswirl, I love you, but they look exactly the same and have the same names. Did you really not make the connection?_

"Okay, but for Ripple and Pondfrost," Lightningstorm said quickly, like she was trying to take back control. "Whiteshadow's been talking to me the same way." _I highly doubt that,_ Darkmoon commented to herself just as Wavecrash let out a snort. "And she's told me plenty about what's going on just recently. Listen; Wavecrash, Breezeswirl, and Darkmoon. You weren't actually visited by the cat, were you? You were visited by some kind of brightly flashing feline creature?"

Darkmoon's breath caught in her throat. _How… how does she know about Helixos? Is Whiteshadow…_ Clearing her throat, she replied nonchalantly, "Yes."

"That's right… she took over rogue-Scarletfire…" Breezeswirl confessed nervously. _What?! She?_ Darkmoon's heart skipped a beat. _But… that's impossible. There's nothing like Helixos in the world._

"No? It was still Pondfrost," Wavecrash interjected.

 _Of course only Breezeswirl and I would be visited. Wavecrash has plenty to deal with having the mad medicine cat of RiverClan._ Darkmoon snorted to herself.

"What?" Lightningstorm squawked, seeming to be taken off-guard. "Really? What was your meeting with her like?"

"The whole world went black and white and she came up," he told them.

"What does Pondfrost's pelt look like?" Lightningstorm suddenly demanded.

 _Gray and silver dappled,_ Darkmoon said to herself. "Gray and silver dappled," Wavecrash told her.

"Did your pelt change at all when the world went black and white?" Lightningstorm asked, her yellow eyes narrowing in thought.

"It was all in shades of gray, and I'm already silver," he replied quietly.

"So, if a cat was many bright colours dappled together in a pelt, they would appear as gray dappled instead?" Lightningstorm exclaimed. Darkmoon fought off a yawn. _What does this have to do with anything? Who cares what Pondfrost looked like?_

"Are you saying…"

 _Shut up, you stupid kit._

"That wasn't Pondfrost," she declared triumphantly. As her gaze swivelled to Darkmoon and Breezeswirl, her yellow eyes seemed to reflect white light for a moment. "What did their eyes look like?"

"White."

Darkmoon felt her hackles raise in warning as she spoke in tandem with the other two.

"Like stars," Wavecrash added.  
"Listen… you can't trust them," Lightningstorm suddenly stated.

 _Okay, well now she's lost it._ Darkmoon bared her teeth. "What?!"

 _Helixos told me the truth. He's explained it to me. He's been far more useful than any other cat ever has. I don't know who Lightningstorm thinks she is that she can just push her way into my life more than she already has and decide who I can and can't trust. I can decide very well for myself, thank you!_

"What do you mean?" Breezeswirl snapped, and Darkmoon had a little smile at how hurt Lightningstorm looked when the WindClan tom lashed out at her.

"She's only every helped me," Wavecrash snapped. _They've only ever helped all of us!_

Remembering Mudblaze, Darkmoon snarled, "He saved my friend's life!" _Twice._

"What- _exactly_ -did they tell you?" Lightningstorm asked nervously, seeming to be caving beneath the furious gazes of the other three. "Wavecrash, start with Pondfrost."

Darkmoon took a deep breath and glanced at the silver tom. _I'd like to hear the story from the point of view of the mad cat._

"She… was a normal kit." Wavecrash's voice wavered slightly, but after a moment, he closed his eyes and seemed to settle into the story like it had been told to him a hundred times. "She liked helping out in the medicine den and listening to the medicine cat explain herbs and illnesses, but she also liked when the apprentice, Ripplepaw, came and taught her sister Scarletpaw and her battle moves…"

"Ripple told me that," Darkmoon interjected, feeling weirdly irritated at how Lightningstorm had fixed her gaze on Wavecrash.

"One day, just after they were apprenticed, a weird change took over both of them. They had headaches frequently, and complained of strange dreams. They became more violent, and less inclined to listen to their superiors. Whatever it was, Scarletfire wasn't as strongly affected, because over time the effect waned and she was only prone to violent outbursts and ruthlessness." Breezeswirl looked troubled as Wavecrash continued through the story, his voice getting quieter and more intense.

"But… Pondfrost had migraines, usually accompanied by visions of the future, or the present that she shouldn't have known about. She knew the leader had greencough, and sneaked herbs to her when she refused to go to the medicine cat about it." Wavecrash paused as a smile split his face. _He has an attachment to her of some kind. I mean… who wouldn't, I suppose? Even with the… oddness, she was brilliant and courageous._ "Pondfrost was apprenticed to the medicine cat, and Scarletpaw trained as a warrior apprentice. Though Pondfrost hardly ever listened to her mentor, she had an intuition for the uses of herbs and had such frequent visions that the medicine cat assumed she was somehow favoured by StarClan. Her sister seemed to be recovering from whatever struck them, only having an occasional fainting spell or violent outburst, but Pondfrost had frequent seizures and once slept through two days. About halfway into her apprenticeship, Pondpaw was pushing her mentor to let her become a full medicine cat despite the short amount of time she had been training. One day, Ripplesky was hit by a monster and the medicine cat decided it was in StarClan's paws." Wavecrash growled the last few words, his face darkening. Darkmoon felt a shudder of pain as she recalled the collision and the incredible agony.

"Pondpaw refused to give up and worked without rest through the night. The medicine cat awoke to him stabilized and ascribed it to her prayers. Pondpaw told her angrily that she had healed him, not the medicine cat's _prayers_. The medicine cat finally caved and appointed Pondfrost a full medicine cat. Pondfrost started to lose control of herself. Ripplesky was made deputy, and Pondfrost, in her moments of lucidity, noticed that Scarletfire was jealous of her closeness with Ripplesky, who had also undergone a change." Darkmoon began to think she might know what had caused that.

"He had grown a strange amount, and stood taller than most of the senior warriors. His blows had more power, and his reflexes were faster than a scared mouse. He was brilliantly intelligent too-"

"Is it Pondfrost or you in love with him?" Breezeswirl cut in, glowering at her sister.

Wavecrash fluffed out his pelt and sized up Breezeswirl, who reared up and slammed both front paws into his chest, pushing him backwards. As he did so, Wavecrash surged forwards and forced the other tom to the ground.

 _She's a better fighter than I remember. Why would she ever choose to be a medicine cat?_

"Knock it off," she snapped at them, a cool tone of command that was entirely unfamiliar to her rising.

Wavecrash stood and shook out his pelt, tossing his headly arrogantly like he was unfazed by the scrap.

"A short time after he was made deputy, the leader died and he travelled to the moonstone with Pondfrost to receive his nine lives. They confessed love to each other at the moonpool, but when they returned to camp, Ripplestar appointed Pondfrost's sister Scarletfire deputy. Pondfrost was furiously jealous, but kept it to herself." Wavecrash's icy blue eyes were fixed on Breezeswirl, narrowed to slits. "Under the guise of needing counsel from StarClan, they travelled to the moonpool to be together every moon. Pondfrost realized she was with kits, and her apprentice was going to notice. Ripplestar cut things off with her around the same time that she got a prophecy telling her that Ripplestar was in danger from an outside threat."

Wavecrash's gaze found its way to Darkmoon's. There seemed to be something further passing between the two pairs of green eyes.

"Pondfrost realized it was the vicious rogues that lurked by the twolegsplace border, and was going to tell Ripplestar, then realized he was mates with her sister, and decided to withhold it. He was found torn apart by rogues. All nine lives gone. Horrified, Pondfrost ran away and gave birth in a twolegs garden. Her kits were found by the rogues and killed, presumably."

Breezeswirl and Lightningstorm had gone silent, but Wavecrash and Darkmoon were still staring at each other.

 _I'm sorry_.

But she didn't know what for.

"That's pretty much the same thing I heard…" Breezeswirl interrupted before she could attempt to piece back together the source of the feeling. "But it continued after Pondfrost disappeared. Scarletfire was deputy and became Scarletstar, heartbroken and furious. She attacked WindClan over and over, and her lives fell one by one in battle, until her third at which point her father, Spiderfall, was killed in battle."

Lightningstorm's eyes widened. "Her mother Whiteshadow ran away."

"She also had Ripplestar's kits at some point. Only one made it through kithood, Flarekit, who grew into the warrior Flarespark, and then deputy, and eventually leader once Scarletstar was finally killed." Scarletfire's eyes were fixed on him, and he felt a stab of pain at the knowledge he couldn't help his daughter through life.

"Darkmoon, anything else?" As though a dream had been shattered, she jolted back.

"Wavecrash, you know when you said that Ripplesky started to… change? Became stronger, faster, smarter?" Wavecrash's form was wavering in front of her. He looked… different, somehow. She couldn't place it. His broad shoulders were tapering into slightly more slender… _Focus._ "When he was unconscious, the same tom that told me all this, Helixos-"

Lightningstorm squeaked like a mouse being killed.

Biting off a snarl, she finished, "Gave him the strength to fulfill his ambitions."

"Possessed him!" Lightningstorm exclaimed.

In one motion, Darkmoon's claws slid out, her lips curled back, her ears flattened, her eyes slitted, and she tensed to spring at Lightningstorm. "What," she spat.

"Don't any of you get it?" Lightningstorm's mew verged on contemptuous, and Darkmoon fought off a dark laugh. _She has no idea what she's playing at._ "Those two, Lune and Helixos, they're- they're monsters! They don't have any cat's best interests at heart, they just think it's fun to play with mortals!"

"But-" Breezeswirl attempted to cut in.

"Whiteshadow told me!" Lightningstorm snapped.

 _Whiteshadow knows nothing. She told me to stay away. She thought I was dangerous. She couldn't have known it was her fault, her fault, she tried to stop me because she thought_ I _was the problem…_

"What would she know?" Wavecrash snarled.

"She's not poisoned by the Celestes!" Lightningstorm exclaimed desperately.

"The what?" Breezeswirl repeated. _Celestes? Did all the fat from the squirrels finally go to her brain?_

"That's what they're called, Lune and Helixos. They're a creature called a Celeste, and they're unimaginably powerful and evil," she said, sounding on the verge of tears. Her voice was shaking and getting quieter as though something in her throat was blocking it.

"But.. they haven't hurt anyone," Darkmoon told her firmly. _She'll get it. She's just particularly mouse-brained._

"But… they…" she choked. A moment later, pure white light shone from her eyes.

"You'd better seriously think about this. Scarletfire's only ever helped me," Breezeswirl chimed in.

"So has Ripple." Darkmoon felt sure of herself now. _Just because awful things happened to them and they happened to have pieces of Celeste soul… that means nothing._

"...and Pondfrost," Wavecrash acquiesced.

"You're probably right," Lightningstorm murmured, her eyes dulling once more. "Maybe Whiteshadow's just some crazy old StarClanner… what would she know?"

 _Not enough to save Pondfrost,_ Ripplestar thought to himself.

 **~Pondfrost**


	91. Lightning: Family Ties

**Hey everybody!  
At last, December has come and NaNo WriMo is over. Which… I didn't participate in! Haha, sorry! November first, I realized my mental health was crumbling and I had to take a break before I exploded. November ended up really good for me; I've been reading a lot more and getting proper amounts of sleep, et cetera. Now I'm back to fanfiction, feeling rejuvenated and ready to go! I'll write my book eventually, but I'm not going to throw myself off a bridge to do it.**

 **We're back to Lightningstorm! After the last chapter… whoooooo boy.**

Chapter 89.

When Lightningstorm woke up, the sun had barely risen.

She raised her head from her nest, taking in the sight of her Clanmates all slumbering peacefully around her, and lightly stepped out of the warriors den, intent on not disturbing them.

She could barely remember the Gathering, just the flashes of anger and the deep, fearful need to warn Wavecrash, Breezeswirl, and Darkmoon about… something. _Suppose it can't be all that important if I don't even remember it,_ she figured, glad that the tense and painful burden had been lifted from her mind.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced at the apprentice's den, waiting. _She can't already be up, right?_

"Hi! Good morning!" Rainbowpaw exclaimed cheerfully and Lightningstorm fought a grunt of annoyance.

So far, her apprentice had woken up ahead of her every single day. _It shouldn't bother me that much, right? She's not trying to show me up on purpose. She better not be._

"Aren't you chipper," Lightningstorm muttered, stretching.

"Excited to train, that's all!" her apprentice exclaimed, bouncing around her. "Hunting, fighting, come on, what are we doing today?"

Rather than answering, Lightningstorm's jaws stretched open in a wide yawn. She'd been on evening patrol that had run longer when they'd tried to track down rogue scents around the outer border and hadn't gotten a full night of rest. _Today's going to be awful,_ she thought, resigned.

"We'll… um, we'll go hunting," she decided.

"Awesome!" Rainbowpaw cheered. Lightningstorm wasn't sure whether to appreciate her apprentice's enthusiasm or continue to be grumpy. _Grumpiness never helped anyone,_ she told herself firmly. _Can't be a sulky apprentice anymore; there are things to do._

The Clan was beginning to wake; Daisytail stumbled out of the warriors den, bleary-eyed, and the dawn patrol set out as Blackpool began to assign patrols for the day.

"Lightningstorm." It was Slatecloud, padding out of the warriors den looking like she'd crawled out of a grave.

"Slatecloud! What… happened?" she asked nervously, unnerved by the sight of her put-together sister so dishevelled.

"Didn't sleep well," she said, brushing it off. "Are you taking Rainbowpaw hunting? Stormpaw and I were going to go hunting as well, shall we make it joint?"

"S- sure," Lightningstorm muttered, unable to release her concern over her sister's appearance so quickly.

As Slatecloud went to fetch her apprentice, Lightningstorm puzzled over the flimsy excuse. _She knows she can tell me if something's wrong. Right? I mean, I know I've been kind of… selfish or whatever… but she'd still tell me what's up. I think. I hope._

"Oh!" Rainbowpaw exclaimed, also watching Slatecloud.

"What?!" Lightningstorm snapped, a little more harshly then she meant to, spinning to face her apprentice, almost hungry for any observation the perceptive she-cat had made.

"Um, nevermind," her apprentice said. "She- nevermind."

 _What?_ Rainbowpaw had clearly noticed something about Slatecloud, something _surprising._ What could it have been? What could she have noticed that she wouldn't tell her mentor?

"Stormpaw?" Slatecloud called, her naturally raspy voice even more crackly than usual.

"Good morning," Stormpaw greeted, the gray tabby padding out of the den with an obviously carefully groomed pelt. _Never would have placed her as the kind to really take care of her pelt,_ Lightningstorm thought to herself, shrugging. _But I guess cats surprise you._

She was suddenly struck with the odd sense of something missing. _Isn't… wouldn't…_ It felt like there was something that would normally follow her thoughts, but… it was strange. Like a woolly cavern wall that she couldn't push past. _Why…_

As she pushed harder, her head began to hurt so she relented and shrugged. _It's probably nothing._

"Where do you want to hunt?" Slatecloud asked, beginning to sound like her normal self once more.

"Uh…" _Am I supposed to have picked out a place ahead of time? Wait, do mentors usually plan what they're going to do for their apprentices in advance? Or is it just Slatecloud? But she'll still expect me to know…_ "The- the, um, the abandoned twolegs nest," she covered quickly, figuring the den of voles would be a lucrative hunting trip. "Should be easy enough to practice stalking."

Slatecloud nodded and Lightningstorm felt oddly relieved. _I shouldn't be trying to impress my own sister, right? Agh… It's just like being kits again._

As they set off, easy conversation flowed between Slatecloud and Stormpaw. _Wow. She's only been training her for like a moon, and they sound like they're so close…_ Lightningstorm sighed. _Wish it was that easy with Rainbowpaw._

"Um, so, did you have a good time at the Gathering?" she asked.

"I… I didn't go," Rainbowpaw informed her, cocking an eyebrow. "You knew that. Did you? What are the other Clans like?"

"Well, ShadowClan cats aren't _evil_ like some nursery tales would lead you to believe," Lightningstorm told her, but her voice tightened as she remembered from all those moons ago in the battle of RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan against ThunderClan, Darkmoon - Darkpaw at the time - with her amber eyes dark and blazing, tearing… _Most of them aren't._ "They just fight to win. RiverClan are kind of high and mighty sometimes, since they haven't been humbled by big prey shortages or anything… They're interesting though. WindClan…" she fought a sigh. "They're good cats. WindClan and ThunderClan have often been allies in the past. They're kind of the opposite of RiverClan, really."

She wasn't sure how much of this she was basing off of actual information and history and how much was based off what she knew about Wavecrash, Breezeswirl, and Darkmoon.

"WindClan have fought for everything they have and they protect it fiercely. They have few trees on their territory, so not hiding stuff is kind of a big thing for them." This was mostly stuff that Blackpool had taught her.

"What about SkyClan?" Rainbowpaw murmured.

"Ah. The fifth Clan, that was wiped out during the blue-cough plague," Lightningstorm recounted, now entirely speaking from memory. "They lived among the trees and hunted mostly birds. Never a very resilient Clan; seemed like StarClan wanted them gone. They only made it to the lake with the help of the other Clans, and survived off of territory that they took from others… so it was really for the best when they were finally gone."

Rainbowpaw fell silent. Lightningstorm caught wind of bits of Stormpaw and Slatecloud's conversation. They seemed to be debating grapples versus swipes.

The blue-cough plague had always been something that no cat wanted to talk about in detail. It had left the four Clans that survived it crippled and weakened, and the wars that erupted over the smallest disagreements had consequences that could wipe out entire Clans. Though Lightningstorm had not seen the plague at its worst, she had known since a kit the reason behind the flash of terror in cats' eyes as Dawnsplash told them they had greencough, fearful of something worse.

"I wonder if they'll ever come back," Rainbowpaw mused.

"I don't see how they could," Lightningstorm said dismissively. "The last couple survivors joined the remaining Clans or went rogue. They're long gone."

"But if some cats decided they didn't want to be part of the Clans anymore… and formed a new one…" Rainbowpaw said distractedly, then flinched as a lump of melted snow landed on her head.

"StarClan disagrees," Lightningstorm commented, amused, and when Rainbowpaw shook the snow off her head, she smoothed her apprentice's head-fur with a couple of quick rasps of her tongue. "I don't think any Clan is bad enough that cats want to leave it."

 _Is she hinting at something?_ Lightningstorm wondered, squinting at her apprentice. _Is she unhappy in ThunderClan?_ Observing the calico, she decided no, it was probably just curiosity.

"We'll do official Clan history training," Lightningstorm promised, thinking of the lazy leaf-fall sun-highs spent with Blackpool going over the line of succession of each Clan, battles, and truces. "That'll probably answer your questions."

Rainbowpaw nodded, a determined gleam in her bright blue eyes. "I'll look forward to it."

 _What an odd cat. No apprentice likes Clan history training,_ Lightningstorm thought with a frown. Vixenleap always complained loudly, but Lightningstorm knew her sister delighted in winding up her elderly mentor, Halfear.

With a stab of guilt, Lightningstorm became cognizant of the fact that she would have preferred to have spent the morning training with Vixenleap and her apprentice rather than Slatecloud. _I love both of them,_ she told herself firmly. _I just find it easier to get along with Vixenleap._ She remembered Slatecloud's outburst the day of their ceremonies with a flinch. _Is that what that was about? Vixenleap and I being close?_

Again, there was the odd sense that something was missing… from her thoughts? No… _Something else,_ Lightningstorm thought, racking her brain for what it might be.

She came up empty-pawed and shrugged to herself. _Can't be that important._

…

"Tail down," Lightningstorm murmured, a whisker above inaudible. "Draw your hindlegs in a little tighter for a more powerful jump."

Rainbowpaw flicked her ear in response, making the adjustments almost imperceptibly slowly.

The vole continued to nibble on a stem, blissfully unaware.

 _Crack._

"Great job!" Lightningstorm congratulated as Rainbowpaw stood, the broken brown body hanging from her jaws.

"They're still slow from leaf-bare," Rainbowpaw mumbled, though there was a glitter of pleasure from Lightningstorm's praise in her blue eyes.

"All the better for us," Lightningstorm said, feeling a little more cheerful now that she knew a warm meal wasn't far off. "I think there are still a couple more over by that side."

Rainbowpaw nodded, lowering into the crouch once more.

"Try to go more forwards than upwards," Slatecloud directed Stormpaw.

"How?" The gray tabby sat up, frustration gleaming in her yellow gaze.

"Dig your paws in like this, like you're pushing off a riverbank into water," Slatecloud told her, drawing her tail across her apprentice's pads to nudge them into place.

Stormpaw's yellow eyes were fixed on Slatecloud with an odd intensity.

 _Huh?_ Lightningstorm squinted at them, trying to figure out what had just passed between the two she-cats.

"I got another one!" Rainbowpaw exclaimed, breaking into the tension of the moment.

"Yeah, great," she said distractedly.

Rainbowpaw's lips pursed silently, and the calico turned on her heel to get into a hunting crouch once more. "I'll get more," she muttered.

Lightningstorm finally glanced away and shook out her pelt. "Sorry- you, um, great, two's good!"

Rainbowpaw was determined though, and it wasn't longer before she was creeping up on another vole. Just as she tensed to leap, the wind changed and the prey bolted.

"Mouse-dung," Rainbowpaw spat, immediately bringing her head up to scent the air once more.

"Rainbowpaw, two's plenty, why don't we go back?" Lightningstorm suggested futilely.

Her apprentice ignored her, crouching.

"The rest are probably scared away," Lightningstorm warned her as Rainbowpaw crept over to a spot that her mentor knew she'd already checked. "Come on. Let's go back."

"I'll get another," Rainbowpaw said through gritted teeth.

"Rainbowpaw," Lightningstorm said more firmly. "Let's go."

"I-"

"Now." It was a new tone. One she'd used maybe once or twice. Firm, low, commanding.

Rainbowpaw sat up, huffing. "I could've gotten it."

"A strong warrior perseveres, but a wise warrior knows when the prey is hiding," Lightningstorm advised her.

"You stole that from your mentor," Rainbowpaw said, a note of teasing in her voice now that the frustration had eased a little.

"I definitely did," Lightningstorm admitted, purring. "And you can pass it onto your apprentice or kits or whatever."

"Pfft. Kits."

"Not for you?"

"Absolutely not."

Lightningstorm purred, shaking her head and glancing at Stormpaw and Slatecloud. Stormpaw had a respectable couple catches, and the sisters exchanged glances, affirming that it would be enough for the morning's training.

As they padded back, Lightningstorm reflected that mentorship was actually beginning to have enjoyable moments. _Rainbowpaw's not too bad. She hasn't let talent go to her head at least. And it's easy to train a cat that's smart and strong I guess._ _Plus, how am I going to be leader if I'm not deputy, and how am I going to be deputy if I haven't had an apprentice?_

She glanced at the she-cat padding beside her with a little smile. _As long as she doesn't outgrow me or try to be deputy or anything… It might be nice to have more sisters and brothers._

It was a strange, but not unpleasant, new idea. _A bigger family._

She allowed the tentative smile to grow a little more. _After all, Fawnshade had nothing against these kits._ With one exception. _But no cat's saying I have to suddenly bring_ her _in too._

The memory of Beekit made an unpleasant shiver run through her fur. _Thankfully I already have an apprentice,_ Lightningstorm thought. _I wouldn't want to train that cat._

Granted, she knew very little about the golden and black she-kit daughter of Lightningstorm's mother and a monster seeing as she had not visited the nursery since the first litter was apprenticed, but the circumstances were such that Lightningstorm didn't think that mattered.

Lightningstorm glanced at Slatecloud and Stormpaw, deep in a hushed conversation that Lightningstorm could only hear snippets of. _Wait, did she say Oakpelt? What does he have to do with it? Is she discussing her relationship with an apprentice?_ Then again, Stormpaw and Birchpaw and Lightningstorm and her sister were only a few moons apart.

"Why don't we mark the far border while we're out here?" Slatecloud suggested suddenly.

Sighing inwardly at the idea of her meal and nap being further delayed, Lightningstorm glanced at Rainbowpaw and Stormpaw. "And carry all the prey to the border?"

"You and Rainbowpaw take it back and we'll go mark it," Slatecloud said decisively, her grayish-blue eyes brokering no arguments.

"Alright," the dark brown she-cat agreed, shrugging, and took Stormpaw's prey from the apprentice.

"I'll see you back at camp," Slatecloud said, her stiff tone easing slightly.

 _Well that was odd,_ Lightningstorm thought as she and Rainbowpaw set off towards the camp. Lightningstorm cleared her throat as a bit of fur got stuck in her throat, but couldn't rid it entirely. Huffing in frustration, she dropped the prey and tucked it under her chin and resumed walking. Rainbowpaw immediately also stopped and copied her.

"Hey… um, Lightningstorm," Rainbowpaw mumbled, uncharacteristically quiet.

"Yeah?" She glanced over at her apprentice.

"Um…" The she-cat glanced down shyly. Lightningstorm cocked her head, but didn't press her.

Seeming to have either forgotten what she was going to say or decided against saying it at all, Rainbowpaw didn't speak for another several heartbeats. They kept walking in silence.

"What was our mother like?"

That was not something she had expected.

She figured it probably should have been something that occurred to her as _maybe Rainbowpaw will ask me this_ but it still caught her off guard. Her breathing halted for a moment and she coughed.

"Fawnshade."

"Yeah. What was she… what was she like? I… I kind of remember her voice a bit." Rainbowpaw sounded so helpless and vulnerable that Lightningstorm couldn't help softening a little. _She didn't even get a chance to know her._

"She was kind." Her words caught in her throat briefly, but she cleared it again. _For Rainbowpaw's sake. She deserves to know._ "She always had a warm word. Comforting. Compassionate."

How did she sum up one of the most important cats in the world in words?

"She- she cared so much about her family, all of it, and wanted to protect us at any cost," Lightningstorm murmured. _Steer away from Thornstar,_ she told herself. "She was firm when she needed to be. She… she loved us."

Her nose burned.

"She loved us so much."

…

When Slatecloud and Stormpaw finally returned to camp, Slatecloud actually looked better than before. Lightningstorm's sister seemed to have had the opportunity to clean herself up a little on her walk with Stormpaw to the outer border.

Vixenleap hurried over to Lightningstorm and Slatecloud as they watched their apprentices take pieces of fresh-kill to eat.

"You have to help me," she hissed to them, though her amber eyes were fixed on Lightningstorm and she seemed to ignore Slatecloud. "Cloudypaw is the worst behaved apprentice I've ever seen! He acts like a kit!"

"What do you mean?" Lightningstorm asked, worried, but tried to steady Vixenleap's hysterics.

"I _mean_ he doesn't listen, he wanders off, he backtalks, and… okay, promise you don't spread this around?" Vixenleap implored her, and then when Lightningstorm nodded, continued. "He's… really mouse-brained. Like… he's very- he isn't smart."

Lightningstorm stifled a snort. _I feel like there could be worse things than an unintelligent apprentice…_ She glanced at Slatecloud, but her gray tabby sister was pursing her lips sympathetically.

"I… I don't know what I'm supposed to do. He can't do the hunting crouch, and nothing I tell him seems to stick," Vixenleap told them frustratedly.

Lightningstorm's eyes widened. They'd been training for a moon now and Cloudypaw couldn't do one of the most basic things?

"Maybe he's just not a hunter," Lightningstorm offered. "I mean, the light pelt won't do him any favours either, so… How's his fighting ability?"

Vixenleap took a deep breath, her eyes fluttering shut. "He… he's good at basic things, like swipes, but any time it gets even a little bit complex, he's giving up because it's too hard, or he's too tired, or he's- it's always a new excuse!"

Lightningstorm rested her muzzle on her sister's head and gave her a comforting lick on the ear. "He's a slow learner. That doesn't mean he'll never learn."

"But it's really hard to teach him when all he does is ignore me, or give excuses, or tell me that he- he- I don't know! He just refuses to listen! I don't think he respects me at all!"

"Calm down," Slatecloud said sternly, but it wasn't the vicious tone Lightningstorm had heard her use at her worst moments. It was almost motherly. "He _certainly_ won't respect you if you lose control of your temper every heartbeat."

Vixenleap glanced at Slatecloud, a spark of fight in her eyes, but it seemed like Cloudypaw had worn her down through the day. "You're probably right," she sighed, her eyes closing again, and she buried her face in her paws. "I- I just want to be a good mentor."

"We know you do," Lightningstorm reassured her.

It was just a reminder of the eternally empty spot in her heart that if Vixenleap had a problem, she had to go to her sisters. _Owlclaw certainly isn't going to be there for us._

But that was a closed wound. She had no more anger directed at Owlclaw, just resigned acceptance. _He wasn't a good father, but he can still be a good cat. A Clanmate. That's it._

"I don't understand Cloudypaw," Vixenleap whimpered, burying her face in Lightningstorm's brown and white pelt, the tears getting absorbed in her thick pelt. "I badly want to. I was him to be able to talk to me! And to like me! I… I don't understand how to help him!"  
Without a word, Lightningstorm began to smooth Vixenleap's pelt with long strokes, washing out the sand and grit and frustration of the day.

"It's alright, Vixenleap. It's not over, it's only been one moon. You'll help Cloudypaw," Slatecloud reassured her. "It might take longer. But that doesn't mean you can't do it at all."

"You're right," Vixenleap whispered into her sister's pelt. "I'm sorry for everything I said, Slatecloud. I didn't mean to hurt you. And even if Lightningstorm and I leave you out, we love you very much."

"I know," Slatecloud murmured. "I… It's just that after Petalpaw- er, Molly, left ThunderClan… I just didn't have many cats to turn to. And then Fawnshade… passed… and Owlclaw, well… You know. I was alone. And you two were supposed to be the ones there for me and you weren't. And that hurt."

Lightningstorm's eyes stung. "I'm sorry. I didn't know we were hurting you."

"I know," Slatecloud said softly.

"I'm sorry, Slatecloud," Vixenleap said, pulling away from Lightningstorm, her eyes red with tears. "It was just- no. I'm sorry. I'm just sorry."

A small smile cracked through Slatecloud's face. "I appreciate that."

Vixenleap nodded and rested her muzzle on Slatecloud's shoulder.

Before any of them could say anything more, their attention was drawn away by Redstar making her way slowly up the highrock. The nursing queen seemed to have almost entirely recovered from the birth and ready to reassert herself as the leader of the Clan.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, please gather beneath the highrock for a Clan meeting!" Redstar called, her voice raspy but strong.

"What's going on?" Lightningstorm murmured worriedly. "Is there a ceremony?"

Vixenleap's gaze slid over to the opening of the nursery, where a she-cat sat.

"Beekit," Slatecloud murmured, her voice hard.

The kit didn't look old enough to be apprenticed. She only about a mouse-length taller than Frostkit, Cypresskit, and Hailkit. Coupled with the fact that her golden and black pelt was scruffy and untidy, it certainly didn't _seem_ like it was her apprenticeship ceremony, but Lightningstorm wasn't sure what else it could be.

 _Actually… we don't even have many available warriors,_ Lightningstorm realized. _After those five were apprenticed…_ She watched as the Clan gathered and tried to figure out who could possibly be _that_ she-kit's mentor. _Owlclaw doesn't have an apprentice. But surely Redstar wouldn't… would she? I suppose after him… there's Redstar and Blackpool, but Blackpool's taking care of the kits, and Redstar's recovering from the birth… and so…?_

 _It's going to be Owlclaw,_ she realized. _Redstar has no choice, really._

"Today marks the day of one of my favourite duties as leader," Redstar said, but her voice sounded flat, as though she felt nothing behind the words. "Beekit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed."

The tiny kit padded towards the high rock, slowly, but glancing around as though she expected any cat to suddenly attack.

"From this day forwards until you earn your full name, you will be known as Beepaw," Redstar said, her voice barely reaching through the full cavern.

Lightningstorm wasn't watching the ceremony on the highrock though. Her gaze was pinned to Owlclaw.

"Your mentor will be Dawnsplash."

 _What?_

"I hope Dawnsplash will pass down all that she knows to you."

As the ginger and cream medicine cat hopped up onto the highrock next to the tiny golden and black she-cat, Lightningstorm was struck by the look in Beepaw's eyes.

Though they shared the golden eyes that ran in Fawnshade's family, Beepaw's were so dark in that moment that they could have passed for amber. Still, she was silent.

"Dawnsplash, you are ready to take on an apprentice and train them to be the next medicine cat of ThunderClan," Redstar said firmly, almost as though she knew Beepaw's silent disagreement. "You trained under Mapleleaf for many moons and have proven yourself to be compassionate and patient. You will be Beepaw's mentor. I expect you to pass everything you know onto her."

Beepaw was expressionless as Dawnsplash leaned over and touched her nose to her new apprentice's gingerly.

"Beepaw!"

"Beepaw!"

The customary greeting lacked enthusiasm.

Beepaw hurried down from the highrock without a word, not even bothering to glance at her siblings. She disappeared in the activity of the Clan as the rest of ThunderClan went back to their daily routines.

 _Well, good,_ Lightningstorm thought. _She won't be doing any harm when she's stuck in the medicine den all day._

"Lightningstorm," Slatecloud called her back to reality. "Would you… go for a walk with me? We can hunt a little."

The dark brown she-cat cocked her head. _We_ did _go for a walk. We were training with our apprentices earlier. Was there something she couldn't say in front of them?_

"Sure," Lightningstorm said, shrugging, then paused as her belly rumbled. "On second thought, I'd better eat something first. Do you want to share tongues and then go?"

"Certainly," Slatecloud agreed. _She's rolling out the fancy language. Something's on her mind,_ Lightningstorm thought, eyeing her sister.

Lightningstorm picked out a chipmunk. They padded over to a sunny, secluded part of the camp and sat down together.

"So what's on your mind?" Lightningstorm asked her, taking a bite of her prey.

Slatecloud sighed, her eyes squeezing shut and her face scrunching in thought. "Alright, you're aware that Oakpelt and I have been more or less… courting each other for several moons at this point?"

"Affirmative," Lightningstorm teased, and Slatecloud sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Apologies, I know I speak stiffly sometimes. However, Oakpelt is not some cat that I wish to spend my life with," Slatecloud said carefully.

Lightningstorm couldn't cover her surprise. She had expected Slatecloud to ask for her blessing to become mates with Oakpelt. Not… tell her that she suddenly didn't want to be with him anymore. _They've always been so close. Every cat knew they would be mates some day. What's happened to change that?_

"Alright," Lightningstorm nodded, making an effort to be understanding. "And…?"  
"Well, I'm certain you recall our conversation with Vixenleap earlier," Slatecloud said, shuffling her paws. "My reasons for having an interest in cutting my relationship with Oakpelt off lie in the same river of problems. For as long as I can remember, he has been the only cat that I could talk to or be around, and that isn't good. I felt like it always put a strain on our relationship that he was my only outlet for comfort and sympathy.

"I believe that my desire to become his mate lay in my inability to stomach the idea of him not being there for me, and that upsets me. I don't want to use him like that," Slatecloud explained.

Her sister squinted, trying to understand. "Okay… So you don't want to feel like the only reason that you're mates with him is to stop him from ever leaving you?"  
"Exactly." Slatecloud looked relieved to be understood. "That is not how a healthy relationship is formed."

 _Which you're an expert on,_ Lightningstorm thought privately, but simply nodded sympathetically.

"There's a problem," the tabby said uneasily. "Under other circumstances, I would simply explain to him and pray that our friendship may sustain."

Lightningstorm cocked her head, waiting.

"I am expecting his kits," Slatecloud said simply, her tone matter-of-fact.

She couldn't stifle a gasp.

Slatecloud seemed to find the ensuing silence awkward as she quickly added, "Well, he wished to… further our relationship, and I didn't have a problem with it, and so figuring it would make us both happy, we-"

"Okay, that's between you and him, and I'd rather not hear about it," she interrupted. "So you're going to be a mother?"

"Indeed," Slatecloud agreed, her tone retaining the same lack of emotion, though there was a faint spark of panic in the depths of her gray and blue eyes. "There lies the problem. I do not wish to have a family with Oakpelt."

"Do you wish to have a family at all?" Lightningstorm asked, finding herself echoing Slatecloud's removed tone.

"I do." At last, Slatecloud seemed to have some kind of reaction. She licked her paw and ran it over her ear, washing her face quickly, avoiding Lightningstorm's gaze.

"With… who?" A thought struck Lightningstorm, and she demanded, horrified, "It's not Mallowdrop is it?"

"Oh! No, no it's not," Slatecloud assured her, a note of amusement flickering in her eyes. "It's Stormpaw."

Lightningstorm choked on the chipmunk.

"I see!" she wheezed.

"By the time my kits come, she should be a warrior," Slatecloud informed her. "We can raise them together."

"She feels the same way?" Lightningstorm questioned, slightly strangled by the shock and the hunk of chipmunk.

"She does." Finally, a soft smile spread over Slatecloud's face. Despite Lightningstorm's utter shock at the news, the blissful happiness on her sister's face was undeniable.

"Then congratulations," Lightningstorm said decidedly. "But what are you going to tell Oakpelt?"

"I'm afraid I have no idea." Slatecloud seemed resigned. "He certainly doesn't seem like the type to react poorly to rejection…"

Lightningstorm swallowed hard, and Slatecloud's eyes widened. "Oh! That was insensitive, I'm so sorry."

"No, please continue," she reassured her, biting her lip in an effort to banish the painful memory.

"I- sorry," Slatecloud repeated, touching her nose to Lightningstorm's ear before continuing. "I simply don't know the best way to break the news."

"You know him better than I do," Lightningstorm said hesitantly, "but I think the best thing you can do is just be totally honest with him. Explain what you just told me. Maybe don't tell him you've moved on to someone else just yet-"

"You make it sound like I'm sucking the life out of them and then moving on to some cat else like a monster from nursery tales or something!" Slatecloud exclaimed, amused.

"I meant- oh, you know what I meant," Lightningstorm said, shaking her head. "I'm sure he'll understand. Although he's going to want to be part of the kits' lives, you know that, right?"

"Of course," she agreed, dipping her head in acknowledgement. "I have no problem with him as a cat, I simply don't want our relationship to be anything other than friends and Clanmates. He's their parent, just like I am."

Seeing the warm look Slatecloud gave her almost completely flat belly, Lightningstorm felt hope blossom. _She'll be a wonderful mother, I know it._

"How did you find out so quickly?" Lightningstorm asked curiously. "It seems like you're not far along at all."

"Oh, M- some cat pointed it out," Slatecloud said quickly. "Very perceptive. I went to Dawnsplash and she confirmed."

 _M-something? Mallowdrop?_ She didn't think that was it. _No… I think she's been visiting Molly in the twolegsplace,_ Lightningstorm suspected. _Well. Every cat's entitled to their secrets._

Lightningstorm gave her a reassuring smile and Slatecloud touched noses with her quickly before standing. "Alright. I'll go tell Oakpelt now."

"Right now?" Lightningstorm repeated, surprised. _If it were me, I'd be putting it off until the kits were literally popping out of me._

"Might as well nip the flower in the bud," her sister told her determinedly.

"You're amazing," Lightningstorm purred, only half-joking. "A testament of the bravest cats in ThunderClan."

"I appreciate that," Slatecloud smiled, and turned to go find Oakpelt. "Enjoy the rest of your chipmunk."  
Lightningstorm watched her go, feeling happier than she had in awhile. _She deserves happiness. We all do, I think._

…

 _It had been awhile since she'd had this dream._

 _It wasn't one she ever remembered upon waking, and yet every time it began again, the multiple other times she'd been through it resurfaced._

 _It was raining, but rather than the_ pit-pit-pit _of raindrops hitting the stone of the camp, it was a strange, different noise._

 _Sizzling._

 _Not sizzling, hissing._

 _Not hissing… buzzing._

 _A familiar buzzing._

 _Bearing down on her, a hive, a giant swarm of-_

 _"Lightningstorm!"_

 _The noise was banished abruptly. She stood up, disoriented. The world was gray and misty, changing… featureless._

 _It was Fawnshade's voice._

 _"Lightningstorm!"_

 _But… from where? She stood, ears pricked and eyes wide, but the scream only bounced around, distorted and unidentifiable._

 _"Fawnshade?" she croaked, but she couldn't raise her voice, couldn't scream, couldn't call out to her-_

 _"Lightningstorm."_

 _It was a different she-cat's voice this time._

That sounds like… _But Lightningstorm couldn't remember who it sounded like._

 _"Take a deep breath."_

 _She followed the instruction, feeling the world around her slow slightly. When she opened her eyes, there was a she-cat in front of her._

 _She was struck again with the same sense of familiarity, but when she pushed her mind to try to remember her, she found nothing once more._

 _"Who- who are you?" Lightningstorm asked, squinting at her. "I'm so sorry… I feel like we've met, but I just can't…"_

 _The she-cat was a sleek, patched black-and-white she-cat with piercing green eyes. Unfamiliar._ I've never seen her. She just reminds me of some cat, _Lightningstorm decided._

 _"You don't remember me." It wasn't a question, but something in the she-cat's tone still seemed to be open to, waiting for, Lightningstorm to contradict her._

 _"I don't…" Lightningstorm admitted, cocking her head. "What's your name?"_

 _"I'm-"_

 _The world pulsed white._

 _"I'm-"_

 _Again._

 _"Lightningstorm, please!"_

 _White._

 _"You have to-"_

 _Star-light white._

 _"Remember me!"_

 _And then the white was behind her eyes and Lightningstorm was falling._

 **Well well well.**

 **No weeks off for dear Lightningstorm, I'm afraid. Once the plot pop, the plot don't stop. Though it took a bit of a turn at the end there, I would say this is one of the lighter chapters I've written…**

 **QOTC: Favourite between Slatecloud, Vixenleap, and Lightningstorm?**

 **I'll see you all next week for Breezeswirl's chapter!**

 **~Pondfrost**


	92. Breeze: Cardinal

**Hiya!  
Sorry for the week-late update, you know how it be around the holidays. Hope y'all are having a nice vacation so far.**

 **Anyways, it's time for Breezeswirl! Hehe, let's ruin a couple more lives, shall we?**

Chapter 90.

Morningpoppy's broken body was splayed across the flat stones by the RiverClan border.

Breezeswirl choked back a shriek of horror, recoiling and stumbling behind one of his Clanmates to block the corpse from his line of sight. _Not Morningpoppy, how is that possible? Who did this?_

"Every cat, stay back," Spottedstar ordered immediately. "Morningpoppy?"  
Calling out to her seemed pointless. The medicine cat's head hung at a nauseating angle, her light green eyes rolled back in her head, and her throat darkened with blood. Breezeswirl swallowed back bile, trying to banish the image of the body from his mind to no avail.

It certainly wasn't how he'd expected the Gathering to end. Despite it being a surprising evening in many ways, seeing WindClan's beloved medicine cat brutally murdered was a horrible shock.

 _Who could have done this?_ he wondered, horrified.

"Rogues," Honeythorn said softly, her voice cracking, but the whole Clan heard it and erupted into whispers.

 _That group… Scarletfire's old group…_ he thought, feeling more ill by the heartbeat. _They did this. The same night that Scarletfire… was like that._ His mind began to race like a frightened rabbit. _When Lune appeared, Scarletfire was gone. She told me she put Scarletfire away because she was having 'mind troubles', didn't she? Where did she go then? She couldn't have… No. She couldn't have. She- did things like- that before, but never again. Surely not. Not to Morningpoppy…_

"Rogues," Buzzardclaw muttered, his gaze hard. "And WindClan is being targeted."

Jayflight and Swiftclaw nodded in agreement, their faces stony.

 _They're talking about Scarletfire. They think she did it,_ he thought, terrified. _No. She's got to be innocent! She couldn't possibly have done this!_

"I think we need to go back to camp," Spottedstar muttered to Honeythorn, her eyes narrowing. _Not her too!_ "Perhaps we should speak to the ex-rogue that WindClan is hosting."

 _Hosting? She's_ one of us _! She's not a killer! Why would she even want to kill Morningpoppy?!_

"Let's get back to camp!" Honeythorn shouted, her voice raw. Breezeswirl suddenly realized Morningpoppy was also Honeythorn's littermate. _So soon after losing Sunnyfur as well._ But there was no time to pity Honeythorn, Scarletfire could be in trouble.

 _But what if she_ did _do it?_

No! It was impossible, wasn't it?

But as WindClan surged towards their camp, the medicine cat's body left behind them, Breezeswirl felt like it might not even matter.

…

Scarletfire had yet to be exiled from WindClan, but it didn't mean the Clan was happy about it.

It was mostly evenly divided; half that believed she was innocent, and half that thought she was going to slaughter them all in her sleep. It still made Breezeswirl's skin crawl that no clear answer had been found. The conclusion had been murky at best, but Spottedstar and Honeythorn refused to take any further action than establishing that Morningpoppy had been murdered by rogues.

He had a sickening feeling that there was something they hadn't told the rest of the Clan. _The rogue group. There's something going on. Why won't they attack the rogues? Are we just going to ignore the fact that they killed one of our own?_

Despite the cats of WindClan that believed that Scarletfire, she had been almost universally ignored by the entire Clan, either fearful of guilt by association, or out of sincere belief that she was a monstrous murderer.

Breezeswirl did his absolute best to keep his conviction that Scarletfire was innocent, but it was difficult in an environment that was treating her like she had already been declared guilty. He had to remind himself every day that nothing had come to light beyond the scent of rogues around the body. And just because Scarletfire had been a rogue, it didn't mean that anything rogue related was automatically her fault.

 _Right?_

He sighed, his paws turning back towards the camp. A scrawny rabbit hung from his jaws, all he had to show from the entire morning out on the moors, but he padded back to camp regardless. _It'll feed Icestorm's kits at least. Well, they're hardly kits anymore, I guess. Is it time for them to be apprenticed? I don't know. Maybe Spottedstar will give me one of them to mentor. That'd be nice._

His memories of the kits brought a smile to his face, regardless of the current situation. _Plus, if I have a kit, that'll put me in line for possibly becoming deputy…_

It felt somehow wrong to consider his personal ambitions when Scarletfire was still under suspicion of having brutally murdered the medicine cat of WindClan. He felt his stomach twist familiarly as he entered the camp.

Paledawn immediately hurried up to nuzzled his cheek and the uncomfortable feeling worsened.

"Morning," he muttered.

"Is that for me?" she asked, obviously forcing the upbeat tone.

He glanced down at the prey and back at her. "Um. Actually, I was going to give it to Icestorm and the kits."

"Maybe not kits for so much longer," Paledawn told him. "I heard Spottedstar's apprenticing them today. Think she'll give one to you?"

"Uh, probably," he said, shrugging. "I mean. I was both Spottedstar _and_ Icestorm's ex-apprentices, I'm prime-mentoring-age, and… I'm great."

"You are!" Paledawn agreed, purring.

 _Well, she's certainly cheerful today,_ he thought uneasily. _I don't see how. Morningpoppy hasn't even been buried for a moon yet. I know she wasn't necessarily close to her… but still._

"Do _you_ think you'll get one?" he asked blandly, not particularly interested in the conversation and glancing around to see if Scarletfire was anywhere in the camp.

"I don't know. I don't have the _connections_ you do," Paledawn teased, nudging him, "but like you said, prime-mentoring-age. I think I'd like to train Dandelionkit, or Goldenkit, or any of them really. They seem like sweet kits."

Breezeswirl nodded absently, still scanning the camp for the russet rogue and coming up empty-pawed. _Where_ is _she? I hope she didn't go out on the territory. If the rogues are out for blood, it doesn't really seem safe._

"Breezeswirl?"

"Ehm? What?" he mumbled, glancing back at her.

Her eyes narrowed a fraction as she glanced around camp. "Yeah. I'm worried too."

He couldn't help going slack-jawed. "You- you are?"

"Out without permission, slinking around the territory…" Paledawn trailed off with a soft growl. "I don't like it. Whatever she's up to, I don't like it. I don't know why Spottedstar and Honeythorn didn't just exile her right away."

Breezeswirl's gaze snapped back to hers and he felt a little flame ignite. _I can't argue the point of rogues. I know she's stuck in her ways._ "You think Spottedstar and Honeythorn are wrong, then?"

"Well…" Paledawn mumbled, shrugging.

"Maybe tell them, then?" he suggested icily, flicking his tail towards where the two she-cats sat in conference outside the leader's den. "I'm sure they'd appreciate _input_."

Paledawn frowned. "Well, they're doing what's best for the Clan, I just-"

"So what's best for the Clan is not exiling her, then?" Breezeswirl shot back.

"No- she's-" Paledawn snorted in frustration. "You always take her side. Why do you always take her side?"  
"You know why," Breezeswirl retorted.

"Do I?" Paledawn's voice had turned cold. "Then tell me. Why do you always defend her? Because you might be part rogue? Or because you're in love with her?"

Breezeswirl choked on his own tongue.

"Excuse me?" he managed, coughing.

Paledawn looked embarrassed but defiant. "Yeah. You're always going out on the moors with her, talking to her, taking her side-"

" _Because we're friends_!" he shouted, and then as some of his Clanmates began to glance at them questioningly, he lowered his tone. "Because _that's_ what you do with your friends. Do you know the difference between love and friendship?!"

Paledawn narrowed her eyes, pale green fury simmering in them. "Do _you_? Because how is the way you treat me any different from how you treat _her_?"

Breezeswirl breathed out slowly through his teeth and looked away at the horizon. _Just because I'm not in love with Paledawn doesn't mean I_ am _in love with Scarletfire, but I don't think I can really explain that to her, can I?_

"I need to get some air," he said coolly.

"You were just out," she said through her teeth.

He deigned to ignore her and stalk out of camp. _I need to find Scarletfire. She's probably in trouble. That's why my stomach hurts like this. That's why._

He had never regretted becoming mates with Paledawn more than he did at that moment. And that was a considerable amount since he had regretted it quite a lot in the past moons.

"Scarletfire?" he called quietly, having made it to the outer WindClan border. "Scarletfire? Are you okay?"  
"How'd you know I'd be here?" she asked, appearing from behind a large clump of heather.

"A hunch," he said, relieved. "Are you alright?"  
"Other than half your Clan treating me like a stone-cold killer?" Her amber eyes were lowered and soft. "Absolutely fine."

"Half… my Clan?" he echoed. "They're your Clan too. I mean, regardless of-"

"Regardless of how they treat me?" She raised her gaze and he was taken aback at the intensity of her eyes despite her soft tone. "Because there was a reason I left Torn, you know."

Breezeswirl swallowed hard. "I meant- well, not every cat believes that you're guilty-"

"'Not every cat' not thinking that I mercilessly slaughtered a member of 'my own Clan', is _not_ good enough," Scarletfire murmured. "You defended me, I'm sure. But as for the rest of them…"

"I tried," he allowed, sighing. _I should have defended her more. I shouldn't have just run off, I should have pushed Paledawn to realize the truth._

"Thank you." She drew closer, her eyes still lowered.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, his fur heating. "I'm sorry."

"For what? You're the only sensible cat in this whole Clan, far as I'm concerned," she breathed, her tail lightly tracing over his side. "It would probably be better if every cat listened more to you…"

He felt dizzy, quite suddenly, as though the ground beneath him wasn't as solid as he'd expected it to be. _What's- what's- she's-_

He could feel her breath on his cheek. Hot, gentle, he should probably move far away from her immediately. But staring straight into her amber eyes, it was like all the words were piling up in his throat and never making it past his mouth. _Say something. Paledawn, Darkmoon,_ Lightningstorm. _What are you_ doing _?! Are you trying to throw it all away?_ The voice was beginning to sounds like Jayflight.

"Breezeswirl." It was sounding a _lot_ like Jayflight.

A gray tabby with a lighter, swollen, belly, piercing blue eyes, and an extraordinarily disappointed look scrawled across her face. _Oh, fox-dung._

"And Scarletfire. Lovely to see you." Jayflight's voice had sharpened to a claw-sharp tip, colder than leaf-bare. "Interesting to see you at the root of WindClan's problems again."

Scarletfire jerked away from him, and it was only in that moment that he became aware of exactly how close she had gotten. Her scent still hung heavily around him, and he blinked, trying to make the world stop spinning.

"Jayflight, you-" Scarletfire's tone was beginning to heat up when the gray tabby immediately cut her off.

"No, I think it's time you listened. Get off WindClan's territory. No cat wants you here," Jayflight said flatly, her blue eyes hard. "Why don't you go back to your little rogue-infested nest and leave the rest of us to live our lives?"

Scarletfire's eyes darted between Jayflight and Breezeswirl, back again, and then she just turned and padded away.

Breezeswirl's heart began to pound like a cornered rabbit's. _No, no, she can't leave me alone with Jayflight right after I- and- her sister-_

"Breezeswirl, what in StarClan's name are you doing?" Jayflight asked stiffly, eyes cold. "A mate, a life, a whole future lined up, and you wanted to throw it all away for a couple heartbeats with some rogue?"  
Breezeswirl swallowed hard, and his head began to shake from side to side involuntarily. "I didn't, I didn't, it was her, she-"

Jayflight let out a humourless laugh. "I saw plenty. Were you going to say no? Had you already said yes?"  
He swallowed down a cry of disagreement, knowing it wouldn't help matters. Besides… _Would I have…?_ He shook his head firmly, uncertainty making him uneasy. _Would- it doesn't matter. She just needs to get upset. It's probably just being pregnant that's making her like this._

"Does it matter?" She laughed again, shaking her head a little. "Do you know what it would do to Paledawn? Do you honestly think she deserves this?"

Breezeswirl swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut. "I-"

"No. Listen. My sister is the kindest, most tolerant, caring cat in WindClan," Jayflight spat. "And here you are, trying to ruin it all. You know what? I gave up _everything_!"

 _You…?_

" _Every. Day._ I look at you and wonder what I've gotten from all this, and it's always the same answer. Because I love my sister more than life, and every time, I'll choose her happiness over mine," she spat. "Ever since we were kits. I've stood by, _for her_ and you want to throw it all away!"

 _She's stood by? She chose Paledawn's happiness over hers, and she looks at me and wonders… Oh great StarClan. Is she… saying that…_

"No. You will _not_ do this to her," Jayflight snapped. "You will not. This stays between the three of us, do you understand me? Not a word. If Paledawn knows… you will not."

He nodded helplessly, feeling the tears finally swell out of his eyes. The fury in Jayflight's gaze seemed to also crumple into anguish.

"You would do this to her," she murmured. " _Not a word_."

And then Jayflight started screaming.

"What?! What?!" Breezeswirl exclaimed, recoiling as the gray tabby collapsed to the ground and began to writhe. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"The kits!" Jayflight spat, blue eyes blazing. "My kits are coming! Get Morningpoppy! Get Buzzardclaw! Do _something_!"

Breezeswirl nodded helplessly and dashed off towards the WindClan camp. _Get Morningpoppy, Buzzardclaw, do something. Get Morningpoppy, Buzzardclaw, do something._

"Morningpoppy? Buzzardclaw? Jayflight's giving birth!" he called helplessly into the camp. _Not Morningpoppy. Morningpoppy is tail-lengths under the ground._ A hysterical laugh bubbled up in his throat. "Littleflame!"

The ginger and brown tom dashed out of the medicine cat, his resigned look telling him that he wasn't altogether surprised that Jayflight was giving birth by a remote border in a corner of WindClan territory.

"Is it Jayflight?" Buzzardclaw asked, standing and striding over to Breezeswirl.

 _Isn't that what I just said?!_ Had he said it? Was anything real? The sky seemed too bright blue. "Let's go."

As the three toms sprinted across the moors, it occurred to Breezeswirl that for a medicine cat, Littleflame was quite athletic. _Also, is my whole life over?_

"Jayflight!" Buzzardclaw shouted as they arrived in the clearing.

Breezeswirl cringed as he rushed over and nuzzled her cheek. _We're both miserable, aren't we? At least Jayflight did it to try to make her sister happy. I just did it to try to stop cats from thinking I was in love with a cat from another Clan…_

"Breezeswirl, go get the thickest stick you can carry," Littleflame ordered, his normally reserved tone shifting into a hard order.

"Yes," he exclaimed, rushing off. _Stick, stick, where are sticks? Near trees? There are no trees on the territory!_ Finally, he happened upon a stick thicker than his leg and he picked it up, rushing back to the clearing. "Littleflame, I have the stick."

"Well, give it to her!" he snapped, and Breezeswirl jumped a little and hurried over to give it to her.

She gave him a scorchingly blue glare as she panted and struggled. _Huh. She already delivered two kits._

"Three more," Littleflame informed Buzzardclaw coolly, adjusting the stick and preparing herbs.

 _Wait,_ three _? But she already did two… And I don't know anything about kits, but five is… a lot…_

Breezeswirl sat there awkwardly as Jayflight howled and writhed, the stick snapping in heartbeats, and waited as she painstakingly delivered each kit.

When all five had finally been born, Breezeswirl was amazed she was even still moving. _How did she fit all those kits in her body? Where did her food go?_

"Nip open the birthing sac," Littleflame was telling Buzzardclaw.

"The birthing sac?" Buzzardclaw repeated, looking grossed-out. "And like-"

"Did I start that sentence with 'if it pleases your majestic leader highness?!'" Littleflame spat, his amber eyes blazing. "Nip. It. Now."

Breezeswirl was beginning to be impressed by the little medicine cat. He sure had a lot of fire in him for such a tiny tom. _Shame he's a medicine cat. If he were the deputy, I don't think any cat would disagree with him… ever._

Watching the kits squirming by her belly, he felt an odd tug of nostalgia. _They're beautiful._

Three had pelts ranging from silver and white to dark gray and black. The other two were warm browns; one a chestnut colour with black flecks and the other so light she almost looked golden.

"What are you going to name them?" Breezeswirl asked Buzzardclaw curiously, since Jayflight only seemed about half-conscious.

"Uh- I have no idea," Buzzardclaw said, almost defensively. "I don't know. I'll come up with something."

Breezeswirl nodded sagely, still watching the still form of Jayflight. _Hope she's okay._

"We're going to have to stick around here for another little while," Littleflame said decidedly. "Breezeswirl, if you want to head back to camp, that's fine, but could you send Rabbittail over to help if you do decide to go?"

"Yeah, for sure," Breezeswirl said absently, still staring at Jayflight's slack body.

As he padded back to camp, his mind spun. _So… is she…? Am I…?_ His mind felt like kit, lost and confused in an unfamiliar forest. _What am I supposed to do? Not tell Paledawn I suppose._ Frustration still thrummed through him from the injustice of Jayflight's accusations. _She was the one starting it all, I was just sitting there. I gave no indication, not even the whisper of a_ hint _of any kind at all!_

But what was there to do now but pad back to camp and hope everything wasn't ruined?

…

"He wants me?" Rabbittail asked, his amber eyes light.

"Uh, yeah, that's what he said," Breezeswirl replied with a shrug, waving him off with his tail. "I think he needed help with Jayflight's kits."

"Jayflight kitted?!" Rabbittail exclaimed.

Before the golden tom had a chance to reply, the brown and white patched warrior was dashing off.

Sighing, Breezeswirl padded over to the fresh-kill pile to sift through to it and try to find something for a midday meal. Paledawn seemed to have gone out on patrol, which he was thankful for, and so had the rest of the Clan if the almost dead silent camp was to go by.

"Breezeswirl? Could I speak to you in my den for a moment?" Spottedstar asked, padding over to where he sat in the least-damp part of the camp he could find.

"Certainly!" he exclaimed, hopping to his feet. _Anything to get away from a depressing meal alone…_

Following Spottedstar into her den, he pondered what the meeting could be about. _Hm. Icestorm's kits? Am I going to be a mentor, then? Which one? Is she going to ask me which one I_ want _? I don't know. Should I think of which one I want right now? Huh. Um, Goldenkit seems kind of sweet, but if all she does is listen and sit mutely, that might be kind of boring… Dandelionkit seems smart as well. She's quiet too though. Warblerkit is quite outgoing, but would she be too much of a pawful? Rufflekit… kind of weirds me out actually. He was never playing kit games or talking to his sister, or anything._

"As you know, I'm sure, Icestorm's kits are about six moons now and they're ready to be apprenticed," Spottedstar said conversationally. "Since you were her ex-apprentice, despite being young, I figured I should give one of them to you for you to train. Do you have a preference?"

He blinked. _Sweet, mute, smart, quiet, outgoing, pawful, weird, never playing or anything._ Each face ran through his mind but didn't enlighten him. "Um. No? Any of them would be fine, really?"

Spottedstar cracked a small smile. "I probably shouldn't be testing you, since you've passed your assessments and everything, but that's the right answer. You can't tell, I'm sure, but I'm actually getting older…"

She paused and he smiled awkwardly.

"And I've come across some would-be mentors that treat potential apprentices more like prey to be chosen from a pile than other, real cats," Spottedstar told her regretfully. "In my experience, they don't make good mentors."

He nodded sagely, trying not to feel anxious. _She isn't going to 'test' me again, right? I'll make a good mentor! I have to… I want to be deputy_ so _much._

"Well, is Warblerkit alright then?" Spottedstar asked.

 _If I say no, will she think that I'm going to be a bad mentor?_ he wondered nervously. "Um, sure! I'd love to train her."

Spottedstar smiled. "Great. I'll hold the ceremony as soon as Nightpool's patrol is back."

Breezeswirl nodded, mirroring the smile and feeling a weight lift off his shoulder. _Then this is just the first step. She trusts me enough to give me an apprentice this early, and if I show her that I'm a good mentor, I'll definitely be on the right track._

"Dismissed," she told him, snapping him out of his reverie.

He bobbed his head quickly. "Thank you for your consideration," he said quickly, and padded out of her den. _I'm going to be a mentor!_

…

"Goldenkit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Goldenpaw. Your mentor will be Leopardheart. I hope Leopardheart passes down all she knows to you."  
The golden and brown she-cat hopped onto the tall rock and touched her nose to Spottedstar's.

"Leopardheart, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Larkfeather and you have shown yourself to be brave and thoughtful. You will be Goldenpaw's mentor, and I hope you pass down all you know onto her."

The two golden she-cat touched noses solemnly and stood by for the next ceremony.

"Rufflekit, you too are six moons old today, and the time has come for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Rufflepaw. Your mentor will be Paledawn. I hope she passes down all she knows to you."  
 _Great, we're mentoring siblings. I guess I just won't be a group-training kind of mentor…_ he thought, sighing. _Well, all the better. I'm sure Warblerkit will manage fine without being near her brother for every heartbeat of every day._

"Paledawn, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You received excellent training from Nightpool and you have shown yourself to be kind and patient. You will be Rufflepaw's mentor, and I hope you pass all you know down to him," Spottedstar announced.

Breezeswirl sighed again as he watched his mate touch noses with her new apprentice. _Hopefully she can get through to that kit. He's a strange one, that's for sure._

"Warblerkit, you are six moons old and the time has come for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Warblerpaw. Your mentor will be Breezeswirl. I hope he passes down all he knows to you."

Breezeswirl caught Paledawn's eye and felt pained as she gave him a rueful smile. _She hasn't already forgiven me, has she? I wish- I don't know. I wish she's just get angry at me and want to stop being mates or something. That would make everything a lot easier. Though Jayflight would probably toss me to the rogues._

"Breezeswirl, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You received excellent training from Icestorm and you have shown yourself to be loyal and noble." _Noble. Yes, that sure is me. So loyal to my Clan while I dream about ThunderClan cats…_ he thought. "You will be Warblerpaw's mentor and I hope you pass all you know onto her," Spottedstar declared.

Breezeswirl tried for a genuine smile and touched his nose to the silver and white tabby's.

"Can we train _right_ now?" she asked excitedly, hopping up and down.

"Well, let's get through the rest of the ceremony," he told her, purring a little. _Yeah. I think I can like her._

Dandelionkit became Dandelionpaw, apprenticed to Rabbittail, and then there was a fifth ceremony that Breezeswirl hadn't expected.

"Icestorm, is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?" Spottedstar asked warmly.

"It is," Icestorm replied with a smile, her blue eyes searching out Logfall in the crowd.

"Your Clan honours you and all the service you have given to us. I call upon StarClan to give you many moons of rest," Spottedstar announced, resting her muzzle on Icestorm's shoulder.

 _Oh. I knew she was old. But I guess… well, I thought we might patrol again together._ He couldn't deny a stab of wistfulness. _She's an elder. That's... really strange, I guess. I mean, I guess Jayflight, Rabbittail, and Paledawn's mentors are all still warriors. I just had an… older one._

"Larkfeather is also leaving her warrior duties to join the nursery," Spottedstar announced, then flicked her tail towards Jayflight who was sitting at the entrance of the nursery with her kits. "Jayflight has also given birth to two toms and three she-cats, named Thistlekit, Swankit, Honeykit, Swiftkit, and Flintkit."

Breezeswirl just winced, reminded of the pain she must have been through to deliver all five. _Kits sound like a world of pain to me. I'd rather deal with them once they've matured at least a little. Jayflight and Buzzardclaw are in for a world of sleepless nights._

"You know, I've been thinking," Paledawn murmured, sidling up to him.

"Have you," he said flatly.

"Maybe we should have kits together."

 _No. Absolutely not. Under no circumstances. For any reason. No._

"Uh, why is that?" he asked as neutrally as possible while a hurricane was raging in his mind.

She glanced at him, pale eyes brimming with something incomprehensible. "Well, I think it would be good to… y'know."

 _I don't. I don't know. You want me to have kits with you to prove that I'm not in love with Scarletfire? That's pure hare-brained insanity. Absolutely not._

"I've never really been interested in kits," he told her carefully. "Aren't you going to help Jayflight raise hers?"  
"But that's not a substitute for our _own_ kits," Paledawn said, pouting. "And I want-"

"I don't want to have kits," he said bluntly. "Especially not when we're _both_ about to start training apprentices."

Paledawn looked hurt, but it wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last.

 **Woof. This one took a long time to get out, but we're finally wrapping up some OLD OLD OLD storylines and I'm pleased. QOTC: Thoughts on the Paledawn/Breezeswirl/Jayflight/Scarletfire situation?**

 **Anyways. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, go ahead and leave a review to let me know your thoughts, and why not favourite/follow while you're here?**

 **Happy holidays!**

 **~Pondfrost**


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